I am a veteran. I do not speak for all veterans, just for myself. I feel that I have written this same thing a couple of times, but this subject just keeps coming up. Veterans are a pretty diverse group. We come from all walks of life. We all have varied backgrounds, education levels, races, ethnic groups, and religions. We are not, nor should be ever be considered, a monolithic block.
My late father was also a veteran, and while my dad was a liberal democrat, and a union man, I know which side of the flag debate he would have been on. Sadly, not the same one as me. My dad came from a different era and a different generation. If he were still alive we would be butting heads on this issue.
When I signed on the dotted line I was seventeen years old, I did it for several reasons, one a college fund, and a way out of an alcoholic household. Two, I felt, maybe naively, that I owed it to my country. I believed the words in our founding documents:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
All men are created equal. We, as a nation, have never lived up to that promise. I could list the sins of our nation here, but we all know what they are, and let’s be honest, we largely ignore them, especially those of us who are white. We have a history of treating people poorly who look, speak, dress, or act differently than the social mores of the majority. We ignore the plight of minorities because we cannot see past our own privilege.
When I enlisted in the Army in 1984, I did not know any of this, I was a skinny 17-year-old kid who grew up around family that was a part of the greatest generation. The world they grew up in did not really exist at that time, it certainly does not today. But I believed in what was good in America because of those views that were passed on to me.
When I got out of the Army, my dad and I used to butt heads on flag burning, he an old school WWII vet on the side of the American Legion, felt that flag burning was an insult to veterans, especially those who died while serving under it. I felt, and the Supreme Court has said, that it is protected speech under the first amendment.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Kneeling during the national anthem is neither disrespecting veterans, nor is it disrespecting our nation. It is an exercise in free speech. It is a petition to our government for a redress of grievances. It is far more respectful than the actions of fans who are drinking beer, eating, talking on cellphones, and leaving their hats on in the stands—yet no one seems to care about the actions of thousands of fans in the stands. The Supreme Court has also ruled on this, in 1943 no less, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.
“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.”
In previous statements the president has said, “Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our flag!” He speaks of respect, but does not understand that one cannot demand to be respected, one must earn it. The very first thing I learned while attending the Army’s Primary Leadership Development Course was that if you demand respect, you will never get it. If you want respect, you need to earn it.
The other issue is that forcing someone to salute, place their hand over their heart, or to stand, is not patriotism, it is the exact opposite of patriotism.
Colin Kaepernick is doing what every American has a right to do when they see an injustice in the country. He is protesting, and shining a light on a part of America that is not particularly pleasant to look at. He has neither disrespected me, nor any other veteran. Had everyone ignored his protest when he first started it—we would not even be having this conversation today.
As for the folks out there saying his protest disrespects veterans, our flag, this nation, or first responders, that is their opinion, and their opinion alone. No one speaks for all veterans—and honestly, I am sick and tired of my veteran status getting dragged into issues like this. If what Kaepernick is doing offends you—then it offends you. Do not assume it offends, or insults all veterans, if you are veteran. And if you are offended, do not assume every veteran feels the same way. You do not speak for me, I do not speak for you.