Sixty-year-old U.S. Army veteran Marvin L. Boatright wore an American Legion hat, held a folded flag, and got down on one knee as President Donald Trump’s motorcade passed his family’s funeral home business Wednesday.
Boatright told HuffPost he wanted to send the message to Trump that “you can have a love of God and country and still be against social justice.”
“For the commander in chief to call our citizens ‘sons of a b*tches’ was totally wrong and beneath the dignity of the office that he holds,” he continued, referring to Trump’s comments last week that he thought players who kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism should be fired.
Some onlookers cheered for Boatright as he kneeled, and a photographer for Reuters captured the moment, which later went viral when an editor for Yahoo Sports tweeted it, HuffPost reported.
“We love this country,” Boatright told HuffPost about himself and other veterans. “We love this flag. But we also love life and liberty for all humanity.”
Boatright said he felt the protests by more than 200 NFL players and dozens from other sports would make people who may not be paying attention to the news more aware of the issues being protested.
“The issues that affect our nation can be seen and made visible through sports,” Boatright said.
Trump and many in the public have said they think the protests are disrespectful to the flag and what it stands for, including members of the military who have fought for many years to protect the country and its people.
Reactions on Twitter ranged from support for Boatright’s action, respect for his service, and criticism of what he did.
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