Hateful Letter Left On Iraq War Vet’s Car: See Why Some Are Telling Him To ‘Get Over It’

A hateful letter left on the car windshield of an Iraq War veteran has many in Queensbury, New York, shocked and dismayed.

The unnamed vet was on a shopping trip Thursday morning when he returned to his car to find the angry missive attacking the fact that he was a Purple Heart recipient.

The message also accused him of being Islamophobic by his very involvement in the war. Here’s the full text, as shared with News 10, but first, a word of warning: it’s very shocking and disrespectful, and if you are of a military background, you’ll probably find it infuriating.

“I see you have a purple heart sticker and iraq war veteran sticker [sic]. It’s too bad that you were only wounded, the world would be better if you were killed. All of you Islamaphobes [sic] vets deserve to die.”

Perhaps not so surprisingly, the individual who wrote the hateful letter did not bother signing their name to it. Some speculated because it was “cowardly,” while others contemplated that they might have been uncertain as to what they were doing was illegal, so they didn’t want to get into any legal trouble.

While what the individual said does appear to be covered under freedom of speech, Lt. Steven Stockdale from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office said that it was illegal to leave anything on a person’s windshield, so in that regard the letter writer could face legal troubles if they are located.

For most, the hateful letter was appalling.

Ann Lanoir told the station it was “just ignorant,” adding, “That’s the way I feel. I feel like some punk wrote it.”

Navy veteran Robert LaPrairie went one further.

“Makes me sick to my stomach,” he said. “To me, it’s an act of terrorism really.”

Stockdale believed the letter writer to be “cowardly,” sharing this statement with the station.

“Communication these days has gotten very easy for people who want to stay anonymous. And it takes a lot more courage to strap on an 80-pound pack and go to the Middle East and fight for your country than it does to scribble on a note and leave it cowardly behind on somebody’s windshield.”

While you might think that’s how everyone would feel about the hateful letter, some felt that the Iraq War vet was being too sensitive, and that he and everyone else just needed to “get over it.”

“There is no threat, just stop already. Clearly a threat? No. You are WAY over dramatic,” wrote one commenter. “As a vet, if I got that note, I would laugh and toss it. Not cry and whine about it. Nope, not a threat…. Many might consider it a threat because they are wussified mamas [sic] boys cry babies. No one who can actually think would feel threatened.”

Another man claiming to have served felt the same way.

“This is way more big of a deal than it should be… so what… tear it up and move on. People are ignorant all over the place. I served… I’m no hero… I live like the rest of us and understand how people are.”

Unfortunately, vet bashing has become more common in the U.S., a fact that Stockdale refers to in his discussion with News 10.

It also played out earlier this year in a controversial news story in which attendees of a Wounded Warriors outing in Florida were reportedly spit on by some fraternity members.

Haley Riley, the wife of a wounded vet, said the Florida and Alabama fraternity boys threw bottles at the group gathered for the Warrior Beach Retreat event. Riley also said the Zeta Beta Tau members puked in the elevators.

Here’s a bit more on the fallout from that story.

https://youtu.be/C_gP2gVtkng

So what do you think about the hateful letter left for the Iraq War vet? Was it cowardly, something he should just “get over,” or both? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Image via ShutterStock]