Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Like Michael Strahan, I am a military brat. Both of my parents are Army veterans; my father retired after twenty-three years in the military and my mother did at least four years in the Army. Also like Strahan, I spent my entire life in and around the military — when you have a parent who ascended in rank and eventually retired from the service, it’s impossible for the military way of life not to be part of who you are. I respect the military, and in many ways am appreciative of the life it afforded my family, both in terms of stability and in the places it allowed me to see as a child. I was born overseas, grew up overseas and when my family finally did move back to the United States of America for good, I had to culturally adjust to both a non-military lifestyle and American pop culture.
For most of us who grew up this way, appreciation, respect and admiration for those who serve, and who have served, is more innate than it is learned. While I can’t pretend to know everything about Strahan’s life, from the parts I have been privy to through his second career as a television personality, I know about his respect and adoration for the military, largely because of the service of his father — retired Army Major Gene W. Strahan, Sr. — and all of those who were in his life because of his father’s service.
So to see Strahan be criticized, even a little bit, because he didn’t place his hand over his heart during a segment of “NFL Fox Sunday’s” Veterans Day broadcast, proves to me that some people truly hate happiness and need better things to do with their time. Strahan stood respectfully, with his hands in front of him. It’s fine. I don’t always (in fact, I rarely) place my hand over my heart when I’m forced to hear the National Anthem played at games where it feels unnecessary. That has NOTHING to do with my stance on the military, but for me, it’s a choice.
Despite not even really needing to do so, Strahan went on Instagram and did a whole video explaining his love and appreciation for the military (which, again, is apparent) and then explained how he got caught up in the moment and realized it but didn’t want to be distracting. He even apologized if he offended anybody in the military because, clearly, that isn’t his ministry.
Listen, we’ve had a week here in America. For a lot of people, the results of the presidential election have been disheartening, saddening and even painful. There’s more than enough negativity floating around the internet and social media without creating a negative story about a guy who, at least in this instance, did nothing wrong and is the last person you could question about his respect for America’s military.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).