Hotel Forces Wounded Soldier to Sleep in Car

[Hurmoth]

Wounded Soldier Forced to Sleep in Car After Hotel Denies Him a Room

A wounded British soldier home from Afghanistan on sick leave was forced to spend the night in his car after a hotel refused him a room.

Corporal Tomos Stringer was told by staff at Metro Hotel, in Woking, that it was company policy not to accept members of the armed forces as guests. The 24-year-old had traveled to the Surrey town to help with funeral preparations for a friend killed in action.

It was so late that Cpl Stringer, who had broken his wrist jumping off an Army truck as it was attacked, had no choice but to sleep in his tiny, two-door car, arm covered in plaster.

Cpl Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, has now returned to Afghanistan, but his mother, Gaynor Stringer, from Criccieth, north Wales, told The Times that she is still furious about the incident.

?I?m very, very angry. It?s discrimination. They would never get away with it if it was against someone of ethnic origin,? she said.

She said they had received neither an apology nor an explanation from the hotel, which is part of a family entertainment center called The Big Apple and owned by a company called American Amusements.

"In America, they treat soldiers as heroes,? said Stringer, whose son joined the Army when he was 16 and has done multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

The incident has prompted widespread condemnation from senior members of the Government, MPs, servicemen and their supporters.

Legions of army men and enthusiasts are rising up in the forums of the unofficial British Army Web site to call for a boycott of the hotel.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Read this the other day. Ridiculous. I mean, we are only seeing one side to this story - but the full article states a company policy was to not allow forces personnel in - which disgusts me.

[+BeLGaRaTh Subscriber¹]

Was reading this in the newspaper this morning, I think it is absolutely disgusting. How can they discriminate against someone just because they are in the armed forces. As the persons mother said, if it was someone of ethnic origin there would be uproar. What kind of company openly has a policy of banning armed forces :/

[goji]

America was the exact same way not to long ago.

Tragic really.

[nmesisca]

i think it might have to do with the fact that maybe the military doesnt pay upfront?

if he introduced himself as part of the military and not as a private customer that is..

[Richard Hammond]

He didnt introduce himself as military, they asked for his ID and he only had his military id with him.

[acnpt]

Well the title is a bit extreme, he could have gone to another hotel.

Absolutly disgusting that they refused him a room because he's a solider, only possible reason I can think of is maybe they have had trouble with soldiers before, as there is a large army presence in the area. However if this is the case, they could have used their discretion.

[Rohdekill]

Technically, In the states this could very easily happen as discrimination laws do not protect against job titles. No law says you can't descriminate over what a person does for a living.

BTW: the number of US soldiers returning home that face unemployment and are homeless is skyrocketing. Sleeping in a car with a cast on your wrist is petty crap. The only hero welcomes you see are the ones organized and promoted on tv.

Besides, having spent 9+ years in the service myself, sleeping in a car is a luxury compared to some of the places I've slept and under extreme weather conditions.

[goji]

^Sorry to hear that.

My family members still talk about the good ole days (post WWI, Korea, Vietnam). There was nothing rosy about any of the situations for GI's. The parties in NYC were just that, in NYC. Across the country sentiments and treatments varied in sharp contrast to what the Hollywood felt homecomings were to be like.

[Budious]

America was the exact same way not to long ago.

Tragic really.

The hotel in question is owned by an American company, so go figure.

[R-Flex]

"They would never get away with it if it was against someone of ethnic origin".

Regardless of whether that is true or not, is it really relevant? It seems like it was plucked from nowhere to make some sort of political point.

[funkymunky]

When I read this the other day I was raging :(

[HawkMan]

it sounds like the hotel is or is linked to an amyusement park, and that they generally act as a hotel for the guests o the park, and being a family entertaiment center they may not want soliders, since may parents don't like their kidsplaying soliders for some reason.

it's still stupid. but.

[primexx]

wait so soldiers are considering boycotting a hotel that doesn't let them in?? anyone else see something wrong with that? or were you all too worked up to notice?

[HawkMan]

They won't be soldiers forever, and then there are ex-soldiers wich still has strong ties wih soldiers, and then there's soldier families...

[p858snake]

He ***didnt introduce himself as military***, they asked for his ID and he ***only had his military id with him***.

Contradict much?

[TheRealDave]

Contradict much?

How? What he is trying to get across is that he did not apply to stay as a soldier, he was off duty, wanting a place to stay. He only had his soldier ID with him when told to provide ID.

[Angelic Marge]

Contradict much?

He's obviously saying the fella didn't walk in and say "I'm a soldier and I need a room" :rolleyes:

[Konstanov]

I used to sleep underneath tanks on top of rubble from the buildings bombed that day. A car is a luxury to a soldier that's been in the field, probably told it as he was ****ed off at the situation although I could hardly see how it bothered him.

----------------

Now playing: Rob Zombie - Ride

Edited September 6, 2008 by A.B.L.N.N.

[funkymunky]

I used to sleep underneath tanks on top of rubble from the buildings bombed that day. A car is a luxury to a soldier that's been in the field, probably told it as he was ****ed off at the situation although I could hardly see how it bothered him.

Wow You're my hero :rofl:

There's a difference to sleeping rough on Operations and sleeping rough on leave

[Konstanov]

Wow You're my hero :rofl:

There's a difference to sleeping rough on Operations and sleeping rough on leave

Not to your back....anyway I was just objectifying the situation.

[funkymunky]

Not to your back....anyway I was just objectifying the situation.

lol, true :)

[SkyyPunk Veteran]

The only hero welcomes you see are the ones organized and promoted on tv.

Not true at all...

When I flew to Georgia, theres an area where once you get off, you go up the escalators to the main floor, which is where most people wait for whoever they are picking up. I must have arrived when a bunch of people from the military got back, and everytime they came up the escalator, the whole crowd burst out clapping and hollering for them. No TV cameras, just people thanking the troops

[Konstanov]

Not true at all...

When I flew to Georgia, theres an area where once you get off, you go up the escalators to the main floor, which is where most people wait for whoever they are picking up. I must have arrived when a bunch of people from the military got back, and everytime they came up the escalator, the whole crowd burst out clapping and hollering for them. No TV cameras, just people thanking the troops

The Army has it's own terminal here and I have friends in the armed forces. So I will drop them off or pick them up as a favour, and there is never really much support except during the holidays.

[Alexandre.]

Being a former Surrey resident, I am appauled. Poor guy. If they couldn't give him a room that could at least of given him medical attention.