Teen Fired For Joining Marines?!

You’d think they would want to cut this guy some slack!

“Marine-hopeful Joshua Perthuis, 18, of Texas City, Texas, said he ran afoul with his local employer last month after his Corps responsibilities got in the way of work.

Perthuis was fired from his job as a bagger at Food King after twice missing work in January. The first time, he missed an evening shift when his physical exam at the recruiter’s office ran long. The recruiter phoned the grocery manager to say Perthuis wasn’t going to make it.

Days later, Perthuis attended his swearing-in ceremony in Houston, about an hour’s drive from the grocery — and that ran long, too. When he called the store to say he wasn’t coming in for his afternoon shift, general manager Tony Melchor told Josh he should look for another job.

As a result, Josh’s family rang up The (Galveston, Texas) Daily News to tell the tale of a Marine recruit done wrong. Melchor bristled at the paper’s Feb. 13 headline: ‘Teen says he was fired for joining Marines.'”

Be sure to read the whole thing at the Marine Corps Times.