PORTLAND, OR- The brother of a marine in Oregon is in hot water this week, after the eighth grader refused to take off a t-shirt commemorating a fallen soldier memorial at his middle school.
Now the eighth grader and his family are standing by his decision to wear it to school.
Alan Holmes goes to Dexter McCarty middle school and has a lot of pride for the U.S. military.
His brother was in the Marines, and that's a big reason why Alan wore the shirt.
It shows boots, a helmet and a gun, representing a fallen soldier memorial.
It reads 'Standing For Those Who Stood For Us.'
But when the vice principal saw the shirt, Alan says he was asked to change.
Then he says he met with the principal, who also asked him to change into a school shirt.
But Alan refused, ad was told this would be considered a suspension.
His dad was called and said to send his son home, because he wasn't going to change.
"I'm not changing into a Dexter shirt. They won't let me wear a shirt that supports the people that keep us free, I'm not going to support them. I was nervous and kind of heartbroken because I feel like I should be able to support the troops who have died for us," Alan explained.
"I'm proud of him. I would've said the same thing. I would have done the same thing," said Alan's father Charles.
Fox 12 reached out to the school, but they say they can't comment on specific student issues, because of confidentiality.
But they do say, they believe weapons on a shirt are not appropriate in a school setting.
Alan says he now plans on doing an in-depth research project to learn more about the soldier memorial, in his spare time.