Video footage of a sergeant being forcibly removed from a fellow airman's retirement ceremony at Travis Air Force Base in California is under investigation.
The clip shows three uniformed airmen forcibly removing Retired Senior Master Sgt. Oscar Rodriguez, in civilian clothes, after he reportedly attempted to make a statement about the
flag at the April 3 event, Fox News reported.
"Rodriguez ignored numerous requests to respect the Air Force prescribed ceremony and unfortunately was forcibly removed," a Travis official said in a statement to FoxNews.com. "We will continue to investigate the situation fully."
The video was originally posted on the blog John Q. Public, which reported that the physical confrontation “turned an important family ceremony into a disgraceful spectacle.”
The retirement ceremony was reportedly for Master Sergeant Chuck Roberson of the 749th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, John Q. Public noted. As participants handled the flag, Rodriguez began to recite a prepared statement about the flag and was pushed away from the proceedings by three uniformed men.
A Facebook post about the incident described Rodriguez as a guest of the retiree, and suggested that the encounter sprang from “issues from years ago” between the squadron commander and Rodriguez.
John Q. Public said the incident “looks like little more than schoolyard thuggery at the expense of an Air Force family that paid its dues and deserved a dignified moment.”
The military blog also posted an image of a Facebook post by Stephan Silas, who identified himself as the officiating officer at the ceremony and wrote that he was embarrassed by the “ridiculous stupidity” at the event.
"Why do you think people are leaving (the Air Force) in droves?" Silas wrote. "Because the guys in the trenches are subjected to nonstop stupidity from commanders who don’t deserve the rank, respect, or support of the people they’re in charge of.”
Twitter users responded to the incident.
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