As a 19 year Veteran of the military, I say HELL YEAH. There's nothing like watching people create ridiculous new rules that RESTRICT civilians and FORCE them to show how much they appreciate the freedom we have fought so hard for them to be able to enjoy.
In all seriousness, these players kneeling doesn't offend me, at all. On the contrary, it makes me happy to see these men be able to take a knee for what they believe in. That is exactly why I have re-enlisted enough that I will be eligible to retire next year. It is one of the ways that I know that me and the men and women I have spent so much time with are actually making a difference in the world. This should be a big deal, but it should be a big deal because these men are showing that they believe that there is something wrong in this country right now, and they are able to use their public visibility in order to make their voices heard. That is a right that they have, and they are neither hurting anybody in the process or directly affecting people's enjoyment of, or the integrity of, the sport.
Additionally, the NFL office doesn't give a rat's ass about Veterans, so please don't kid yourself there. They only care about one thing: money. The military pays them a lot of money to perform the National Anthem, and put on this spectacle every year. You know why? It's not to honor the Veteran's... not really. They use it as a recruitment tool, so all of your kids will see it and say, "Hey that's pretty cool how much these famous NFL players appreciate the military, that looks like something I would like to do!"
Even the government doesn't care about Veterans, not really. They need to give us good benefits, and do their best to keep us placated and happy, but they only do that because it's the only way to keep getting more18-25 year old men and women to sign up for a job that gives rich, old white men the right to send them to do their dirty work so they can keep being rich, old white men instead of slightly less rich old white men.
I don't want your thanks. There are heroes in the military and have been for generations, and yes, they deserve our gratitude, but most of us aren't the heroes that the government wants you to glorify. Most of us are just regular people who are trying to get by, the same as most of you. The only thing that I really want for everyone, all Americans, everywhere to do.... the thing that would "honor" me the most... would be to just wake up tomorrow, go out there, love each other, everyone, and enjoy the freedom you have because of us. And I will readily admit that I feel this way partly because I want to be able to retire next year and go out there and enjoy it, too.