DALLAS, NC (WCNC) Classmates have rallied around a North Carolina boy after he was bullied for wearing his brother’s Navy uniform to school.

It was the day after September 11, 2017. 11-year-old Isaiah Picklesimer was missing his brother, Aaron.

“I love him and I support him,” he said. “My brother is a hero to me.”

So Isiah wanted to wear his Navy uniform to school.

“I miss my brother and I wanted to wear that to support,” he explained.

But middle school can be tough for a kid who stands out.

“Some kids bullied me and really hurt my feelings,” Isaiah said. “They said that my uniform was pajamas. That I was a joke. I said you don’t understand, I’m trying to support my brother.”

His mother Mellanie posted about the bullying on Facebook, and the response was swift and massive. From the Naval Center in Charlotte, to Washington D.C., to countries around the world.

“No parent wants their child to be bullied for doing something that they believe in, for something that’s close to their heart,” she said.