Mail Call: Taking knee is disrespectable to war dead

I attended the basketball game on Dec. 28, 2023, at the Moorhead holiday basketball tournament, between Osseo and Dilworth/Glyndon/Felton. As much as the game was very entertaining, I was appalled at the behavior of six of the Osseo team during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

During the anthem, they chose to take a knee.

As a retired member of the United States military of 40 years, it was very disheartening to see these young ladies on a knee to the anthem. My thoughts at first were anger and frustration on why this is allowed by the coaching staff and school administration. The coaching staff had no reaction, which tells me this must be a normal behavior of their team during the anthem — which is unfortunate. I wondered how these six players can dislike the country that gives them so much that they take a knee during their country’s national anthem!

Further, as a former coach of American Legion Baseball, we taught Americanism to our team members. We taught how the blood shed by so many Americans allowed them to live in the land of the free. Yes, this does include the freedom to protest, which is part of the First Amendment of our great U.S. Constitution.

However, kneeling during the national anthem is a disrespect to all the men and women who have shed their blood and lives for our great country. Showing an injustice to a cause you care about as an individual can be done in other ways without showing disrespect to our great military and country! I hope the Osseo school administration will discuss this with the team and make it a learning experience for the entire team and coaching staff.

In closing, your team played very well and was fun to watch. The coaching staff worked hard with their team to have them play to the best of their ability.

I hope you have a great 2024!

Jeff Miller

Moorhead Post 21