01/06/2004: 
Criminally Absurd
Club Turns Away Amputee Soldier
or Lazy Cripple Makes Fashion Faux Pas
from The Omaha World Hearld
DES MOINES (AP) - A soldier who lost both legs in Iraq was denied entry to a Des Moines-area nightclub last week because the shoes he wore on his prosthetic legs were too casual, the Des Moines Register reported in a copyright story.
Spc. Robert "B.J." Jackson, 22, who lost his legs in an explosion last August, was wearing black suede Nike sneakers.
"They're actually pretty dressy," said his wife, Abby.
She said she and her husband told club employees that "those were the only shoes he can wear with his prosthetic legs," but they still were turned away.
The club Crush, in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, prohibits tennis shoes and hooded sweat shirts, but "we make exceptions for people all the time," said owner Tom Baldwin.
"There's no reason why we would deny entry to someone with prosthetic legs."
The Jacksons said the night out Friday with friends was one of their first since Jackson began learning to walk again in early November.
That will teach him a lesson! Just because you sustained severe injuries in the service of your country, does not mean you can pull a fast one on the Des Moines Fashion Police.
