A decorated Iraq War veteran is recovering after a group of young black thugs taunted him about Black Lives Matter before knocking him unconscious outside of a Washington, D.C. McDonald’s and stealing his wallet.

Former U.S. Marine Christopher Marquez told WJLA he was at the McDonald’s on 911 E. Street in Northwest D.C. when a group of teens began to taunt him last Friday.

“They asked me if I believe that black lives matter,” Marquez said. “I felt threatened and thought they were trying to intimidate me, so I figured I’m going to keep to my food, eat my food, and hopefully they’ll leave me alone. And because I wasn’t responding back to them, they were calling me racist.”

Marquez has troubles remembering what happened after that, but the store manager reviewed video footage and helped him piece together the rest. He said the group consisted of five black youth – including one female – between the ages of 16 and 21, The Daily Caller reports.

The video showed a teen with a white shirt strike Marquez on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. The group then when through his pockets and stole his wallet.

“It kind of brought back memories of the war,” the veteran told WJLA, which reported Marquez was struck with a handgun.

Marquez served in the Marines for eight years and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan as a rifleman and scout sniper. He won a Bronze Star for valor for his role in the infamous Battle of Fallujah, where a photo of his service inspired “No Man Left Behind” statues now in place at Camp Lejuene and Camp Pendleton, according to The Daily Caller.

The picture is from a particularly brutal Fallujah fire fight known as “Hell House,” and shows lance corporals Marquez and Dane Shaffer carrying a badly injured Sgt. Maj. Brad Kasal to safety.

After regaining consciousness after the recent attack, Marquez flagged a taxi and convinced the driver to take him to his apartment near American University, where he’s a student. Apartment staff called police, who transported Marquez to George Washington Hospital for head trauma and an eye contusion.

The thugs stole Marquez’ wallet, which contained $400 in cash, several credit cards, his VA card, student ID, and other items. They then tacked up over $115 in charges on his credit cards at a liquor store, Five Guys burger restaurant and Walmart, according to statements reviewed by the Daily Caller.

“I believe this was a hate crime and I was targeted because of my skin color,” Marquez told the news site. “Too many of these types of attacks have been happening against white people by members of the black community and the majority of mainstream media refuses to report on it.”

The Metro Police Department’s Anthony Hector is investigating the case. DeAnthony Mason, manager of the McDonald’s, told Marquez police had been looking for the group of teens over a previous incident.

Marquez said he’s still recovering from the attack.

“My head really hurts. I get this sharp pain, straight down my face, and I haven’t really slept too well at all since it happened,” he said, according to the New York Daily News.

“I really think this group of teens is dangerous and will do this type of thing again if they are not caught,” Marquez told The Daily Caller.