Adam Stinnett had to have his military-style haircut ( above ) shaved off after the Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School in Tennessee said it was 'distracting ' A school has forced a seven-year-old boy to shave off his military-style haircut - despite being told it was inspired by his soldier stepbrother . Amy Stinnett received a letter from the Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School , in McMinnville , Tennessee , the day after her son Adam visited the barbers . It said his haircut was distracting and would have to be shaved off . When Ms Stinnett refused to comply the principal told her that Adam would not be able to return to school , Fox News reported . An email to Ms Stinnett said : ' I have the utmost respect for the military and its members . 'However we are not a military school and the boy 's haircut is against our rules . ' Adam 's stepbrother served in Afghanistan and is still an active soldier . He inspired Adam to join the military and is the reason he got the haircut , Ms Stinnett said . The letter was even more surprising as the school is named after a Navy Corpsman killed in the Vietnam War . David Robert 'Bobby ' Ray was awarded a Medal of Honor posthumously after using his body to shield a Marine from a grenade in 1969 . Ms Stinnett said she wants an apology and described the situation as 'crazy ' and 'bizarre ' . She said : 'They shamed my son and they shamed a lot of military people - that 's how I feel about it . ' The Warren County School District said it could not comment on the incident or the investigation as it was an internal school matter . It added : 'Neither Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary , nor any school in Warren County School District , prohibits military haircuts . ' Ms Stinnett ( right ) said she wants an apology from the school and described the situation as 'crazy ' and 'bizarre ' The letter was even more surprising as the school ( above ) is named after a Navy Corpsman who was killed in the Vietnam War . Navy Hospital Corpsman David Robert 'Bobby ' Ray was killed in action during the Vietnam War . He was born on February 14 , 1945 in McMinnville , Tennessee . At the age of 21 he enlisted and spent three years serving in the Navy before he was killed . A Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded for his actions during the Vietnam War . Officers said he used his body to shield a Marine from a grenade on March 19 , 1969 . The award was given to his family on April 20 , 1970 . He also received the Purple Heart Medal , the Combat Action Ribbon , the National Defense Service Medal , the Vietnam Service Medal with star and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal . The Warren County School District said : 'We are extremely proud that Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary was named in honor of a true American hero . '
Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School was told he was not allowed to go to school with haircut . 7-year-old attends Adam Stinnett in Tennessee .