A photo of a Marine veteran standing outside of Walmart has stirred up controversy on social media According to reports, the vet and his wife were participating in the annual Toys for Tots campaign when store employees told them they would have to take it outside.
John and Lynn Harkness stood outside the Medina, Ohio store in the brutal weather on Saturday. For more than 15 years, he and his wife were able to stand inside the store to collect toys to go to underprivileged children. New management put Mr. and Mrs. Harkness in the cold.
A woman moved by this shared a photo of Mr. Harkness on social media.
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“There was a woman who came up to me and said ‘can I take your picture?’ I said sure, so her husband took my picture and she went from there,” Harkness explained.
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The store got harsh criticism for leaving a former Marine collecting for charity to stand out in the cold. Many people saw it as disrespectful.
Lynn is the Toys for Tots Coordinator for Medina County and says it’s worse than just disrespectful. Many vets suffer health problems and it could be dangerous for them to stand out in the freezing temperatures. “We have the Auxiliary and the Marines helping they are in their 60s most of them and on up. A couple of the Marines have had cancer surgery and their health isn’t the best, being out in the bad weather could damage their health,” she explained.
Walmart issued a statement saying they ‘are looking into this matter’. The statement said they do support veterans and charities, but, “Walmart’s corporate policy across our more than 4500 stores does not allow this type of solicitation inside our stores and we apologize for any confusion about this policy.”
Source: Fox 8
Photo: Fox 8
This is unbelievable.
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PHOTO OF MARINE GOES VIRAL, SHOPPERS FURIOUS AFTER DISCOVERING HOW WALMART TREATED HIM (PHOTO)
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