So, chalk this one up as one of the biggest public relations blunder ever.

U.S. Army Ranger First Sgt. Albert Marle, wearing his jacket lined with military medals, boarded a U.S. Airways flight from Portland, Ore., to Charlotte last week.

He asked a flight attendant to hang up his coat, but was told that coat service was reserved for first class passengers only. Many first class passengers then offered up their seats to Marle, which he politely declined.

Marle did not complain or cause any kind of fuss. He simply walked back to his seat and sat down. One passenger then took it upon himself to walk back, take Marle's jacket and hang it up on the back of his own seat.

Not surprisingly, this incident has blown up, with his fellow passengers taking to social media to express their outrage over the way this highly-decorated soldier was treated, WSOC-TV reported.

It's bad news for U.S. Airways!

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