Marine Grad Stands On Sidelines During Ceremony (Refused to not wear dress blues?)

ktul ^ | 5/12/06

[LouAvul]

Holdenville, OK (AP) - A U-S Marine graduates from Holdenville High School, but isn't able to walk across the stage with his fellow graduates.

During last night's ceremony, Michael Lueking stood in the stands in his dress blues uniform. School officials had told Lueking he wouldn't be able to participate in the ceremony if he refused to wear the school's standard royal blue cap and gown.

Lueking finished high school a semester early so he could fulfill his longtime dream of joining the Marines. He graduated from the 13-week Marine boot camp on May 5th, in time to be home for his high school graduation.

Holdenville Superintendent Shellie Gammill says she couldn't bend the policy or else exceptions would have to be made for other students.

[Dick Vomer]

Most people gave up childish statements like this once they got to Jr. High School

... just what I thought... what did you get... about 2-10% of basic training grads would buck the administrator, huh? As opposed to .....98% of Marine boot graduates... ROFLMAO

yeah, that's about the percentage I'd expect.. most of those would be Airborne, Ranger or Spec Operators.. I know most of those fellers would throw down for uniform. I've seen some real knock downs for somebody telling one of those gentlemen to remove his "stupid French beret". I can imagine what they'd do if you told them they had to hide their uniform, cause they should be prouder of graduating from a public high school instead of wearing that "stupid uniform"..or better yet, hide it cause you're ashamed of it..

Don't even think about asking those knuckle dragging squids if they'd take off their little bitty anchor,eagle, pistol and trident logo pin for a cap and gown...not to mention their whole uniform....bwahahahahaha...those guys are not stupid... crazy yes, but not stupid.

Maybe you didn't have pride in your branch of the service, unit or whatever, and thought that a high school cap and gown are equivalent... I just don't think I met many guys like you.... if I did I probably just asked, "where's the latrine and where's the pogey bait?"

you're funny..

[sinkspur]

You're making a total fool of yourself with all this macho, look-how-tough-Marines-are bluster.

Your dad probably could have whipped my dad. Who the hell cares?

[Dick Vomer]

And I don't give a damn what you think of the Army.

hey, an army grad said that he didn't think it was a big deal to wear his uniform...

I think it is. I have two men that were career Army and personal friends, wives and kids play around etc..... One in the Army artillery and the other with Rangers.. both of them said they'd tell the administrator to TRY to take their uniforms off or cover them up.

you tell me, after busting your hump in basic would you want to wear your uniform at high school graduation?

In my unscientific survey, 100% of the army guys would actually make this a physical confrontation. Only about 40% of the Marines would do that....most would sit the whole thing out on the sidelines.

If I offended you. I'm sorry. Most of the Army I met were hard chargers and professional....but like real estate, it was all about location.

As far as numbers killed, well we Marines may not be dying as much... but that isn't the point of it all is it???

And as far as killing... well I think the arty and combat air in the form of army choppers, navy and air force bomb platforms are the real winners in the lives lost/killed ratio.

So we Marines are just taking up space and resting on our laurels with great pr.

....but you got to admit, we got some really cool looking Dress Blues.

[Dick Vomer]

Your dad probably could have whipped my dad. Who the hell cares?

...all I was saying is that the kid has pride in his uniform. A lot of people don't understand why. If you don't, I'm sorry. ....

and my dad could whip your dad....I bet my mom could whip your dad... ;-)

why?... cause she was married to a Marine..bwahahahahahaha.

ya, gotta admit, THAT was funny.

[sinkspur]

...all I was saying is that the kid has pride in his uniform.

And, because he chose to attend the graduation ceremony, he placed himself under the rules of the school that governed everybody else.

He got to wear his uniform, but not where he wanted to.

He made his point, and the school made theirs. It's over.

[91B]

Well, I accept your apology given the explanation-perhaps I was too quick on the trigger. The point I was trying to make with the casualty statistics is that the Army is out there neck deep in the fight and that is what I base my pride in service on, not boot camp-which, let's face it, involves a lot of pointless drama. Anyway, I think the young Marine should also be very proud of his uniform and made the right decision to sit it out when he was told that he couldn't, not much point coming to blows over it-that would only cast the service in a bad light.

The Army doesn't put much emphasis on pride in service in boot camp, which is a shame given that we have a history so illustrious, that our expoits from just the Civil war, are among the greatest in our nation's illustrious history ;-)

[connectthedots]

If you are an example of a Marine, they apparently don't teach Marines to form a coherent thought. I suppose you became a Marine when they were still taking some Cat4s.

