Comments:  I contacted the Target Corporation, a representative of which confirmed that the above incident did happen, but it was a case of miscommunication, not a blanket refusal on the company's part to support Vietnam Veterans.

The specific request was turned down, Target says, because company policy prohibits individual stores from handing out donations except in the form of gift cards. Requests for cash grants must go through corporate headquarters.

"Unfortunately," Target's statement continues, "the veteran and his organization were not provided the proper information to facilitate consideration of a grant from either the store or our corporate office. We are truly sorry for the manner in which this was handled and the resulting confusion that has taken place." (See also: Updated Statement from Target Corp., December 2003)

According to a Veterans of Foreign Wars press release defending the company, Target has agreed to be a corporate sponsor of the 2003 tour of The Wall that Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

2003 Variants:  What began as an exaggerated account of a real incident grows more and more false as additional claims and comments are anonymously added to the message: