3:48
- ABC News
- September 25, 2017
Veterans kneel in support of protests
The hashtags #TakeAKnee and #VeteransForKaepernick began trending Sunday.
3:48
Trump retweeted a photo of Pat Tillman, the former NFL player turned Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan in 2004 after enlisting in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
NFLplayer PatTillman joined U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action 2004. He fought 4our country/freedom. #StandForOurAnthem #BoycottNFL pic.twitter.com/k1FXHRoozY
— ?ay (@jayMAGA45) September 24, 2017
Trump's comments spurred a backlash that included protest against the \"Star Spangled Banner\" across several NFL teams on Sunday. Several veterans who fought in the U.S. armed forces echoed the players' sentiments.
A photo of 97-year-old World War II veteran John Middlemas taking a knee went viral, after the man's grandson Brendan Gilmore posted it to Twitter.
The tweet -- which included a photo of the farmer from Willard, Missouri, kneeling on the ground accompanied by what Gilmore said was his grandfather's phrase \"those kids have every right to protest\" -- was retweeted nearly 130,000 times in just a day.
My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: \"those kids have every right to protest.\" pic.twitter.com/LurCj7SLUB
— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) September 24, 2017
Gilmore wrote that his grandfather \"has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years.\"
The hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick began trending after people took notice that the former quarterback, who currently isn't signed to a NFL team, was not standing for the national anthem. After Sunday's gameday protests, veterans took to Twitter again using the hashtag along with a new one, #TakeAKnee.
I’m a vet and I’ll #TakeaKnee #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/1861Wvnee0
— BasicCaucus?????? (@comradejedi) September 24, 2017
I took an oath to defend the Constitution, not the flag. @realDonaldTrump, point your tiny fingers elsewhere. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/z5APVELH9y
— Jason (@ArktinenJenkki) September 25, 2017
#VeteransForKaepernick. I'll take a kneel against injustice and oppression before I stand with those who turn a blind eye to it. pic.twitter.com/NoQkUSgrIn
— CharlesJimPetoskey (@cjpetoskey) September 24, 2017
I didn’t serve to defend America’s systems of white supremacy and police brutality. Solidarity with #TakeTheKnee and #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/sTk7v7imtg
— tim ?? (@TimTakesTime) September 24, 2017
#VeteransForKaepernick
— Birthday Mortys Rick (@BallsofGlory) September 24, 2017
We don't join to serve/honor a flag or song.
We join for the people and the expectations of what America could/can be pic.twitter.com/aNfTgeNRCK
I served 21 years to defend freedoms to protest injustice. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/pGJOy05odG
— Jason Taylor (@soonerfan1975) September 24, 2017
This veteran supports those that #TakeAKnee. That draft dodging POTUS doesn't speak for me.#VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/PDWXSPJhTe
— That girl Marcy (@marcybelle424) September 24, 2017
To anyone saying #TakeAKnee is disrespectful to veterans I have something to say. You don't care about Veterans!
— Jean-Luc Picard???? (@COPicard2017) September 25, 2017
A Thread pic.twitter.com/ZuU0xzDFvU
Some NFL players decided to stand for the anthem on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva -- a former Army Ranger -- took to the field and placed his hand on his heart during the \"Star Spangled Banner,\" despite his team's decision to skip the national anthem altogether.
However, in the past, Villanueva has expressed solidarity with Kaepernick, saying in a 2016 interview, \"I will be the first one to hold hands with Colin Kaepernick and do something about the way minorities are being treated in the United States, the injustice that is happening with police brutality, the justice system, inequalities in pay,\" according to ESPN.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/alejandro-villanueva-ap-ml-170925_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Even as the protests he inspired become more widepsread, Kaepernick remains unsigned in the NFL. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers after last season.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests/story?id=50075609","legacySlug":"/news/story/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests-50075609","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:33","publishDate":"09-25-2017","updatedTime":"17:52","updatedDate":"09-25-2017","socialImage":{"alt":"Brennan Gilmore posted this image to his Twitter account with the caption, \"My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: \"those kids have every right to protest,\" Sept. 24, 2017.","credit":"Brennan Gilmore/Twitter","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Sports/take-a-knee-wwii-vet-ht-mem-170925_v2x1_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"9/25/2017 16:33:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":50075609,"headline":"Veterans kneel in support of protests","mediaAssetTitle":"jacobo_veterans for kaepernick_170925","description":"The hashtags #TakeAKnee and #VeteransForKaepernick began trending Sunday.","duration":"3:48","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/09/170925_gma_benitez_701_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Veterans kneel in support of protests","description":"The hashtags #TakeAKnee and #VeteransForKaepernick began trending Sunday.","duration":"3:48","uploadDate":"09-25-2017","publication":"09-25-2017","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/09/170925_gma_benitez_701_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/09/170925_gma_benitez_701_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests-50075609"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Veterans kneel in support of protests","pubTime":"12:33","pubDate":"09-25-2017","modTime":"13:52","modDate":"09-25-2017","taxonomyTags":"none","id":50075609,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Veterans kneel in support of protests","mediaAssetTitle":"jacobo_veterans for kaepernick_170925","videoId":50075609,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests-50075609"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/50075609","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/50075609","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};