Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann refused to apologize for standing his ground as a native american "Vietnam veteran" approached him banging a drum.

"I mean, in hindsight, I wish we could've walked away and avoided the whole thing. But I can't say that I'm sorry for listening to him and standing there," Sandmann told "NBC Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie in an interview which has received harsh criticism from both the left and the right.

“As far as standing there, I had every right to do so. My position is that I was not disrespectful to Mr. Phillips. I respect him. I’d like to talk to him...But I can't say that I'm sorry for listening to him and standing there.” Nick Sandmann on if he owes anyone an apology pic.twitter.com/iiVqPtltjf — TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 23, 2019

Wednesday's interview evoked strong reactions - with liberals condemning NBC for interviewing Sandmann, and conservatives knocking the network for asking loaded questions.

Do you think Pepe the Frog is available for Thursday’s show? Can Dylann Roof do a segment from prison? Heart-to-heart with some Fentanyl traffickers? — Eric Garland (@ericgarland) January 22, 2019

This is a despicable & leading question.



TODAY SHOW: “You’re wrong. Why don’t you see your faults? Apologize.”



Nick: “Um, I just stood there.”



God Bless this kid for standing his ground against the SJW outrage mob that is the establishment media https://t.co/lyslqAsjpC — Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 22, 2019

Why is Guthrie putting words in his mouth?



Listen to how she emphasizes “your own fault”



This is not the right way to treat a child. Shame on NBC https://t.co/P5VN6XoFm7 — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 23, 2019

The Native American "Vietnam Vet" Nathan Phillips, meanwhile, has been outed for never serving in Vietnam despite repeatedly claiming to have done so, in a case of stolen valor.

Skeptics of Phillips' claim were vindicated following a correction in the Washington Post that reads: "Earlier versions of this story incorrectly said that Native American activist Nathan Phillips fought in the Vietnam War. Phillips said he served in the U.S. Marines but was never deployed to Vietnam."

Nathan Phillips 'war hero' narrative is crumbling.



From WaPo: "Correction:...Phillips served in the U.S. Marines from 1972 to 1976 but was never deployed to Vietnam."https://t.co/pDOOnuyCKq — John Cardillo (@johncardillo) January 22, 2019

According to retired Navy Seal Don Shipley - whose YouTube channel is devoted to exposing stolen valor, Phillips' records reveal that he was a refrigerator technician who went AWOL several times, and who was never deployed outside of the United States.

Shipley adds that Phillips never served as a "recon ranger" as he has previously claimed.

As the Gateway Pundit's Cassandra Fairbanks notes, Phillips raised over $6,000 for a documentary about his life in which he claimed to be a Vietnam Veteran.

Meanwhile, the memes are flowing: