Alejandro Villanueva explains what Memorial Day means to him
|
|
Alejandro Villanueva explains what Memorial Day means to him
BySam Quinn May 28, 2018
"Memorial Day means different things to different people. For those of us who served, that meaning is pretty obvious. You remember those who were lost. Who made the ultimate sacrifice."
That is how Alejandro Villanueva describes Memorial Day. The Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle took a very untraditional path to the NFL. After playing college football at Army, he served in the military making several tours in Afghanistan from 2010-2013. When he returned, he tried to make his NFL dreams come true. They did when, while playing in a preseason game for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was noticed by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers brought him in after he was released by the Eagles, and he eventually became the team's starting left tackle.
But he never forgot about his time in the Army. And in honor of Memorial Day, he worked with ESPN's SC Featured to produce a touching story about the holiday, and his own time in the service.
The video itself touches on the history of Memorial Day as a holiday, and what the holiday means to Villanueva as a person. But mostly, it focuses on a soldier that fought with Villanueva and was killed in action. That soldier enlisted in order to support his family, and left behind a young son. Villanueva urges viewers in the video to remember soldiers like that, those who gave their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy on a daily basis.
Villanueva exercised one of those freedoms famously when his team decided to protest the National Anthem before its Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears last season due to divisive comments from President Donald Trump. While the rest of the team sat out the Anthem entirely and only ran out onto the field afterwards, Villanueva stood with his hand over his heart. Some criticized him for doing so, saying that he went against what his team had decided. But the left tackle stood by his own convictions in standing for the Anthem, and he became a hero to many fans who felt alienated by the protests as a result.
Villanueva has shied away from those fans, trying to avoid, what he calls, "clickbait." And that is a fair stance to have. He didn't stand for the National Anthem to become a celebrity. He did it because it is what he personally believes in. That is an inalienable American right, and one that he chose to exercise. Soldiers fought and died to preserve that right. So take a moment to remember the service men and women who gave their lives today. Their sacrifice should not be forgotten.
You can watch the 5-minute video here: [twitter.com]
[247sports.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2019 05:25AM by MamaRAMa.
BySam Quinn May 28, 2018
"Memorial Day means different things to different people. For those of us who served, that meaning is pretty obvious. You remember those who were lost. Who made the ultimate sacrifice."
That is how Alejandro Villanueva describes Memorial Day. The Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle took a very untraditional path to the NFL. After playing college football at Army, he served in the military making several tours in Afghanistan from 2010-2013. When he returned, he tried to make his NFL dreams come true. They did when, while playing in a preseason game for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was noticed by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers brought him in after he was released by the Eagles, and he eventually became the team's starting left tackle.
But he never forgot about his time in the Army. And in honor of Memorial Day, he worked with ESPN's SC Featured to produce a touching story about the holiday, and his own time in the service.
The video itself touches on the history of Memorial Day as a holiday, and what the holiday means to Villanueva as a person. But mostly, it focuses on a soldier that fought with Villanueva and was killed in action. That soldier enlisted in order to support his family, and left behind a young son. Villanueva urges viewers in the video to remember soldiers like that, those who gave their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy on a daily basis.
Villanueva exercised one of those freedoms famously when his team decided to protest the National Anthem before its Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears last season due to divisive comments from President Donald Trump. While the rest of the team sat out the Anthem entirely and only ran out onto the field afterwards, Villanueva stood with his hand over his heart. Some criticized him for doing so, saying that he went against what his team had decided. But the left tackle stood by his own convictions in standing for the Anthem, and he became a hero to many fans who felt alienated by the protests as a result.
Villanueva has shied away from those fans, trying to avoid, what he calls, "clickbait." And that is a fair stance to have. He didn't stand for the National Anthem to become a celebrity. He did it because it is what he personally believes in. That is an inalienable American right, and one that he chose to exercise. Soldiers fought and died to preserve that right. So take a moment to remember the service men and women who gave their lives today. Their sacrifice should not be forgotten.
You can watch the 5-minute video here: [twitter.com]
[247sports.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2019 05:25AM by MamaRAMa.
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 21Dog | 93 | May 27, 2019 04:40AM |
| MamaRAMa | 57 | May 27, 2019 05:24AM |
| waterfield | 57 | May 27, 2019 06:28AM |
| 21Dog | 50 | May 27, 2019 07:35AM |
