Veterans speak up in the debate about kneeling during the national anthem. Read some of their views here.

From The New York Times' Race Related columns:

On the eve of the N.F.L. season, Nike debuted a new campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback at the center of the ongoing league protests against police violence. The announcement reignited the debate over kneeling during the national anthem, with calls to boycott Nike on the grounds that the company was tacitly supporting the protests, which have been described as unpatriotic and disrespectful to service members by critics, including President Trump.

We wanted to know how service members and veterans felt about this, so Race/Related collaborated with At War, The New York Times Magazine’s channel that explores the experience and costs of war. Together, we reached out to readers for their perspectives on the debate, asking how their service and race have influenced their opinions. We received more than 400 responses. Here are some of their perspectives:

Wearing the uniform only protects me when it is on. I am an African-American who grew up experiencing harassment from law enforcement and still to this day experience it depending on where I am stationed. Wearing the uniform only protects me when it is on.

— Uriah Hunter, U.S. Army

Why do they get a pass? I’m an American of Puerto Rican descent. Black people are being treated with less humanity by the authorities. When we enlisted, we took an oath to the Constitution, not to a flag. The right to protest is one of the rights we protect. Some people attending games do not stand at attention, remove their hats, stop eating and drinking during the anthem. Why do they get a pass?

— John Garcia, U.S. Navy

I was more likely to be killed by a police officer at home than by the Taliban. As a black man and former service member with two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, the sad reality is that statistically speaking, I was more likely to be killed by a police officer at home in New York City than by the Taliban or an armed combatant in a far-off land. I have parted ways and broken ties with former comrades who I went to war with because of their foolhardy and abhorrent views on unarmed black people being wrongfully killed and their complete misconstruing of the Kaepernick protest.

These men want complacence and silence, even though we fought for and had friends who died for the right of citizens to speak freely against injustice and inequity. I realized that these same white comrades, even after sharing the bond of service, ultimately only judge and value me in the same way as their favorite black athletes: as a commodity.

— Alec Gillis, U.S. Army

They’re forgetting the Tuskegee Airman. I think when people say they don’t kneel for the anthem, they’re forgetting all the black and brown service members who served. They’re forgetting the Tuskegee Airman. When my dad served, the people he felt were his friends made jokes about how they’d hang him in their front yard when he came home from fighting side-by-side with white soldiers.

— Autumn, daughter of Tuskegee airman

I am tired of a racially divided America. I am of Mexican descent. I have been on the receiving end of racial profiling by police as well as civilians. I do believe that my experiences as an “other” have affected my opinion on this issue. But I also support fellow Americans’ right to peacefully protest no matter their ethnic background. I am tired of a racially divided America. I’m tired of having to worry about being attacked or profiled because of the color of my skin. I am tired of my fellow Americans treating me and people who look like me like we are all “border jumpers,” or “murderers” or “rapists.”

— Sarah Williams, U.S. Navy

Those who do not support Kaepernick’s right to protest are not patriots. I am a Black woman so I understand why Kaepernick protested. I am also a Retired Lt Colonel. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kaepernick exercised his First Amendment Right and I support him. He is not disrespecting me, the flag, or the national anthem, which I sang at various functions throughout my years of service. Any military or veteran who does not support Kaepernick’s right to protest is not a Patriot.

— Marsha L. Aleem, U.S. Air Force

The individuals exercising their freedom of speech need and deserve far more respect than the flag. As an Asian you get to hear things from both sides that they wouldn’t tell each other. As a liberal military member, it’s the same thing. Also, being a minority helps understand privilege, the justice system, and various other aspects related to race in America. There are more important things than caring about whether or not people are kneeling. The flag is a symbol, but the people are the country. I think the individuals exercising their freedom of speech need and deserve far more respect than the flag or some arbitrary ceremony.

— Baldwin Yen, U.S. Army