‘Taking a knee’: An Army tradition

One of the oddities of the weekend’s uproar over players kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest is that “taking a knee” is a military tradition, especially in the Army. I’ve heard it used most often as a way of pausing, taking a breather, and stepping back to consider the situation. I’ve also heard it used to mean taking a loose form of security during a pause in a patrol, as in the photo above.

“Ramrods, take a knee,” a grizzled sergeant major drawls to David Bellavia’s unit in Fallujah. “Men, I could not be more proud of you if you were my own kids.”

Conversely, an article in Military Review admonishes that professional military education (PME) time is not take a knee time.

So I kind of like the idea of the nation taking a knee and considering our racial situation, and how we can all do better. You know we can.

Photo credit: DoD photo by Sgt. Kissta Feldner, U.S. Army