This Navy Veteran Won't Play The NFL "Hate America" Game!

Retired Navy Cmdr. John Wells who is the executive director of the national Military Veterans Advocacy program had declined the opportunity to receive an award offered by the New Orleans Saints on the field Sunday at the New Orleans Saints home football game.

In refusing the award, Cmdr. John Wells, Executive Director of the National Military Veterans Advocacy Program told the Saint's organization he would not be in attendance. According to the information in this article he could not bring himself “in good conscience, to enter an NFL stadium due to the protests against The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“Although I am touched and honored to be selected for such an award, the ongoing controversy with NFL players’ disrespect for the national flag forces me to decline to participate in the presentation,” Wells said.

“Since this award is tainted with the dishonorable actions of the NFL and its players, I cannot accept it. To do so would be hypocritical."

The NFL, the Saints staff in particular called Cmdr. Wells refusal to enter any NFL stadium where players disrespect our national flag a "distraction". I'm not seeing it as a distraction of sorts, I'm seeing the whole NFL flag protest as a slap in the face to those of us who served, those of us who love our country and right, wrong or indifferent respect and honor our flag. Our history, our heritage, our flag has nothing to do with our societal woes today. Our division, our internal strife, our very polar opposites drive us to our angst, not or history, our heritage. We're collectively responsible for what we've done to ourselves and individually, we need to realize that and either accept it and move on or change it and move on. I do agree, something needs to be done. Dissing our country, our flag, our heritage, each other isn't the solution!

I sure as hell don't see the NFL and the NFLPA hatred being exhibited towards us, our country, our symbols of freedom, our flag as a simple "distraction". I see that hatred as something much more devious in nature. Either way, there's a problem and it needs to be addressed. I just don't think a bunch of millionaires complaining about the "mistreatment" they're experiencing as having any real merit. 

As you can see if you happen to read the article in the link I provided above, it's needless to say the Saints weren't none to happy about this whole "ignoring their invitation" thing and decided to take a public political dump on Cmdr. Wells!

But for the Saints to say "“Our respect and support of our servicemen and women and veterans is unquestionable,”... well, they're wrong. It their "respect and support" for our servicemen and women and veterans has been and still is brought into question. Their "respect and support" for us the veterans, for our country is justifiably brought into question during every day an NFL game is played throughout the NFL Season whether they like it or not. They're most definitely a part of this whole problem. They helped create it!

Commander John Wells prevails in my book! Well said Cmdr. John Wells! And thank you for your continued service Sir!

RESPECT OUR COUNTRY, RESPECT OUR FLAG! Work together to changes things if they need to be changed.

IMHO