Comedy content creator and Army officer Austin von Letkemann, known as "MandatoryFunDay" online, marked Veterans Day with a simple note of thanks, and then calmly batted away the politics that followed. 

"Happy Veterans Day!… This is not an endorsement of the current administration, or any political administration or party for that matter," he wrote in a post from Washington, D.C. "Democrat or Republican, it makes no difference to me. I just want veterans taken care of." 

Within hours, the comments section filled with both praise and pushback. 

"This is quite an endorsement for a specific political party," one user wrote. Another added: "My sympathies on having your existence utterly politicized, and used as a prop for convenience."

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Von Letkemann, who’s built an audience of more than a million by blending military humor with everyday dad life, kept his footing. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he said the day should be about service, not picking sides. 

"At the end of the day, I’m a uniformed service member. I’m apolitical by nature — I’m supposed to be," he told Fox News Digital. "If the next administration is Democrat, and they invite me somewhere, I’ll go. If it’s Republican, I’ll go. I just want to support my community the best way I can."

He’d spent the morning at Arlington National Cemetery, where he attended the wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a "surreal" moment he said he won’t forget. "You hear about this location a lot being in the military," he said. "It was really, really cool… a ceremony as significant as this."

The reaction to his post, he said, reflects a broader online dynamic around veterans. "People are very, very angry," he said, stressing that frustrations can be valid. "But when a figure in government asks me to show up, and it has something to do with the military or veterans, I’m going to do my best to be there and support."

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He’s trying to keep the focus on veterans and on his work. Von Letkemann partners with veteran-led companies and groups like the American Legion and Black Rifle Coffee on projects meant to help the community; this fall, he boosted an effort to pay off $25M of veteran medical debt. 

"It is an absolute privilege when I get to do stuff like this," he said of Black Rifle Coffee's Operation: Debt of Gratitude. "The military and veteran community has blessed me probably far beyond anything I deserve."

The content creator also talked about why he leans so hard on comedy. "Comedy is like an equalizer — it disarms people," he said. "We create barriers and division among ourselves… but if I can make you laugh, you’re my friend. If I can keep you laughing, you’re like my best friend."

Veterans Day, he added, is also a day of reflection. "The moment I realized I had lost more friends to them choosing to take their own lives than I’d lost to combat… that moment was probably the most significant," he said. "There are a lot of people that are not with us anymore for a lot of reasons. I’m very grateful that we celebrate those individuals."

If there’s one line he hopes sticks with fellow vets, it’s this: "You can either laugh or you can cry. I choose to laugh." 

When asked what comes after service, he said every veteran has more to offer than they realize. "Everything you learned in the military is something that can make you successful," he said. "Nothing can keep a veteran down."

The Olympic Committee of Israel canceled its 2025 awards for athletes and coaches, as the nation's sports teams face growing global opposition, protest and safety concerns amid tensions over the War in Gaza. 

Israel's committee informed its sports governing bodies of the cancellation in a statement, which was provided to Fox News Digital by the Israel Fencing Association. 

"Some of our top athletes, including Olympic medalists, were unable to participate in major international events, which directly affects the selection of both athletes and coaches of the year," the statement read. 

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Multiple Israeli national teams were prevented from competing in major international competitions over the last year. 

Most notably, the country's gymnastics team and Olympic gold medalist Artem Dolgopyat were denied visas to enter Indonesia for the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta. 

The Indonesian government cited security and safety concerns for denying the visas, but an Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Israel's security team gave clearance to its athletes.

"We received authorization from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were complete — registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and Israeli Security Authorities confirmation," the IGF said.

Israeli men's gymnast Eyal Indig told Fox News Digital Indonesia's decision was "a blatant incident of discrimination on the basis of nationality." Indig also said that Israel's judo team was also unable to enter Hungary for the World Judo Championships in June. 

The Israel-based outlet, The Jerusalem Post, has also reported that "Olympic judo medalists Inbar Lanir and Raz Hershko were similarly unable to participate in the World Judo Championships during a tense period of competition against Iran."

The outlet also reported, "The national fencing team faced delays reaching the European Championships after being forced to travel by sea, while Israel’s shooting team could not attend the World Championships. The triathlon team also missed the European Championships, as did several other teams across disciplines." 

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The governing bodies for soccer in Ireland, Norway and Turkey have called for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Team Israel from competition over the War in Gaza.

Meanwhile, even fans of Israel teams have faced exclusion in recent months. 

In England, fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending the team's recent match against Aston Villa in the U.K. for safety concerns. Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year. However, unrest still broke out at the game on Thursday, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.

British police said six people were arrested Thursday ahead of the Israeli team's match against Aston Villa in a Europa League match.

About 200 protesters gathered near a park near Aston Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. These protesters included members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, per The Associated Press. Some pro-Israel protesters were also present.

Meanwhile, the Israeli cycling team, Israel-Premier Tech (IPT), lost its top sponsor despite honoring the sponsor's request to remove the word "Israel" from the team name.

The Canadian company Premier Tech announced it would be ending its partnership with the team in a statement released Friday.

"After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately," the statement said.

The team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell'Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestine protests.

Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta in the presence of Israel-Premier Tech.

Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain's government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.

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