Military Servicemen refused service !

I wouldn't give that BP station any of my business unless the owner apologizes and promises very firmly that such a thing will not be tolerated at his station.

 

Be careful. This one has made the rounds at Snopes.com. There have been quite a few versions of the story out there, in some cases, seemingly planted by competitors of the businessmen owning the stores.

Make sure it's true, or you might be an unwitting part of someone's business plan.

 

Here's another example where people said "they knew someone who said it happened."

As for the Hilton Head, South Carolina, version of the legend, we spoke to the manager of the Wild Wing Cafe about the rumor. He said the story was "a complete lie" and that "we support our troops 100%", adding that they'd "had a group of 15 Marines in just the other night." He provided us with a copy of the denial the owners of the establishment have circulated to those who have asked about the rumor. Because it's incredibly lengthy, we won't quote all of it here, but here are some key excerpts from it:
There are a number of ridiculous claims in this e-mail. There is no ban on Wild Wing Cafe according the CO of the base. There was no radio story. And most importantly WILD WING CAFE SUPPORTS THE PRESIDENT, THIS MILITARY ACTION, OUR COUNTRY AND THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO RISK THEIR LIVES TO DEFEND OUR FREEDOM.

When this rumor first began last week we talked to our staff and found that there was an incident in the past week or so where a handful of Marines, male and female (not in uniform) came to our door after ten PM. One of the young men did not have an ID to prove him to be 21 or older. He was refused entrance. His companions went inside for several minutes and left him outside. As they left they were very vocal about us "not letting in their friend because we were against the war." We believe that this incident was the genesis of this rumor.

Over the years Wild Wing Cafe has been proud to be supportive of the community. We have sponsored your teams and schools, your kids and their organizations. Now we are asking for your support. When someone tells you that Wild Wing Cafe won't serve the military as a protest to this war, tell them in no uncertain terms, that is a lie.
Snopes.com

In this particular case, the scam ended up hurting a businessman who completely supports the president and the war, as well as the troops.

This time, it seems to have been in revenge for not serving an underaged person. Be really careful. And skeptical. This kind of thing would make headlines if true.

Snopes has the sensible approach, I think:

We expect many more communities to be visited by the "shunned serviceman" story before it fully runs it course. It is, after all, the sort of shocking tale those angered by the anti-war movement will find great comfort in because it vilifies those who decry the current military action by presenting them as being against not only the war, but also against the men and women who are willing to risk their lives in the service of their country.

I can see you getting upset about it. Just don't hurt people for no reason. Gossip is always a destructive thing.