Woman confronts U.S. Air Force officer, tells her not to speak Spanish in uniform

A woman confronted a U.S. Air Force officer outside a Starbucks after telling her she shouldn’t be speaking Spanish and that it was distasteful to do so in her uniform.

FOX 10 News in Phoenix reports Xiara Mercado, an airman stationed in Pearl Harbor said she was speaking Spanish while she was on the phone waiting for her drink inside a Starbucks on July 17.

When Mercado went outside, a woman confronted her and told her not to speak Spanish.

Reports show Mercado posted about the confrontation on her Facebook page, stating she went on to ask the woman what she meant by the “distasteful” comment.

“You speaking another language that does not represent America and that uniform you are wearing that’s distasteful,” the woman said.

According to FOX 10 News, Mercado took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding.

” I’m sorry ma’am, the only distasteful thing here is that you are clueless to your discrimination, please educate yourself. Have a nice day, ” she told the woman.

The unnamed woman then told Mercado she didn’t understand how Mercado was “allowed to wear that uniform.” Mercado responded, saying, “I wear it proudly.”

Reports state Mercado said she’s received messages from at least 100 people including other members of the military who have shared their own experiences of discrimination.