Military support for Kaepernick

"Want to respect the American flag? Then respect the ideals for which it stands. Bullying language and calling peaceful protesters 'sons of bitches' who should be fired aren't among them."

SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT ON KAEPERNICK: His protest 'makes him more American than anyone'

Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit or kneel in silent protest during the national anthem before NFL games has attracted praise and criticism since he began doing it more than a year ago.

The then-49ers quarterback said he was "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

While some called it a "slap in the face" to the military, many veterans do not see it that way.

"He is exercising his constitutional right, and I'm glad that he's doing it," Benjamin Starks, a veteran of both the US Navy and the US Army Reserve, told Business Insider in September 2016.

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