[USMCVet]

You live in your own little world, don't you?

I reiterate: there is no comparison at all between the hazards of other occupations to those experienced by our service personnel - particularly Marines and soldiers - in combat.

You are either being intentionally deceptive with your comparisons or you need to a bit more reading about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan before you make pronouncements that are so demonstrably false.

[Non-Sequitur]

Lets be sure and remember this when a Muslim comes along and insists on wearing his ragtop and tribal garb on graduation day..

And until you can point to an instance where the school made an exception for them and not for this marine then you have nothing to complain about.

[Non-Sequitur]

I guess if you really want to freak the high school out have these "boys" show up at graduation...

And in that picture would you think it would be permissible for one of the marines to show up in his class A uniform instead of dress blues? How about his utilities? Would the effect be the same.

The Marine should have worn cap and gown along with his classmates.

[Rebelbase]

"Yes, rules are rules."

And rules can be modified. There is nothing wrong with making an exception for high school seniors who are qualified to wear a military uniform to do so at their graduation.

It's the Educrat mentality that is close minded and resistant to any challenge of it's authority that is the problem.

[Beckwith]

We have a winner.

1st Prize for most absurd post.

[Beckwith]

Save your breath Cobra, the Swiss Miss will never get it but (s)he will sleep well and warm tonight because of kids like this.

[Beckwith]

was the subject of all four services recruitment in high school based

And which service did you chose to honorably serve in?

[Rockpile]

Question: Would the school system get any kind of payola from the rental/sale of gown and cap? Do the vendors "re-imburse" them part of the cash that the students pay?

[toddlintown]

Thanks for your moronic opinion.

[usmcobra]

Better adjust because us civilians is your boss marine.

And if the civilian community where he lives says that as a Marine he isn't allowed to live or eat there, you would be fine with that as well?

I remember a time when such discrimination against Marines was very common place, when I had to live in a crappy OVER PRICED apartment with my family because all the good places would not allow service people to live there, and it wasn't that long ago either.

Any one can discriminate against a member of the armed forces since anti-discrimination laws don't cover servicemen and women unless they are a part of some oppressed minority and as you have pointed out "us civilians is your boss marine".

Why even huge corporations can and do discriminate against our men and women in uniform, take for instance how Hilton hotels, went out of their way to shut down free meals to our wounded and disabled warriors from Walter Reed.

I'm sure your "us civilians is your boss" mentality has no problem at all, saying to those wounded warriors, The Hilton was right in throwing you and the restaurant that served those free meals out of their hotel. Afterall The civilain law gave them the right to do so.

Clearly this is just another case where civilian laws was used to strike a blow against the military because the laws allowed such discrimination.

I'm glad this young Marine refused to allow it to happen to him, the admistrator was wrong to use the school rules, and this is very important, to prevent a member of the Armed Forces of the United States Government from appearing in this event as a member of this Government's defense of this country in time of war.

[OldFriend]

Too bad some people, like you, have no class at all.

Hope you aren't a Marine. Not a great representative at all.

[Dick Vomer]

If you knew anything about the regulations pertaining to a Marine's dress for social, formal, semi-formal events, then you'd be able to answer your own assinine post.

However since you weren't blessed with that knowledge I'd refer you to a previous post that fully states the proper attire for the young Marine.

It was a formal event, he wanted to go dressed properly for that event. Dress Blues is "formal attire" in the Marine Corp. As far as the pathetic objections to this man wearing his uniform, I'm just glad that my high school and college graduation had a little different attitude.

[Non-Sequitur]

If you knew anything about the regulations pertaining to a Marine's dress for social, formal, semi-formal events, then you'd be able to answer your own assinine post.

Having spent most of my adult life as a commissioned officer in the Navy and the Navy reserve I would say that I am very well versed in uniform regulations, your asinine comment to the contrary notwithstanding.

It was a formal event, he wanted to go dressed properly for that event.

It was not a formal event, it was a high school graduation. As such, certain standards of dress were required. In this case a cap and gown. Not a tuxedo or evening gown or other formal attire. A cap and gown. The marine in question made his choice not to conform with the requirements and as a result was kept from the ceremony, just as anyone else who refused to wear the cap and gown was. He made his choice, he has nothing to complain about.

As far as the pathetic objections to this man wearing his uniform, I'm just glad that my high school and college graduation had a little different attitude.

And that was the right of your high school and college. They set their standards and people conform to them. This high school can do the same. I was Navy ROTC. When I graduated I wore dress whites to my commissioning ceremony and then changed to cap and gown for my graduation ceremony, and saw nothing unusual or insulting about doing so.