It is not disrespectful to veterans to protest.

Trigger warning this blog may be offensive to some people.

The above latest Nike Just Do It add campaign has caused people to burn their Nike gear. The reason that these people are burning their own gear is because Colin Kaepernick is featured in their most current Just Do It campaign. Colin Kaepernick in 2016 protested the treatment of minorities in the United States by kneeing during the National Anthem. For those who do not attend or watch sporting events, it is tradition to play the National Anthem before the contest begins.

The reason that I have heard about why people are burning the Nike gear is because it is disrespectful to Veterans to protest. I am here to state that it it not disrespectful to protest during the National Anthem. I served in the Army for 21 years and 13 of those years where overseas. I reenlisted to stay in the Army six times in my 21 years. During my enlistment and each reenlistment I stated the following.

“I, Adam L Cook do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

The first amendment grants the right of free speech and the right of protest. There are limits to free speech and limits to protest. The classic example of limiting free speech is calling fire in a theater when there is no fire. The example of protest that comes to mind for limiting protest is, as a service member I was not able to protest while wearing my uniform.

What does free speech mean to you? What it means to me is I am able to have a voice with a dissenting view of the government and not face a jackboot kick to my ribs.

While I was representing our United States in southern Iraq near Basra I came across a woman who I am sure does not even have a voice or the chance to say no. This area of Iraq is what most people think of when they think of desert. It is slow rolling mounds of dirt in different shades of brown for as far as the eye can see. The air is full of haze that when the curve of the earth falls away and the sky rises you are unable to pin point ground from air.

My squad consisting of three Humvees and nine soldiers were traveling north bound on route Tampa. The why details of the trip are lost to me now but this moment of time has stayed with me. While traveling in our Humvee’s we faced the risk of having a command detention explosive being detonated under our vehicles. The enemy would use the roadway to their advantage by placing explosive under bridges or culverts. When explosives are detonated against the flat bottom Humvee the results are catastrophic for the vehicle and its crew members.

As my squad was traveling we see a white Toyota Hilux parked near the road with people moving back and forth from the vehicle and road. As we attempt to watch the situation from the safest distance as we could we could not figure out what exactly was happening. We had to move in closer to have a better understanding of the situation that was unfolding. We are taught in the military to use our superior weapons and training to our advantage. This results in my squad using distance to our tactical advantage but it did not give us situational advantage.

As we got closer we could tell that one of the three people was moving something from under the bridge to the back of the pickup. Still needed to figure out what was happening under bridge I maneuvered my squad into position so I could safely dismount the vehicle. I placed two vehicles on the north and south side of the bridge respectfully. I then had my driver stop near the people but with my door facing away. While this was happening the group of people stopped what and watched us. Before dismounting I could see that it was three people on the ground.

As I got closer to the people I could see the two older people are a man and woman. The older woman had only a basic shawl covering her hair. The third person was a woman. This woman was fully covered except her eyes and the backs of her hands. The covering reminded me of a ninja suit because it had pants and was more fitting than a burka. I could see her eyes and when we locked eyes they reminded of onyx stone. The skin around her eyes did show weathered lines of age but rather the youthfulness of a life ready to be lived. As I looked at her hands they had a small bucket in them maybe a one gallon (3.8 liters) bucket. The backs of her hands where covered in detailed henna. This was the first time that I witnessed a woman with henna on her hands.

I look under the bridge to see what this woman was retrieving and I see a small puddle of muddy water. This young woman was carrying buckets of water to a holding tank in the back of the Toyota Hilux. The opaque holding tank was maybe 1/3 filled with brown water. I asked as best I could “Bedoiun?” The man smiled and shook his head once he realized what I was asking.

The Bedoiun’s in the middle eastern countries that I have seen are the lowest of the low. When the counties decided to place fences up during the post WW2 oil boom’s they lost out. The reason is because they are not recognized as citizens of the state because their families did not register in time. These people are forced to collect water by almost any means available to them. This water that they are making this woman get from under the bridge was the remnants of the rainy season that just passed. This water also washed off the roadway where who knows what kind of chemicals had dripped off the vehicles that passed everyday.

As my squad set off to the north I looked into my shaking mirror seeing the young woman starting her task of filling the holding tank again. I thought that these people here will never have it better. They will never have a voice. They will never have clear clean water on demand. This young woman could only dream of the freedoms that we in the United States take for granted and give up by denying the right of free speech to others.

If you do not allow others free speech then you are giving your own free speech up. Do not ever give up your rights of free speech juxtaposed do not take away others free speech because you do not believe it.