The other day we reported the Colin Kaepernick controversy that’s hijacked a good chunk of the national collective discourse (he’s the 49ers quarterback who protested the national anthem before a recent preseason game) and how a fellow NFLer — in this case, Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan — found the action disrespectful to military veterans in particular.

We also cited a few other’s who were anti-Kaepernick too (diplomatically of course) including former Navy QB Keenan Reynolds.

Now’s the time to present the other side of the coin. Those who are behind the former University of Nevada standout.

And get ready for this: they come with some heavy credentials.

Most of them? They’re military veterans.

This from Larry Brown Sports:

… one funny thing happened on Tuesday: Kaepernick began to receive support from the very people the masses said he was disrespecting. And the support came in the form of a movement on social media “#VeteransforKaepernick.”

Check out some of the moving responses …

https://twitter.com/Treyfade/status/770440808717844480

https://twitter.com/I_Zac33/status/770806526202224640

https://twitter.com/holyhellkel/status/770661205937627137

https://twitter.com/WillLiftForFun/status/770718688249085952

https://twitter.com/BlakeInmerica/status/770749142674976768

https://twitter.com/elijahXL/status/770792439137366016

https://twitter.com/ira/status/770819422843908096

Apart from the hashtag, former Seattle Seahawk and Green Beret Nate Boyer penned a deeply honest and open letter to Kaepernick — more of an invitation to open the discussion about his stance to sit and what it means to be American rather than a refutation. It’s what good debate should sound like. And you can read it by clicking here. We highly recommend it.