This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

SAN DIEGO – In an interesting coincidence, the San Diego Chargers will hold their annual Salute to the Military before Thursday's game against the San Francisco 49ers – whose starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick drew criticism for refusing to stand for the national anthem last week.

It'll be the 28th year that the Chargers host a Salute to the Military game. The game gets heavy attendance from service members and veterans. A Navy sailor will perform the national anthem and the Leap Frogs will parachute into Qualcomm Stadium before kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

It would be no surprise to NFL fans if cameras are pointed in the direction of Kaepernick as the pregame events take place. The quarterback said his refusal to stand was in protest of how people of color are treated in the U.S.

Kaepernick was slammed as unpatriotic and disrespectful. His actions were considered being insulting to those who made sacrifices for the country.

A Gold Star mom who lost her son in an IED attack in Afghanistan told CNN that her heart stopped and she lost her breath when Kaepernick said he couldn't stand for the flag. Local war veterans in San Francisco criticized him as a poor role model, according to CNN affiliate KRON. The San Francisco police union has demanded the NFL denounce Kaepernick's "foolish statements."

In another corner, some -- including activists and NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- have praised him for bringing awareness to a major issue.

Kaepernick sat in protest over what he called the oppression of black people and people of color, during the national anthem before a NFL preseason game on Friday.

As the controversy grew, members of the military and veterans took to social media using the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, which started trending worldwide on Tuesday.

"It's a misconception that every military member is furious at what his protest when there are those that are proud. #veteransforkaepernick" wrote an Instagram user called TreyFade.

Americans who serve in the military are by no means a monolithic group.

Less than one-third of the US military identify as minorities (Blacks, Asians, American Indian, etc) and 12% are Hispanic, according to a 2014 demographics report of the military community.

Several veterans and service members piped up in defense of Kaepernick.

A man describing himself as an Air Force veteran wrote: "I'm with @Kaepernick7. I'm a vet. I care about people's right to take a stand. It makes us better & smarter."

Sunny Anderson, Food Network personality and a veteran tweeted: "I took an oath & served, so players on a team I don't even like could have freedom of speech."

Another tweeter listed where his military career had taken him: "West Point, Ranger School, Kosovo, Iraq, Bronze Star. @Kaepernick7 is an American hero."

A woman describing herself as a Navy wife tweeted a picture of her husband who had returned from deployment.

Kaepernick has said that his controversial stance is not directed towards people in the military.

"I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country," Kaepernick told the press Sunday. "I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone."

"That's not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn't holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody."

Deray McKesson, a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, tweeted a political cartoon juxtaposing Donald Trump saying "America's Not Great" to a crowd of supporters cheering and one showing Kaepernick saying the same thing only to get booed.

The picture that launched 1000+ conversations. If used please credit @jenniferleechan Jennifer Lee Chan / SB Nation. pic.twitter.com/eIqagtTlSc — Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) August 29, 2016

CNN contributed to this story.