A photo of a Vietnam veteran sitting outside Walmart in the pouring rain has sparked outrage after it was learned that the store refused him shelter.
Manuel Griffin, 69, was selling poppies to raise money for the local VFW outside a Walmart in Dickson City, Pennsylvania on Friday. When it began to rain, he requested to sit closer to the store for shelter. But the store manager refused him, stating that the store’s safety policy required him to remain 15 feet away from the doorway.
A passerby snapped a photo of Griffin sitting in the rain and sent it to his wife, Maryann. Maryann then took the photo to Facebook, and her post quickly went viral.
“As it was pouring rain, he was told he couldn’t stay at the protected area and that he would have to go out in the rain and 15 feet away from the building as per the store manager,” Maryann wrote in the since deleted post.
“Way to go WALMART….commendable way to treat our veterans who fought for your freedom…..Disgrace,” she added.
Walmart is under fire for making veteran sit outside in rain https://t.co/49QRnzVPUk pic.twitter.com/Grol0Q0V4f
— Yahoo Life (@yahoolife) May 8, 2018
However, Griffin didn’t let the rain to deter him, and he continued to sell his poppies. He even returned to the very same Walmart the next day to sell some more.
By that time, Griffin’s story had caught the attention of the local news, but he refused to speak on camera. Griffin’s friend, David Ragan, explained why. “He is going to do what he has to do for his VFW, and he wants to make sure he is representing them the same way we did when we wore the uniform,” Ragan said.
Shoppers, on the other hand, were more than willing to talk to the news – and they were none too happy with Walmart’s treatment of Griffin:
“It was not even human. You don’t do that to people like that. It ain’t right,” said Chester Gunderman.
“How you could make a gentleman who fought for our country and risked his life for our freedom sit in the rain while he is trying to sell something to remember those who went before him?” Beth Bonacci asked.
Thankfully, Griffin’s story has a happy ending. Ragan was able to talk to the store manager, and the two sides reached a compromise: now, veterans will be offered a canopy in inclement weather.
HAPPY ENDING: Walmart followed through and put a canopy up outside for veterans in Dickson City.
Original Story: After Photo of Veteran Sitting in the Rain Goes Viral, Walmart Makes Amends https://t.co/IAYd0BCJwF @WNEP pic.twitter.com/TAv33fmsiF— Allen (@allenvtweets) May 6, 2018
God bless Griffin for serving our country and never backing down in order to stand up for our veterans.
Share this if you support Manuel Griffin and all our veterans! Follow AlertMe below for more updates!