American Amusements: Soldiers Not Welcome

It seems that the Metro Hotel in Woking, Great Britain, has a policy of turning away servicemen who want a room for the night. Metro Hotel is owned by a company called American Amusements Ltd. No one seems to be amused, however.

According to the Times Online, the policy came to light when one Corporal Tomas Stringer, a soldier with the 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, was informed by the staff of the Metro Hotel that it was the policy of the hotel not to accept members of the British armed forces as guests. Stringer, who was on medical leave from Afghanistan due to a broken wrist, was in Woking to assist in the funeral of a comrade of his who had been killed in action. Since it was late, Corporal Stringer was forced to spend the night in his car.

So far no explanation has been given for the policy and no response or apology has been given. American Amusements is headquarters in Woking and runs a number of amusement centers and hotels.

Naturally there is considerable outrage in Great Britain over the incident. Corporal Stringer's mother, Gaynor Stringer, from Criccieth, north Wales, said it best, according to the Times Online. "In America, they treat soldiers as heroes," said Mrs Stringer, whose son joined the Army when he was 16 and has done multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

"We went to Disney World with Tomos and the whole family was moved to the front of the lines. Everybody was standing up and clapping and cheering.

"Here, soldiers can't even get a bed for the night."

The time is long past when it has been socially acceptable to spit on soldiers in the United States, as it occasionally happened during and in the wake of the Vietnam War. Even the most rabid anti war people feel it necessary to at least pretend to honor soldiers.