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Thoughts from JayDoc91

Posted by Jaydoc91 on March 2, 2012 at 11:58 a.m.

Please give anthem the respect it deserves

My fellow Jayhawks,

I am a United States Army veteran and twice served my country in Iraq. I am not a native Kansan but met my wife while stationed here, and was fortunate enough to return to Kansas and join the Jayhawk family to pursue my education. I am proud to call myself a Jayhawk, and tell people all over the country that you will never have an experience like going to a game at Allen Fieldhouse. It is amazing to be a part of the great KU traditions.

However, at every game there is one thing I cannot support; altering the National Anthem. For a large number of people The Star Spangled Banner is not just a song. It represents an ideal that millions of people throughout the last 250 years of history have given their very lives to establish and defend. Every time I hear it my eyes well up with tears, and I feel a lump in my throat. And I can assure you that whether they are a WWII veteran from the greatest generation, or part of the newest generation to be called upon to support and defend the Constitution there are many others in AFH that feel the same way.

I am so grateful that Coach Self spoke out on this issue, and I hope that you can get behind him and cease singing “home of the Chiefs” at the end of the National Anthem. For a school so proud of its history (there were several John Browns in attendance when we sent the kitties out crying) it seems that honoring this part of our nation’s history would not be too hard to accomplish.

I will be in attendance this Saturday, and hope to hear 16,300 of my closest friends proudly singing “home of the brave”.

God Bless America. And Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Go KU!

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