maybe they didnt want him to get his uniform wet?

I'm.... I.... no words to describe my anger at this present moment. Husband is Iraq veteran....

meh... I'm in Iraq right now and this really doesn't bother me too much. If he's no longer a platinum pass holder then why should he get a seat in the platinum pass seating? Seems fair to me.

So the complaint is that SeaWorld did not go above and beyond its stated policy (free admission to SeaWorld for soldiers) to offer a non-Platinum Pass holder a seat in the Platinum Pass section?

Come on. It would be one thing if they didn't give him his free admission, or if there was some issue with his Platinum Pass having gotten screwed up. All this is, is Mom complaining that her son didn't get the royal treatment 100% of the time because He's A Soldier.

No platinum card, no platinum seat. He gets free admission but not free reign.

The website says it clearly I think.
"Any active duty, activated or drilling reservist, or National Guardsman is entitled to free admission under the Here's to the Heroes program."

Hope the manager loves the negative PR this will give him. I swear they just don't think of anything beyond the immediate cost.

Depends on if there was somebody who had paid waiting for a seat in that section. If I had paid for the platinum section, and there was a soldier who hadn't paid sitting in my seat - I would be PISSED. On the other hand, if nobody needed that seat, then it was just BS.

Also, don't go to Seaworld. It's really no good for marine mammals to be kept in such small pools.

@nicemarmot617: Since the OP said it was "a full stadium", your explanation sounds plausible.

the obvious answer is that they should of let him sit with his family - 3 tix holders + 1 soldier, not losing money by letting him sit there.

@Aidan Roche: They probably think of what would happen if a Platinum Pass member didn't get to sit with HIS family because a non-passholder got their seat.

"But I have a platinum pass!"

"Oh, we're sorry, sir. There's a SOLDIER in your seat. You don't hate America, do you, sir?"

@mythago: I'm gonna have to agree with this one. Though it will become a PR nightmare, so it probably would have been better to just let him sit there.

If there was an available seat, the soldier should have gotten it. But the manager would have had to wait until all reserved or pass holders had arrived first. No one else who paid should get kicked out. From what that writer says, Sea World was otherwise wonderful to them. It's just that in one stadium, they had stricter rules.

That said, Sea World is deplorable, and no one should go anyway. Kidnapping huge beautiful animals out of their environments and making them do stupid tricks like jumping through hoops, and forcing them to live the rest of their miserable lives in a little tank? Only the dumbest of the dumb still finds that entertaining. And only the heartless thinks it's ok for people to do this. Animals live far fewer years in a tank 1/10000000th the size of their natural environment. Do you think a human would enjoy life in a hallway closet?

Since Shamu lacks documentation proving he was born here and he's on the no-fly list, Homeland Security eyes him with alarm. Paired with the fact that he normally eats black & tan things, Sea World was being cautious?
...Tho I'll bet a year's worth of seal's meat that the Sea World stadium manager has a yellow Support Our Troops on the back of his car's bumper.

In my opinion, veterans who get angry when people don't bend over backwards to serve them aren't doing it for the right reasons. I respect veterans highly because of the self sacrifice, but people like this are just divas.

Deployment is a rollercoaster ride of emotions for everyone involved, especially mom; she's sending her baby off to war. It's impossible to expect people in this situation to be calm or rational when something like this happens, so I don't fault Lynn for her letter, even though I disagree with her sentiments about Sea World being a place where "zeroes are heroes".

However, I also think that Sea World's management in this case was more concerned about enforcing the rules no matter what than they were about using a little tact and common sense in handling the matter. What are the chances that Lynn and her family will renew their Platinum memberships, or even return to Sea World in the near future? That's anywhere from $99 - $215 per annual pass plus associated food/drink/parking/souvenier revenue gone. If Sea World is courting the families of active military, then they should also know that this demographic is more likely to share their experiences with businesses, good or bad. How many other annual memberships or day visits will this cost them? The numbers and bad PR add up quickly.

Would it really have been so bad to take stock of the situation, then have a discreet word with Mom Lynn along the lines of "we're happy to seat you together today, but for future reference everyone in this section should have a Platinum pass"?

Of course others have said that perhaps the stadium was full and an active Platinum passholder was being denied a seat, so what do I know.

The guy got in for free. I don't think Sea World was in the wrong at all. They should suck it up and forget about it.

@dantsea: Oh jebus I messed up that line in the first paragraph. Obviously Lynn said where "heroes are zeroes".

