Among the 15 Medal of Honor recipients who will participate in the Super Bowl’s opening coin toss ceremony will be Opelika resident and retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins, who showed extraordinary heroism in the Vietnam War.
Adkins’ full Medal of Honor citation can be read here, and includes this stunning detail: “During the 38-hour battle and 48 hours of escape and evasion, fighting with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms, and hand grenades, it was estimated that Sergeant First Class Adkins had killed between 135 and 175 of the enemy while sustaining 18 different wounds to his body.”
About Adkins:
— President Barak Obama awarded Adkins with the Medal of Honor on September 15, 2014, for heroic efforts during his second of three deployments to Vietnam.
— After retiring from the Army, he earned two Master’s degrees in education and management from Troy University and taught night classes at Southern Union Junior College and Auburn University for a number of years.
— He also established the Adkins Accounting Service, Inc. in Auburn and served as its CEO for 22 years.
— Adkins now serves as the President and CEO of the Bennie Adkins Foundation, which works to help former Special Forces soldiers transition from military back to civilian life.
Read more about Adkins’ story here.
The controversy:
— The NFL has long made a point of honoring the military at games, but the invitation to veterans will undoubtedly be viewed by many through the lens of all the pushback the league has received due to players protesting during the National Anthem.
— Adkins intends to use the opportunity to speak with those players who choose to kneel during the National Anthem, an act he views as disrespectful, the Opelika-Auburn News reported on Thursday.
— “If I can change one person’s life and teach them patriotism, I have done my job,” Adkins said.
— The NFL could not immediately be reached for comment regarding if and how this plays into the controversy.
— NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made the focus about honoring our veterans.
— “The NFL is proud to honor our Nation’s heroes at Super Bowl LII,” Goodell said in a statement announcing the plans for the coin toss.
— “These courageous individuals deserve to be recognized on America’s biggest stage.”
— “We are grateful for their service to our country and we are pleased to continue the NFL’s longstanding tradition of hosting special tributes to service members at the Super Bowl.”
