Silke Jasso
Social media is furious over a now-viral video, which shows a Missouri man refusing to serve a group of soldiers and crumpling up a military ID at a bar in Osage Beach. The altercation occurred on May 2, when six military service members stopped by Loto Lounge to try to get a drink. In the video, a man behind the bar– who has since been identified as Josh Weitkamp — is handed an identification card by a member of the party. Weitkamp denied the validity of the ID card, insisting that he shouldn’t be able to “scrape the front off a military ID”. Later, Weitkamp — who is not a bartender but a musician with family ties to the bar — claimed he believed she was underage.
Videos by Rare
The military members maintained that the ID — called a common access card — was valid. They explained that they were at the Lake of the Ozarks for a military operation, and Weitkamp can be heard denying the existence of any military presence in the area. When the military service member asked for her ID back, Weitkamp crumpled the card in half and threw it in the trash.
Watch Drunk Missouri ‘Bartender’ Destroy Military ID
In the video, Weitkamp threatens to call his military friends, shouting that he’ll “call my boys that have been to f—ing Afghanistan.”
“We’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan,” one service member replies.
“Dude, you don’t even look old enough to know about f—ing 9/11,” Weitkamp retorts, even though individuals born after 9/11 are now old enough to join the military.
At one point in the video, Weitkamp mocks the military members, saying that they could “do a lot more push-ups than me, that’s great, that’s awesome … what have you done for this country since World War II?”
“What have YOU done?” a woman responds.
“Uh, paid my f—ing taxes? Worked my f—ing dick off every f—ing day,” says Weitkamp.
The first video was shared on Facebook by Noel Cook, a member of the U.S. Air Force, who wrote the following caption: “Myself and 5 other military friends were at Loto Lounge where this drunk bartender (Josh Weitkamp) started to destroy someone’s military ID because he ‘used to be a cop and knows what an ID is supposed to look like’ and bends her card and throws it in the trash, refusing to let us retrieve it and just leave.”
Watch the Follow-Up Video
Part 2 of a bartender in Osage Beach, MO who refuses to accept a military ID and calls the police on 6 military members pic.twitter.com/q04vwjvFRy
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) May 9, 2021
Within minutes, the police were called in, reports military news outlet Task & Purpose. In a follow-up video posted on Twitter by a user @davenewworld_2, a police officer is heard asking Weitkamp to show him the allegedly fake ID card.
“Have you been in the military, sir?” Weitkamp can be heard asking an unseen officer.
“Yes,” the officer replies.
“Can you tell me if you can peel off the front of a military ID?”
“Yeah, actually,” the officer responds. “I remember mine being laminated.”
The officer confirmed that the ID, and the group of veterans left the bar. Osage Beach Police Lieutenant Michael O’Day told local news outlet Lake News Online that no one has been arrested.
According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores, and any other establishment that sells alcoholic beverages must require proof that purchasers are 21 years or older. Acceptable forms of ID include a valid and unexpired driver’s license or chauffeur’s license, a valid and unexpired identification card, a valid passport, or an identification card issued by any uniformed service of the United States.
Internet Backlash Over Drunk Bartender Video
https://twitter.com/WITBTV/status/1391549667167461377?s=20
In response to the videos, Loto Lounge wrote the following in a now-deleted Facebook post shared by Lake News Online:
“We, at LOTO Lounge, deeply regret the events of May 2nd and want to stress that we have tremendous respect for military members and their service to our country. Josh Weitkamp is not a bartender at LOTO Lounge; he is a local musician who has personal ties to the venue. He is extremely remorseful for his actions and we are working to make amends with the military members involved. We will do our best to reach out privately to those individuals and to publicly convey our appreciation to all military members in the future.”
Online news outlet Where Is The Buzz posted a screenshot of an apology from Weitkamp posted on his Facebook account, which has since been made private.
“I am truly sorry for my actions on May 2nd at LOTO Lounge. I would like to personally apologize to the group of soldiers that came into the establishment,” the screenshot reads. “I said some regretful, hateful things in regards to your service to the country and I’m sickened by my own comments. It was a stupid drunken mistake and I would sincerely like to extend an apology to you and to anyone in the service that I upset.”
The video has nearly 4 million reactions on Facebook and over 350K likes on TikTok. In response to the videos, the bar’s Yelp ratings have plummeted.
