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op-ed: why be mad at colin kaepernick? america was already failing the veterans they “love” so much

August 31, 2016

I’m really baffled at the outrage people have on Colin Kaepernick but not the underlying issues we have in America. Racial injustices are a real issue but something else is also real key to add to this story. A lot of people are so angry because they feel not standing up for the flag means you’re disrespecting veterans. Well America hasn’t exactly been taking care of them. 22 veterans commit suicide every day. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Oh and don’t let me get started on PTSD! My uncle was a Vietnam vet. Growing up I never got to know him as the person he was before the war. I grew up knowing him as the uncle who “lost his mind” because of the effect the war had on him. I use to wonder “what is wrong with him?”. I couldn’t have been more than nine or ten when I finally asked my mother “why does he act so strangely?”

My mom finally told me my uncle was sick after the war. She would tell me how he would wake up in the middle of the night because of the horrors he would relive while being in Vietnam. She explained how the war left him “never all the way right” again. I didn’t realize back then how serious that was. To be a black man in armed forces fighting in Vietnam for a country that didn’t even stand up for him at that time. Having to live the rest of his life with an illness he couldn’t help.

By Jasmin Pierre*, AFROPUNK contributor

I wonder do people also realize the police have shot and killed veterans in the past? PTSD is a serious illness. Those who go untreated can become violent at times. The police force doesn’t really seem to be all the way equipped to handle mental health issues so instead of getting proper help and treatment some veterans get killed.

What about all of the homeless veterans living on the streets with mental health issues? What about the veterans people pass up everyday who ask for money and food on the corner? Also what about the veterans people make fun of and call crazy? How dare anyone be mad at Colin Kaepernick and say he doesn’t respect veterans. The system has already taken care of not respecting veterans long before Kaepernick even spoke a word.

Jasmin Pierre is a 27-year-old mental health activist and author of the new self help book “A Fight Worth Finishing”. She is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Jasmin is constantly fighting for the rights of those suffering from major depressive disorder. She inspires to become a life coach and continue writing to encourage others to never give up.

Facebook: A Fight Worth Finishing
Twitter: @afightworthfin
Instagram: @afightworthfinishing

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