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Curve, MLB know how to show class

Sunday Sports Mailbag

On Wednesday, July 18 at the Altoona Curve game at noon, patriotism and the respect for our nation’s flag and veterans were at an emotional high, and my friends and I were proud to be a part of it.

The Curve, as always, honor our veterans each game and this particular Wednesday’s salute was for an elderly gentleman confined to a wheelchair, a man who had served in the Pacific in World War II, earning numerous medals for valor while also being a prisoner of war for six months.

It was one of the loudest standing ovations that I’ve ever heard and was a truly emotional experience for everyone, made even better by the cheers from the thousands of youngsters who attended the Splash Day festivities.

The previous night, Major League Baseball also did a class act by honoring 29 Congressional Medal of Honor winners on the field before the all-star game, made even better by the players shaking hands with all the veterans along with a loud standing ovation from the Washington D.C. crowd.

I’ve read interviews with the NFL players who boycott the anthem by kneeling, as is their right — a right earned by the men and women of our military who have served in many wars.

I was among the many young soldiers who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and see the NFL players kneeling as outright disrespect to the people who have given them the freedom that they now have.

There are many ways to protest issues in today’s world, and with the abundance of millionaires and college graduates in the NFL, you would think that they would come up with a more honorable solution than to disrespect those who have given so much to give us all the freedom we enjoy today.

As for myself, I boycotted watching NFL games last year and will continue to do so until the NFL can get it together.

The Altoona Curve and Major League Baseball are class acts. Maybe the NFL can give them a call for some advice.

Joe Yartin, Dysart

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