Father of Marine killed in Iraq slams NFL national anthem protests

[Boats]

Father of Marine killed in Iraq slams NFL national anthem protests
By: Rob Jennings - October 1, 2017 at 3:36 PM Posted on October 1, 2017 at 1:56 PM
RE:http://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2..._national.html

JEFFERSON -- A Gold Star father slammed NFL national anthem protests on Sunday while thanking participants in a five-kilometer race honoring the oldest of his four sons, a U.S. Marine killed 13 years ago in Iraq.

John Wroblewski said the sight of players kneeling, rather than standing, for the anthem "hits us in the heart."

"We stand for our flag and we kneel for our fallen, and somebody should tell them that," said Wroblewski, whose 25-year-old son -- 2nd Lt. John Thomas "J.T." Wroblewski -- was killed in Ramadi on April 6, 2004.

Some NFL players knelt during the national anthem on Sunday, continuing a protest against racism started in 2016 by ex-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick -- and in defiance of President Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the protesters and declared that the league should require all players to stand.

Wroblewski, the longtime athletic director at Palisades Park High School, spoke at an awards ceremony following the "Wrobo Run," a 3.1-mile race named after his late son that drew more than 110 runners.

He expressed gratitude for those remembering his son but took issue with the NFL anthem protesters, saying they have "no idea of history."

He alluded to the two dozen players on the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars who, during a game in Great Britain on Sept. 24, knelt during the U.S. anthem but rose during the British one.

"It does hurt and it does affect us," Wroblewski said, referring to other Gold Star families.

"Hopefully, they change their tune on that," he added of the players.

Following his son's death, Wroblewski became an outspoken activist in support of the war in Iraq -- at one point, urging then-President Bush, in a private meeting, to "finish the mission."


He went to Iraq with the permission of the U.S. military, four years after his son's death, and was escorted to the location where he was shot. He also met with the nurse who tended to hm just before he died.

He and his wife, Shawn, live on a street in Jefferson that was named after their son.

The couple were joined by two of their three other sons at the Wrobo Run, greeting finishers and thanking volunteers.

"As a father, you always worry if your son is going to be remembered. Events like this assure us our son will never be forgotten," Wroblewski said.

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Personal note: My personal sympathies to the families who loose their Son's & Daughter's in conflicts. Boats