An Iraq war veteran says he was turned away from a Six Flags in New Jersey because he says he was told his shirt was "offensive."
FOX NEWS: "It's a shirt supporting the Marines, and on it there's a red, white and blue rifle with the words 'Keep calm and return fire.' A worker there said it would offend people."
The vet says he was stopped by a security guard at the front gate.
News 12 New Jersey, which highlighted the story on its front page, spoke with 33-year-old Mario Alejandro. He's served two tours in Iraq.
"I thought it was a joke when the guy said, 'Hey you can't come into this park.'"
"He says he was told to either buy a new shirt in the gift shop or leave."
Six Flags does have a dress code. On the Frequently Asked Questions portion of its website, it says, "Clothing with rude, vulgar or offensive language or graphics is not permitted at any time."
Alejandro's shirt didn't have any curse words on it, but it does feature a graphic of a rifle. This could have been why it was seen as violating the offensive graphics portion of the dress code.
On the back of the shirt, it's made clear it's for military benefit, as it has a link to the Reconnaissance Foundation. Its mission is "to provide immediate assistance and ongoing support to the Marine Reconnaissance Community and its veterans."
Although Six Flags did not directly address the issue, a spokeswoman sent NJ.com an email saying "the incident was 'under review.'" The outlet reports she "added that Six Flags is extremely proud of its longstanding relationship with the U.S. military."
But was Six Flags in the wrong? Quite a few seem to think so ...
... writing that it was uncceptable, saying they'd no longer visit the park and calling people whiners.
Alejandro wants an apology, telling NJ.com he lay in a hole for 36 hours straight and had friends die serving his country, yet can't wear a patriotic shirt to an amusement park.