Platinum seats are for Platinum Passholders, it's rather simple. Those seats often fill up, specially now during the peak tourist season. However, people who find themselves in that situation (which is often, soldier or no soldier) are given the option of having the non-platinum ticket holder to join the rest of the group once the show starts if there are still available seats in that area. I've seen this happen multiple times.

@enriquez the water bottle: It would have been a PR nightmare anyway. If they'd seated them, "Lynn" would have made the same complaint, except it would have been 'they wouldn't seat my soldier son until after we made a big fuss'.

I don't get the guys who walk around in their uniform at places where they shouldn't be wearing it anyway. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt can be had for about 30 dollars at old-navy if his clothing was unavailable.

Wearing a uniform out and about is attention-whoring.

@mythago: I think mom has a valid complaint. Soldiers deserve royal treatment 100% of the time.

If you can let the man sit with his family at no cost to yourself, why wouldn't you? Is it really that hard to show gratitude to a man who's defending our country?

@BathroomDuck: Coming from a soldier...I don't want royal treatment. I just want to be treated like everyone else. Soldiers aren't superheroes and most just want to be anonymous and left alone.

If the seat was free then they should have done the right thing and let him sit there. However if they needed the spot then they should have told them that.

@Chris Thompson:

As a disabled vet, I agree 100%. I expect NO special treatment from the general public and never did when I was active duty. I did my job because I volunteered to do so and got compensated for it financially and with great benefits, end of story.

@BathroomDuck: You REALLY think they deserve royal treatment 100% of the time? Obviously, you haven't spent much time around military personnel. Their sense of entitlement can become absolutely sickening. The guy got into the park for free, that's MORE than enough.

Note, also, that it was a full stadium. Should customers who had legitimately paid for their seats be displaced because some guy in a uniform wants a freebie?

@BathroomDuck: Honoring soldiers for their service does not mean giving them everything they or their mom demands, free, lest you be accused of ingratitude. Even Lynn admits that her son got his free admission and that the park employees were "great to him."

Sea World's site tells me that a Platinum Pass gets you 2 years' membership for $429.99. What's that "no cost to you" again?

Pgh9fan apparently doesn't know the definition of the word "murder."
Perhaps that's a tough word for him because it is two syllables.
Now I know what your are thinking; he also used the word "idiot" and that is three syllables. He only knew that word because he has heard it so often.

@csurugbyhooker: Fail troll. There are several professions within the military that don't equate to front line soldiers. Maybe he was a Civil Affairs soldier - they coordinate the construction of civil engineering projects such as schools and waste facilities to better improve the quality of life for the local nationals.

@Chris Thompson: See, now that makes perfect sense. You don't have the pass it's understandable not to let you take up space in the platinum area especially by the OP's own account: "... it was a full stadium".

Did they really want to take a paying platinum pass holder's seat?

Maybe I'm off base, but he is expecting special treatment because he is in uniform. It's one thing to be pissed if you are being discriminated against, but a completely different matter to be pissed because you are not given something extra that you didn't pay for just because you are in uniform.

*yawn*

I agree it's a dick move, but really? I worked for a Busch Park, the whole Military thing, while great a nice, is way to *showy* for my own taste. If you guys are nice and respectful you don't have to parade around how nicely you treat the enlisted and reserved...

I just read this response to my husband and he wanted me to respond with the following: 'Sounds like the comments of someone who has never worn the uniform. A US serviceman's uniform and "whoring" shouldn't even be used in the same sentence. A true hero doesn't look for handouts, a simple handshake and a thank you should suffice.'

I just read this response to my husband and he wanted me to respond with the following: 'Sounds like the comments of someone who has never worn the uniform. A US serviceman's uniform and "whoring" shouldn't even be used in the same sentence. A true hero doesn't look for handouts, a simple handshake and a thank you should suffice.'

@Smashville: The complaint was written by this mother, we don't know how he felt about it.

Nice to see that the helicopter moms are in full force their military children. It's a COURTESY that they are given free admission. It's not required. Letters like this are why nice gestures are taken away. If it's not appreciated, why bother. The letter writer seems very ungrateful that they let him cancel his platinum pass and let him in free. Hopefully she can get this worked up over something a lot more important than a seat at Shamu's show.

I have to say I agree that they're not obligated to seat him in the Platinum Pass section. If his family members didn't have the Platinum Pass, there'd be no expectation of letting the soldier sit there.

