That’s Why They’re Called the Armed Forces
A second-grader in Providence, RI was told by his teacher that the hat he would not be allowed to wear the hat he made for hat day.
According to the AP:
Christan Morales said her son just wanted to honor American troops when he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures.
But the school banned the hat because it ran afoul of the district’s zero-tolerance weapons policy. Why? The toy soldiers were carrying tiny guns.
The superintendent insisted that the policy is against guns, not about patriotism, and compared it to the policy against wearing a shirt depicting a marijuana leaf. That’s just crazy. For one thing, marijuana is illegal. For another, soldiers use their guns to protect us. Gee, should we really have to point this stuff out?
Lt. Gen. Reginald Centracchio, the retired commander of the Rhode Island National Guard requested a meeting with the school principal and the superintendent. He praised them for their past support of the military, but suggested they review the policy that kept David Morales from wearing his hat. As the commander pointed out:
“The American soldier is armed. That’s why they’re called the armed forces,” he said. “If you’re going to portray it any other way, you miss the point.”
AP reports:
He said he intends to give David a medal to express veterans’ appreciation that he would pay tribute to their service.
Morales said her son was inspired to honor the military after striking up a friendship last summer with a neighbor in the Army.
Banning the hat “sent the wrong message to the kids, because it wasn’t in any way to cause any harm to anyone,” she said. “You’re talking about Army men. This wasn’t about guns.”
