“I am a disabled combat veteran. I served in Iraq and worked in Afghanistan. I took an IED because my country asked me too, and I was injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. I have a Purple Heart and an ARCOM with Valor. I fully expect to be treated differently when I am visiting another country – when I am in America I expect equality and toleration; but what I experienced today is something that I never would have thought I’d have to go through in my own country. The country I fought for!

I am a skydiver with around 300 jumps under my belt. I’ve done jumps from 30,000 feet, helicopters, hot air balloons, wingsuit skydives and so forth. So with that being said I travel around doing this sport quite a bit. Today was my second time at a dropzone called “Florida Skydiving Center / Skydive Lake Wales”.

Coincidentally there are soldiers from the country of Qatar being trained there.

The picture is of the tattoo I have. Here is the definition of said tattoo: “Kafir (Arabic: كافر‎ kāfir, plural كفّار kuffār) is an Arabic term used in an Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as “unbeliever,” “disbeliever,” or “infidel.” The term refers to a person who rejects God or who hides, denies, or covers the “truth.” The Muslim’s from Qatar saw that tattoo and complained to the dropzone. Once they did so I was called to the back office and asked to cover it up by the OWNER. Not that I would, but its 80 something degrees here today, and that would be an unreasonable request. After I told her that I had no pants to cover it up she told me that she has DUCT TAPE that I can use to cover it. I told the lady that I was not going to cover it up, as it was nothing more than a tattoo saying “I am not a Muslim”. After beating around the bush for a few minutes entertaining me while I was trying to convince her otherwise, she asked me to leave.

What kind of America do we live in where someone comes back from war; disabled and decorated… while serving overseas was called an “infidel” for over 2 years, and then get asked to leave an establishment because of a tattoo I have that says just that, because of a culture of people visiting our country, and an American Business with no ethical sense or a backbone for that matter.

I am honestly offended and embarassed by how I was treated at skydive lake wales.

Please, send them your feelings on the subject. Here is their contact information.

http://www.floridaskydiving.com/

https://www.facebook.com/skydivinglakewales

Florida Skydiving Center
440 S Airport Rd, Lake Wales, FL
(863) 678-1003″

via Disabled Purple Heart veteran, embarassed at local business. – Adventures of A Broken Soldier.