Veterans Blast Pico Rivera Teacher For His Anti-Military Remarks

PICO RIVERA (CBSLA)  --  Scores of veterans and their supporters held a protest rally Friday to condemn anti-military remarks made by teacher Gregory Salcido.

The teacher, who is on paid administrative leave, did not attend the protest. Salcido is also a Pico Rivera City Council member and that city's former 3-term mayor. He was stripped of all his committee assignments after he was unanimously condemned by his colleagues.

Audio surfaced of Salcido putting down the military as "not like high-level thinkers, they're not academic people, they're not intellectual people. They're the freakin' lowest of our low."

He also called them a bunch of "dumb (expletives)."

The veterans who showed up today, weren't having it. They demanded Salcido be fired from his job at El Rancho High School.

CBS2's Dave Lopez reported from the protest where he said it got heated when some of Salcido's students showed up to support him. Nothing violent happened, he reported, but they were shouted down.

"You can not have him not only teaching your children," said one veteran, "you cannot have him spreading hatred like this."

Said another, "I understand the First Amendment rights, but not in this forum."

Many said they would never forgive Salcido for the remarks.

Lopez went to Salcido's home for a comment but no one was available.

Councilman David Armenta told Lopez that he is hoping Salcido will resign.

"I would say that I was in shock," Armenta said, "to hear those kinds of statements and comments."

The father of the student who first record Salcido thought the protest was great.

"I was just going to come and talk to the principal," he said, "and the teacher. And try to find some resolution to this. But this, this ... this is amazing."