The supervisor who complained has been in the United States for 14 years and is formerly from Africa
Is it okay to show your patriotism at the office?
For one Arlington woman, the answer was “no” after she hung an Americanflag in her office just before the Memorial Day weekend.
Debbie McLucas is one of four hospital supervisors at Kindred Hospitalin Mansfield. Last week, she hung a three-by-five foot American flag inthe office she shares with the other supervisors.
When McLucas came to work Friday, her boss told her another supervisorhad found her flag offensive. “I was just totally speechless. I waslike, ‘You’re kidding me,'” McLucas said.McLucas’ husband and sons are former military men. Her daughter is currently serving in Iraq as a combat medic.
Stifling a cry, McLucas said, “I just wonder if all those young men and women over there are really doing this for nothing.”
McLucas said the supervisor who complained has been in the UnitedStates for 14 years and is formerly from Africa. McLucas said thatsupervisor took down the flag herself.
“The flag and the pole had been placed on the floor,” McLucas said. ButMcLucas also said hospital higher-ups had told her some patients’families and visitors had also complained.
“I was told it wouldn’t matter if it was only one person,” she said. “It would have to come down.”
McLucas said hospital bosses told her as far as patriotism wasconcerned, the flag flying outside the hospital building would have tosuffice.
“I find it very frightening because if I can’t display my flag,” McLucas asked, “whatother freedoms will I lose before all is said and done?”
Kindred Healthcare’s corporate headquarters are located in Kentucky. We called them for comment when we were first working on this storyTuesday, but they did not return our calls.
Wednesday morning, however, our story received nationwide attention. We have received dozens of emails and commentsfrom people who had something to say about it. And a receptionist atKindred’s headquarters told us they received many phone calls.
Then, late Wednesday morning, Kindred posted on its website a statementabout the incident. It reads, in part: “The disagreement was over thesize of the flag and not what it symbolized. We have invited theemployee to put the flag back up.”
We’re contacting McLucas for her take on what Kindred said. We’ll have that part of the story later today on CBS11TV.com.
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