Category: Veterans

Trump’s attacking a military family because that’s who he is

Posted on by Walter Einenkel

Donald Trump continues to go low in his attacks against primary opponent Nikki Haley. During a rally in Conway, South Carolina, over the weekend, Trump mocked Haley’s husband’s absence from her campaign appearances. On the one hand, these attacks are strange considering Haley’s husband, Maj. Michael Haley, is serving our country on a yearlong assignment in Africa. Something that was well-covered as his deployment came at the beginning of his wife’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

On the other hand, Trump has a long history of being dismissive and disrespectful of military servicemembers and their families. Trump famously received a medical exemption from serving in Vietnam in 1968 due to “bone spurs.” According to Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, Trump could not provide any evidence of having the malady, telling Cohen, “You think I'm stupid, I wasn't going to Vietnam.”

But Trump’s chicken-hawk bonafides haven’t stopped him from disrespecting other Americans’ service to our country. Back in 2015, Trump spewed this repulsive statement about the late Sen. John McCain: “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured.” Trump followed up his disapproval of McCain’s military service by refusing to lower the flags at the White House to half-staff after the senator passed away—finally relenting after hours of pressure from members of Congress, veterans, and staff.

When retired four-star-Gen. John Allen endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, Trump called him “a failed general.” He followed that up by attacking Gold Star father Khizr Khan, whose son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, died while serving in Iraq. Trump followed that up by implying Khan was a radical Islamic terrorist sympathizer. 

In 2017, Trump told the widow of slain Army Sgt. La David Johnson that “he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt.” To add to Trump’s general cowardice in the face of facts, Trump denied the conversation had happened the way it was reported, including him forgetting Johnson’s name during the conversation with his widow. Johnson’s widow confirmed the account to CNN. 

According to The Atlantic, Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 because he worried the rainy weather would mess up his hair. Trump’s cavalier attitude towards fallen soldiers included him describing the cemetery as being “filled with losers.” That account was confirmed by Trump’s longest-serving former chief of staff, John Kelly, who added:

“A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in A  merica’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.”

Trump’s disregard for service to one’s country led to hundreds of government workers being dismissed or resigning from their positions–people like Army Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, who Trump attacked relentlessly for testifying before Congress during Trump’s impeachment trial. The attacks on Vindman were as low as it gets, pushing an idea that he was somehow less patriotic or American because he had immigrated to the United States.

Trump’s attacks on military members’ and their families have always been frowned upon by most Americans. But the grotesque nature of Trump’s attacks have not seemed to have made a dent in the MAGA-cult’s confidence in him. Hopefully it helps to remind the rest of the electorate how bad a Trump presidency tastes.

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37 Years And 7 Tours In The Military, And All We Get Is Our President Calling Us Extremist Fascists?

Posted on by Kathleen J. Anderson

My husband and I consider ourselves ordinary people. We rent a 3 bedroom town home and pay our taxes. We raise our children as best we can, and my husband homeschools our 6-year-old daughter. My husband is an artist, and I am a writer and content creator. 

What makes us extraordinary is the cumulative 37 years of service to our nation. My husband was in the Air Force for 17 years, and I retired last year from the Air Force after 20 years and 8 months of service.

We both deployed numerous times to various locations, including Afghanistan.

We both saw varying levels of combat, including gunfights, explosions, enemy detention facility riots, and death on a scale that words cannot do justice.

And for all that sacrifice, we were treated to our President calling us extremists. 

How Could You?

My husband and I often joke that if it wasn’t for the defense issues, we’d probably be Libertarians versus Republicans. We believe that government rarely fixes anything and that government should stay out of social issues and trust in the people to innovate and know what is best for themselves and their families.

We voted for Donald Trump both times. The first time I voted for him was because there was absolutely no way I could vote for Hillary Clinton. Still, for the sake of word count and my editor’s sanity, I’ll just drop one big reason: Benghazi.

I voted for Trump the second time because while I didn’t care for the tweets, and I personally think he often lacks class, I do believe that President Trump had done wonders for the economy pre-COVID, and I liked his fresh take on Foreign Policy.

Besides, Joe Biden is an establishment politician who I believe is disingenuous. I feared he would bend to the will of his more dare I say it… extreme left members of his party.

RELATED: Trump Has Perfect Response To Biden’s ‘Enemies of the State’ Speech Attacking MAGA Republicans: ‘He Must Be Insane’

How Dare You

So we voted for Trump twice. Does that make us “MAGA Republicans?” I don’t think so because, personally, I think the term is stupid.

We are Republicans. I think the President believes, along with the elite members of his party who like to tout inclusion and civility, that we are too dumb to know that when they say MAGA Republicans, they really mean all Republicans.

I was still in uniform when January 6th happened. I was so upset by what I saw on TV; I felt like the air had been sucked out of my chest. I would only feel this sick feeling one other time while watching the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan.

My husband and I spent large chunks of our young adult lives in Afghanistan. We were lucky; we came back alive with all our appendages. But, unfortunately, many of our friends didn’t come back or left parts of themselves behind. 

Are we extremists? No. We know what an extremist looks like. We are well acquainted with what an extremist is capable of. We didn’t leave parts of our bodies in Afghanistan, but parts of our minds will never leave. 

Men and women like us have PTSD at various levels thanks to the extremism we witnessed at the behest of politicians. How dare you, Mr. President, call us extremists.

