ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- The sheriff of St. Johns County apologized Tuesday night to a group of anti-war protestors who said they found the message on T-shirts donated by the sheriff disturbing.

The controversy began when the Sheriff David Shoar donated several T-shirts at a gathering of military veterans. However, the slogan on the shirts upset some anti-war protesters.

The front of the shirt has a silhouette of a man with a rifle, and the back read, "If you can't stand behind our troops, do us all a favor and stand in front of them."

"We think that a message such as that coming from the sheriff of St. Johns County is inappropriate and unacceptable," said Tom Santoni, of the anti-war organization People for Peace & Justice.

"In the climate that the United States has today, with all the anger and hostility, I don't think we need anything extra," said Renee Mintz, of People for Peace & Justice.

The organization invited the sheriff to their meeting on Tuesday to hash out their concerns.

The sheriff called the controversy caused by the shirt a misunderstanding.

"There was absolutely zero malice in the T-shirts, and I humbly apologize," Shoar said.

Shoar didn't just apologize for the shirts, he also told the group that he too opposes the war.

He said he bought 10 of the T-shirts to support a co-worker's fundraiser and later raffled off the shirts at a veterans event.

"What the damn shirt should have said was, 'Honor the warrior, not the war.' That's really what the hell I meant," Shoar said.

"He didn't back off or try hide behind his badge. He didn't try to bully anybody. He said, 'I'm aware of my mistake, and I respect you people. I'm sorry.' I think that took a lot of courage," said Cindy Lauritsen, who was also at the meeting.

The sheriff said he learned a lesson from the incident that it's important that leaders know the importance of symbolism.