(via Malcolm Chaddock)
BROOKLYN (CN) - A disabled Army captain who was wounded in Iraq claims McDonald's employees beat him with garbage can lids after he brought his service dog to the restaurant. Luis Montalvan says the attack came as he was photographing the restaurant after he repeatedly complained about the treatment he received there.
Part of me wants to think that there has to be more to this story than we're being told, but even if part of this tale is true, many folks have much to be embarrassed about. Someone at McDonald's ought to wake up and smell the kitty litter- y'all have a PR nightmare on your hands.
I grew up during the Vietnam Era, and I was old enough to understand that service men and women returning from Vietnam were not greeted with the open arms that those who serve today are. In my mind, one of the saddest legacies of my childhood is the shoddy, disrespectful manner in which American soldiers were treated and despised by so many of their countrymen. It's a wonder that more from my generation aren't terribly bitter, given the disparity in the way they were treated vis-a-vis how our men and women in uniform are revered today. Thankfully, we as a nation have managed to pull our anteriors our of posteriors, and we do honor those who defend our country as they deserve. Sometimes I think the hero worship is a bit overdone, but it's a damn sight better than what military personnel from my generation endured. No one's spitting on uniformed personnel as they walk through airports, calling them "baby killers" and disrespecting them and their service.
When you consider that we have the most capable, efficient, and powerful military in the world...and that it's an all-volunteer force...we should be grateful. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, we enjoy the freedoms we do (including the freedom to oppose the two never-ending wars we're currently engaged in) in large part because of those willing to serve and help protect those freedoms. That there are still those out there who seem not to get this is a sad commentary on where we are as a nation. If we're disrespecting and mistreating anyone, it should be the lying neoConservative thugs who lied their way into the way in Iraq and who bear ultimate responsibility for the 4,500 (and counting) Americans who have returned home in flag-draped boxes.
Luis Montalvan should be able to enjoy free Big Macs and fries for life, with some thrown in for his service dog for good measure. It's because of people like him that we continue to enjoy what we do today. Given that I'm a big believer in karma, I have to believe that those at Montalvan's McDonald's will at some point reap what they've sown. For the simple crime of disobeying the Golden Rule, they deserve what they'll ultimately get. For my money, there should be reserved parking spaces in Hell for those who would treat a veteran so poorly.