RELATED: Biden Called for Ending ‘Uncivil War.’ Now Calls GOP ‘Threat to Democracy’

With Honor and Distinction

My husband and I are ordinary people who sacrificed our young adult lives in an extraordinary act by swearing an oath and wearing the uniform with pride. We served with honor and distinction, following lawful orders of those appointed over us and representing the best of what our country has to offer.

When you deploy to a war zone, you put your life on hold. Relationships and family plans get put on pause, your education goals often get put on hiatus, and no one who hasn’t done it can ever fully understand what you miss when you are away from home for so long. 

For the families we leave behind; the wives, husbands, and children – their lives must continue without you. They have to learn to live day-to-day events without your presence. And when we return, they have to relearn how to live with you back in their lives. 

My husband and I aren’t the only veterans who voted for Donald Trump. We aren’t the only veterans that the Commander-in-Chief called extremists last night. 

Shame on you, Mr. President.

RELATED: MAGA Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls For Biden’s Impeachment Following ‘President Butterbeans’ Divisive Speech

The Truth

I didn’t want to just say what I believe in this piece. While I’m the writer in my family, my husband is also a veteran and had some thoughts about last night.

We both acknowledge that there are bad actors who are Republicans who are extremists. Just as there are bad cops, bad teachers, bad soldiers, there are bad Republicans. 

But my husband said to me last night while we were watching our President call us extremists:

“What about the extremists in his party? Will he call them out too?”

What is my husband referring to? The Democrats who advocate for abortion up to birth. The Democrats who advocate for parents to be cut out of the education of their children. Democrats who advocate for violence against Supreme Court Justices. Democrats who celebrated the Summer 2020 BLM riots. 

That is who my husband is referring to. My husband and I don’t believe all Democrats are extremists, evil, fascists, or any other terrible blanket moniker floating around. But not calling out both sides makes you a hypocrite, Mr. President, and is part of why we didn’t vote for you.

Who We Are

My husband and I are ordinary people. We love our country, we love our family, and we believe in something greater than ourselves. 

We are two people that want to raise our kids in peace, teach them to be critical thinkers who contribute to society, and perhaps serve in some way as service to something greater than yourself teaches you about sacrifice, duty, and resilience.

We are two people who have had family members disown us because of our political beliefs. Yet, we are two people who spent decades sweating, bleeding, and crying with one of the best families you can ever sign onto…our brothers and sisters in arms.

We are Republicans. We are Americans. We are Patriots. 

And you, Mr. President, should be ashamed of yourself. 

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Soldiers and veterans are dropping dead of COVID-19, and Trump doesn’t care

Posted on by kos

Impeached president Donald Trump is a f’n idiot. He tries so hard to sound inspirational and hopeful and tough, and instead he sounds like a moron. Like here, when he ends up sounding totally psyched and excited that the United States lead the world in coronavirus deaths:

"The whole world is excited watching us," Trump tells reporters. "Because we're leading the world."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 5, 2020

He wants to sound optimistic, but he’s too stupid to pull it off. No, the world isn’t excited to see the devastation happening in the United States (except maybe Russia), and presumably, neither is Trump. But who knows? The same happens when he tries to frame the pandemic as a battle between a wily mastermind of a virus, and America’s can-do spirit. 

Here is Trump again, yesterday:

Trump says the virus is "a tough enemy, a smart enemy. But nobody's like us and nobody's tough like us. And I said it before and I'll say it again: the people of our country are warriors."

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 5, 2020

The virus isn’t smart. It’s a freakin’ virus. It’s as dumb as a Trump, following base instincts without regards to long-term strategy. And we certainly aren’t going to defeat the virus by being “tough.” The virus doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the grit of the American people. It just does its own thing, on its own timetable, unconcerned by “tough” words from Trump or anyone else.

Literally, the only way to currently thwart this virus is to hide from it. That’s how powerful it is. And the only way to thwart this thing, long-term, is through science. So yeah, smart people doing smart things. Again, no “tough” words from Trump will matter a whit.

If Trump wants to treat this as a war, however, why not treat people as actual uniformed soldiers? Give front-line and essential employees veterans benefits, hazard pay, and medals. Give them free socialized medical care like members of the armed forces. Pay out $1 million in death benefits to every one of those workers felled in the line of duty. It’s a war, right? Treat the people like actual warriors. 

Speaking of, did you know that real-life warriors, those who are currently wearing a uniform, or did so once upon a time, are also dying en masse? According to the latest tally, 27 Department of Defense service members, employees, and dependents have died from the disease, as well as 771 veterans inside the VA medical system. Obviously, that doesn’t count veterans who died outside of that system, but even now, we’re at nearly 800 dead (and counting). 

But Trump doesn’t care. The only time he thinks about our service members and veterans is when they serve his ego, as backdrops for his campaign or photo ops. Otherwise, perhaps he’d keep them in mind and try to minimize the carnage. 

But he doesn’t care about anyone. The end. And this toxic brew of psychotic indifference and rank incompetence means that we’re in for hundreds of thousands more deaths before we’re mercifully done with his presidency next January. 

The Republican Party will owe this country for the death and destruction it wrought, for refusing to take out Trump when it had the chance (not just impeachment, but via 25th Amendment), and that’s a debt it will never be able to repay.