Military personnel that actually think they deserve everything in the world for free because they are putting their lives on the line need to get off their high horse. I'd give a cop or firefighter that right before a soldier just for the simple reason that they're actually helping the US, and not being made into pawns for some foreign military show.

"I got something for free, but it wasn't enough..." is what I am reading here.

The last time I checked, military personnel do not get free admission to movies, concerts, or sporting events. The OP just wanted more than what she was entitled to.

For example:
I am willing to say that if a MLB franchise said, "Hey, let's have a military day" that they would offer DISCOUNTED tickets not freebies. Don't expect the box seats behind the plate or along the the first and third base lines.

If Krispy Kreme offered a free red, white, and blue decorated donut for Independence Day and the stipulations say you get ONE per person if you go into the store, you can't ask for six because your military family consists of two adults and four kids (unless you actually brought in your whole family).

Sorry OP, no box seats for you.

@Chris Thompson:

I agree about the attention whoring.
When I was active duty I hated to wear my uniform outside of a work situation.

The only time I wore my uniform in any sort of civilian situation was in a US liberty port so I could get free drinks, even then it wasn't just me.

@Chris Thompson: As someone in the Air Force (and an Iraq veteran), I couldn't agree more. While I appreciate the thank yous and everything else, I really don't feel I'm deserving of any special treatment.

According to the SeaWorld website ( [commerce.4adventure.com] ) passports are non-refundable, so the claim that Mom canceled his Passport last month is, to me, suspect.

If they wound up in the "worst seats" it shows that they were late to a packed show and expected prime seats and preference based on the uniform.

I'm ex-military and still don't understand parading about in uniform when off duty. For most, serving in a non-draft military is a job choice not a sacrifice.

@Chris Thompson: You are DEAD ON. I always hate when I see people in uniform at places they shouldn't. Even when I fly FOR work, I won't wear a uniform. I've changed IN the airport before (when I was short on time) just because I don't like the attention.

I make GOOD money. Better than all of my friends I graduated with. I DEFINITELY don't need some special "hero treatment".

@TruthAndTheory:

I can't provide citations, but Im under the impression that the policy of SeaWorld is now to get orcas and dolphins from breeding programs and sales/loans from other parks and not from wild capture.

Im also under the impression that all the orcas in their possesion at this time are either told old to be released, or born in captivity and wouldint survive the wild. I dont think this is the place to argue about this subject tho.

@feralparakeet: Hey feral, go have sex with yourself. If a soldier chooses not to want any extra treatment, that is their choice. If the soldier has not expressed that sentiment then they are entitled to a ridiculous amount of special treatment. Until you have been shot at or been in any life threatening situation helping others, your complaints of their "sickening sense of entitlement" make you sound completely incompetent. Grow up and see some things in the world.

@dantsea: Excellent point. The guy might have been trying to rein Mom in the whole time.

If I were the park employee making the descision I would have given him the seat because he had recently canceled his pass because he was going off to war. But not because he's a soldier or anything else, so if he let his pass lapse more than a few months prior, he would be SOL.

A while back, I dated a guy who was in the military and he wouldn't go anywhere in uniform because he said he could get in trouble. My understanding was that if you're in uniform you represent the USA and if you do something stupid you can get in really big trouble. Now this could just have been an excuse not to pick stuff up on the way over to my place but it made sense. I would think if this was true then having your mom make a big stink could get you in trouble with your CO.
Anyway I knew lots of military families growing up and none of them expected any special treatment, if given discounts or freebies they were just appreciative. A full stadium tells me, that they didn't have the extra seat that this family wanted and since it's reserved for platinum passes I think mom is quite wrong.

I think the point of this story is how Seaworld admittedly "prides" itself on their (advertising) support of our troops... yet may not be following thru on it. They handled the situation wrong.

Don't get mad at the mother... She's proud of her son, the same way spouses and other close family and friends are. Even if the soldier doesn't want special treatment, others might want to GIVE them special treatment.

Just to be fair, the letter from "Lynn" stated that her son's luggage was lost and he was wearing his uniform because he didn't have other clothes to wear. I'm not going to cast aspersions because this young man wore his uniform to a water park. Readers of Consumerist know that airlines lose luggage all the time.

Having said that, her son WAS given free admission and that's where SeaWorld's obligation to them ended. Expecting special seating for Her Son The Soldier is a little much.

About SeaWorld's animals: most zoos and animal parks have breeding programs and their animals are captive born. They're not "kidnapped" from the wild.