Quote:Well the link that I provided does have the information that you seek.  He wasn't "banned" from the base.  A retired veteran has access to most military installations.  He or she cannot be "banned" from a base for a reason such as this.

 

 

An NCO's retirement ceremony is an important event in the member's career and is meant to honor him/her.  The member can invite whoever they want to speak and/or participate in any manner that they choose.

 

I doubt the text in bold is true, but for the sake of argument I'll accept it. While this is certainly a free speech issue, it appears there is a standard ceremony text for these events, authorized by the Air Force. If this is the case, and the basis of the base commander's attempt to prevent Rodriguez from attending and presenting his speech, then the confrontation was avoidable and intentional. Looking at the video, he was quietly asked to leave, refused and was subsequently escorted by several uniformed service men. To me, it looks like everyone expected it to happen.

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