Rebecca Hayes has received an apology.
Hayes, a female Navy veteran, parked in a veteran parking spot at a Harris Teeter grocery store in Concord, NC last Monday and came back to find an angry letter on her windshield.
She told WBTV that she expected the note to be about someone hitting her car. Instead, the author, assuming that Hayes had not served, wrote, “This parking is for veterans, lady.”
Hayes served for eight years in the United States Navy and said she cried while reading the letter. In response, she posted an “apology” on Facebook that has gone viral. Hayes closed her post by asking, “I served, did you?”
After an outpouring of comments on her Facebook account about the letter, Hayes posted again later that evening that she was “overwhelmed by the positive responses.”
Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter, told The Daily Caller that the company implemented the “Reserved for Veterans” spaces in October 2014 as a way to thank those who have served.
Harris Teeter reached out to Hayes following the incident and hosted an event at the Coddle Creek location last Friday where John Falkenbury, USO-NC president, spoke about the importance of supporting U.S. troops and veterans.
Yesterday, Hayes said that she received an anonymous apology letter “in the mail.” She posted the second note to Facebook to let her friends and followers know how much she appreciated the gesture.
Hayes told TheDC that after a “crazy week,” she hopes something positive can come from the situation.
“I would just like for people to understand that our armed forces are a diverse group that can not be stereotyped and the only thing we have in common is our love for our country and our willingness to defend our Constitution.”