WILLARD, Mo. – A World War II veteran is taking a knee to support protests by NFL players who have been criticized by President Trump.
John Middlemas, 97, was photographed on his knee Sunday by his grandson , Brennan Gilmore, while wearing a World War II veterans hat.
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"Those kids have every right to protest," Middlemas is quoted as saying on his grandson's Twitter post.
The Kansas City Star reports Middlemas is a farmer from Willard, Mo.
“My Grandpa has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years,” Gilmore posted later. “He’s an amazing man always on the side of justice.”
The picture of Middlemas was taken hours before NFL players took a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
President Trump urged NFL owners to fire players who took a knee and called all those who protested during the anthem a "son of a bitch."
My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: "those kids have every right to protest." pic.twitter.com/LurCj7SLUB
— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) September 24, 2017