Posted on 11/14/2016 9:41:12 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee
For his free meal on Veterans Day, Ernest Walker picked the Chili's Grill & Bar in Cedar Hill. The 47-year-old sat at a table and ordered a burger while his service dog, Barack, waited by his side.
Chili's is apologizing for what happened next.
As Walker tells it, an elderly white man wearing a Donald Trump shirt approached him and said that he was in Germany and that blacks weren't allowed to serve there. Walker, who is black, says he was wearing his old Army uniform.
The man walked to the back of the restaurant, Walker says, and a waitress came to pack his leftovers. Then a manager showed up.
In a widely shared Facebook post, Walker wrote that the manager claimed another guest said Walker was not "a real soldier" because he was wearing his hat indoors. Walker said he provided a military ID at the manager's request, along with his discharge papers. . .The manager couldn't be reached for comment Sunday. He has been put on leave, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reports.
One of Walker's attorneys, Kim Cole, said in an email that officials with Chili's and its parent company, Brinker International, apologized to Walker via phone Monday. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
“Removed?”
4. He served 2 years and got out when he was 18? Who serves only two years?
I enlisted (delayed entry program) in 1981 when I was 17 years old and had to get parental consent. The army did not let me swear the oath and attend training until my 18th birthday. I believe this guy is a liar about serving.
I enlisted when I was seventeen as well, but didn’t ship out until I was over 18. This guy said he enlisted when a recruiter found him sleeping behind a Kroger. I don’t think it mentions his parents, but they found them and signed for him. But . . . it was peacetime. Even in WWII, 16 year olds lied about their age to get in.
I don’t believe him; it looked and smelled like a case of stolen valor. If I saw him dressed like he was and behaving the way he was, I wonder wonder. I would have kept it to myself. That manager should have let this go.
He may be telling the truth, but things just don’t add up for me. Most of the entire story is told by this guy. I wish Chili’s would release their store cameras or another customer would show the whole altercation.
Either way, he was chasing balls.
I’m with you there, my friend. I served because I could and I owed it to my country to do so. I didn’t serve to get a free burger, or to get thanks for doing my duty as an American. No vet should think they are owed a damn thing.
Yep. Chili’s just rolled over and sucked up to a racist who supports people advocating the murder of police.
And it was just what he and his ilk wanted them to do.
Pathetic.
Without knowing any more, I would agree.
This is a free country and if this guy was a vet, he should have gotten his free meal, regardless of his politics.
If this vet is deliberately stirring up trouble, that reflects poorly on him, not on all vets.
This is one of those “too good to be true” stories for the left. I wonder if we’ll ever hear what actually happened.
I disagree just a little. You don’t have to partake. I don’t consider it demeaning in any way. I think of this as patriotic Americans trying to show appreciation.
It’s like someone giving you a gold watch after working for the company for 25 years.
I don’t go looking for “free stuff” either, but I am always gracious to those who offer or who ask the vets in the room to stand or whatever. Sometimes the biggest gift is to graciously receive what is offered. Think about your child or grandchild offering you a clay handprint or some other gift you don’t want or need. You don’t need it, but it would make them feel bad if you didn’t take it. They are doing the best they can.
Folks should be aware of the dynamic wherein anything “free” brings racist, shiftless, indolent ghetto people out of the woodwork.
Oh, and they’re rude and they don’t tip.
They are the reason my family cannot go anywhere on “free” day, like the zoo. It fills up with violent professional slackers.
Did they fire the little *sswipe?
Great reply...thanks.
If everything Walker says is true, then there was some colossal misjudgment on the part of the manager.
On the other hand, we have learned to be suspicious of claims like this where only part of the story is on tape.
Given Walker's apparent connections with radical groups, I think we're right to suspect that
(1) some important details are missing from the story, particularly details about the onset of the incident, and
(2) the whole thing may have been a set-up.
The manager behaved in a bizarre manner. Even if the man was a fraud, it was best to leave it alone, as the $10 loss had already occurred.
OTOH, we don't know what happened before Walker started recording. Isn't it possible he was so rude or disruptive to other patrons, that he deserved to be kicked out?
This story makes me sad..
The offending party who complained was, but the staff followed up on it improperly IMO, unless I missed something I shouldn’t have.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.