Student told to remove Marine Corps shirt

A Mississippi sixth-grader, whose brother is deployed in Afghanistan, was told by the school administrators to turn his shirt inside-out due to being offended by the depiction of the U.S. Marine Corps bulldog.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Jordan Griffith, 13, of Ellisville, Miss. was given the shirt from his older brother Lance Cpl. Timothy Swann Jr., a member of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Swann gave his little brother the shirt while on leave, before being deployed. The front of the shirt has a dog with the words "If you are not the lead dog." The back of the shirt shows the dog's rear with the words "The view never changes."

"Jordan just idolizes Timothy," said their mother, Sandy Griffith. "Timothy gave him the shirt and told him, 'Always remember you're a leader, not a follower.'"

Officials at South Jones Elementary went against the realistic image of the dog's genitals and asked the student to either turn his shirt inside-out or have his parents bring a new shirt. Teachers did not want to look at the shirt all day, nor have younger students see it. Sandy Griffith pulled her son from class instead of bringing him a new shirt, saying that the picture of the dog is no more offensive the view that one has when walking a dog.

"Now your kid can't wear a T-shirt given to him by a member of the U.S. military that espouses a positive character trait, leadership?" Rush Limbaugh asked, when Griffith called regarding the incident. "People are fed up. They're fed up with being told what they can't eat, and what they can and can't do in their own yards and in their own homes. It's just not America anymore."

"It's almost absurd that anyone would accuse us here in Mississippi of being anti-military," said the school's superintendent, Tommy Parker. "We recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. This very school has sent cards and letters to our troops overseas."

The shirt's message is about leadership, something kids and adults should think about, especially when men and women are still fighting on their behalf and behalf of the country.

What do you think? Did school officials make the right call?  Weigh in on the comments section below.

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