Air Force Veteran Gary Dean quit his job at Food Lion in Havelock, North Carolina, claiming the store manager told him he could not wear an American flag mask because someone was offended.
News Channel 12 reports that 69-year-old Dean was in the Air Force from 1970-1976, and he talked of how his memories of friends killed in the Vietnam War made a ban on the American Flag mask unbearable.
Dean talked of his friend, Davio Toler, who died in Vietnam, saying, “[He] got shot right through the heart, they brought him home. That’s an emotional subject for me[.] When you lose a friend that is fighting for your freedoms you get angry. You get very angry when people disrespect the flag.”
ABC 7 highlights that Dean had been wearing the American Flag mask for months, but a manager allegedly told him Tuesday that he could no longer wear it.
Dean claimed, “Apparently corporate came down and said ‘somebody was offended by the image of the American flag on the face covering.'”
News Channel 12 reached out to Food Lion and was told the company “prohibits associates from wearing clothing with writing, insignia, or symbols.”
Food Lion’s full statement said, “At Food Lion, we have great respect for the American flag. Like many other organizations, we also have policies that guide the attire and conduct of associates in the workplace. As part of our effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the well-being of our associates and customers, we’ve required associates to either wear reusable face masks provided by Food Lion or choose to wear a different face covering while working. However, all face coverings must adhere to standards set by the company and communicated to each of our more than 77,000 associates. The policy prohibits associates from wearing clothing with writing, insignia or symbols. The dress code is meant to ensure a consistent and professional representation of our associates inside of our stores.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.