COLUMBIA, S.C. - Majdi Tannous says his Jordanian heritage was an issue in his discharge from the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Tannous, a 20-year military veteran, will be fired effective May 3 from his job as a helicopter repair technician, according to a letter from the Guard.

The firing, a rare occurrence for the Guard, came as the result of a series of events including a quarrel at McEntire Air Base on March 28, said Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, Guard spokesman.

An April 1 letter from Guard headquarters said the quarrel that Tannous had with others at McEntire "is considered disgraceful and unbecoming."

Tannous said "they had it in for me" because of his Arabic heritage. He said there was nothing unusual about his quarrel March 28, but a supervisor later chewed him out saying "your kind of people are dangerous."

Brooks said a federal inspection found the complaint of racial bias unfounded.

Tannous said he's through with the military and is looking for civilian employment.

Information from: The State