The National Anthem & Taking a Knee

For all of us Americans, we should know who Francis Scott Key is. If you don’t, he wrote the “Star Spangled Banner.” For many of us, since we were kids, we watched both college and professional football on the weekend. Now, the NFL and the NCAA have become some of the biggest businesses in the United States.

There are college coaches that make more money than a lot of CEOs of big businesses. For the past two months I’ve watched players of the NFL protest during the national anthem. The only thing that should be done during the national anthem is stand at attention and salute.

A Protest

Maybe we should protest the NFL. It’s full of crime. Some examples include: domestic violence, murder, dogfighting, and drug use. NFL players and owners disgraced us by kneeling during the national anthem and then chastised a player who decided to stand proud during the national anthem. But he was taught a different set of values in Ranger battalion.

I urge any other veteran, myself included, to stop supporting the NFL, as well as college football because this is where they come from. Do we really want to associate ourselves with individuals who don’t want to stand and show respect to our nation’s anthem or show respect to those who defend our flag and our country?

For all military personnel and veterans, it’s our time to step up and show everyone who the true role models of this country are.

No Support

The military has been known to show its support for the NFL, college football, and basketball for years. As a veteran, I’ve decided to say no more. I won’t spend another minute watching a college football, basketball, or NFL game, and if they want to salute the service, then really do it. Spend time with a veteran or a military member.

But we don’t want anything from you, not even a thank you for our service. However, what we do deserve is your respect because without us, you wouldn’t be playing on Saturday or Sunday.

Time to Distance from the NFL

If you look at the backgrounds of a lot of these players, many of them have criminal records. Therefore, we shouldn’t associate with them or the teams they play for. Same goes for the college teams. For example, Baylor University covered up countless sexual assaults and rapes.

The military holds itself to a higher standard and it’s time we really do so. To strengthen our military, we must first strengthen the reputation of our military and who we associate with.

We represent the largest country in the world with the greatest people. The rest of the world should see us and not the people who take a knee.

Final Thought

I say this in closing: if you didn’t act like you should be in prison, then you wouldn’t be offended by our national anthem. These athletes should spend a day in Marine boot camp or Ranger school and see if they’re offended by being told what to do and when to do it, and then they’d learn to do what needs to be done.

• About
• Latest Posts

Bill Howard

William "Bill" Howard is both a Wounded Warrior and a writer for Low VA Rates. Before beginning his career with LVR, Bill served in both the Navy (1988-1993) and Army (2005-present). In the Navy, he was part of Special Boat Unit 11, and he served as an E-7 sergeant first class, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist, and a Ranger while in the Army.

Latest posts by Bill Howard (see all)

• What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Integrity - March 20, 2018
• What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Honor - March 19, 2018
• Veterans without Care: What’s Wrong with the VA? - December 18, 2017