Marines fighting on the front lines in the Korean War
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
It is a very sad day in America when the president of the United States, our Commander and Chief refers to those who serve our country as “Losers” and “Suckers.” This is not just a onetime event; this has occurred on multiple occasions in the past four years. Given this is something Trump has expressed to many individuals; I imagine he has felt this way his entire adult life.
America has now crossed a line never meant to be crossed. Donald Trump has undeniably shown he has no respect for those who have fought and lost their lives in serving our country. His statements are reprehensible and alarming. I believe if any other president had made such disparaging remarks of this magnitude, he would be impeached. It would have likely resulted in a swift end to his administration.
A corrupt William Barr, however, will make sure this never happens. So will the Republican Senate who are Trump’s enablers; they will defend Trump even at the expense of our military and veterans. Donald Trump will be the one they shield – not the individuals who sacrifice their lives for us. Barr and the Republican Senate will falsely claim Trump respects our military and veterans, when there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary. In the very same breadth, they will throw those in the military and our veterans under the bus. It is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and there is no justification for it.
Trump administration officials have come out and denied the reports; although Trump’s statements have been confirmed by numerous witnesses. Given the reaction (rather lack of) of the Trump administration, they have let the world know they feel the same as Donald Trump. Truthfully, if you are working for the most immoral and corrupt administration in American history – Trump’s contempt and disdain for those in our military likely would not bother you either. The people in his administration sold their souls a long time ago.
Even Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin had confirmed the statements in the Atlantic story; "Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers" that Trump had disparaged veterans by calling them “Losers” and “Suckers.” Donald Trump in turn had a temper tantrum and called on Fox News to fire her. Two hours after Griffin made her initial report; her colleagues Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld at 5:00 p.m. discredit her reporting and claimed it was all a hoax. Wow, that’s amazing how fast Fox News moved!
Fox determined a story of this magnitude with all the different witnesses and incidents was a hoax within two hours. How in the world could they had investigated this many statements, from this many different people in two hours and conclude it was a hoax? One can always count on Fox News to either lie about or misrepresent the truth in behalf of Donald Trump. Just read Michael Cohen’s new book, “Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.” It discusses this considerably. Trump will always come first over the facts, and Fox is unequivocally the true King of Fake News.
No American who truly values the sacrifice our military and veterans have made for this country would be anything less than outraged. If you make excuses for what Trump said, then you have no more respect for our veterans and military than he. That includes you, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie. You are traitor to very men and women you are supposed to protect; you placed more precedence on your job than their lives. Wilkie denied Trump made these derogatory comments (he was not with Trump 24/7), and usurped his needs over the veterans he is supposed to look out for.
Wilkie also made the following quote which ends up being quite nonsensical; “I watched this President sign letters of condolences to those who have fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq.” All presidents have done this - they sign and send letters offering condolences to the families of those who die in combat. Trump signing the letters is not indicative of him caring about our veterans who perished. Donald Trump will look upon this as one of his chores he could not escape, and was probably miffed it delayed his golf game. What really is pathetic, I am not being facetious here - it is the harsh truth.
If you are voting for Donald Trump than there is no way you can truly respect our veterans and those who serve in our military. You can try to rationalize it, or make up excuses for the inexcusable - but it just won’t wash. To support someone who does not give a rip about those who freely sacrifice their lives for our country is unconscionable. It is unprecedented and is downright dangerous to have a Commander and Chief who feels and thinks this way. His views of the military and the veterans will inevitably impact the decisions he makes with their lives. If you support Donald J. Trump, and at the same time say you value our military and veterans - you are a liar. Their sacrifice should at the very least cause us to do the right thing and fully support them.
There will be some military people and veterans who will still support him, because they do not think enough of themselves, or others in the service who sacrificed their lives for this country. The action of these individuals will be a betrayal at the very heart of what serving your country means. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie has abandoned those who have served in the military and our veterans. I believe these ungrateful people will be the minority, but sadly some will still vote for Trump. The reason is just as revolting Trump’s statements, and it has to do with - hate. But that is an article for another time and place.
Of course Trump and his administration are denying he said these well collaborated statements. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence they will continue to lie. Highly skilled and proficient liar Kayleigh McEnany came out and refuted the report in the Atlantic. When the report first broke out, I immediately knew Trump made the statements simply by the wording alone. These quotes are quintessential Donald Trump, and they mirror how he speaks. It’s vulgar, it’s vile, there’s no real depth to the statements, it’s immature, and it’s reprehensible – the true hallmarks of any verbiage that spews from Donald J. Trump’s mouth.
Because Donald Trump has disparaged our veterans and those in the military so many times, I decided it to just list some of statements. I will not expound on the list, because they are unfortunately self-explanatory. I am pulling out the “Rot-O-Meter,” where the dial has went off the scale, to showcase just some of his statements; one just as rancid as the next.
Here is a list of some of Trump’s derogatory statements he made about our veterans and those serving in the military:
- Trump was to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, and he did not want to go. He told senior officials, "Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” He made the following excuses to get out of it. He said “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him to the cemetery. Both were lies.
- In 2018, Trump traveled to Battle of Belleau Wood, where there was a ceremony to take place to honor fallen soldiers in World War I. He expressed his desire not to go, and referred to 1,800 Marines buried there as “Suckers.” He also was concerned about t his hair getting messed up by the rain.
- After John McCain's death in 2018, Trump said, "“We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral.” He became upset when he saw the flags flying at half-staff for McCain and said, "What the f--k are we doing that for? Guy was a f--king loser.”
- Trump accompanied John Kelly who at that time was over Homeland Security to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, 2017. Kelly's son, Robert was a Marine buried there, and died at age 29 in Afghanistan in 2010. Trump turned to Kelly standing in front of his son’s grave and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
- Trump while running for president attended the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, and said this about John McCain, “He’s not a war hero,” “I like people who weren’t captured.”
- Donald Trump spoke of President George H.W. Bush who served in the Navy, calling him a “loser” for his aircraft being shot down by the Japanese in World War II.
- Trump was planning a big military parade in 2018, and told his senior staff not to include wounded veteran amputees. He said, “Nobody wants to see that.”
- When talking about soldiers missing in action, Trump said, “Deserved what they got.”
Donald Trump tried to take credit for a health care program for veterans that was authored by John McCain called Veterans Choice. Trump came a little too late for his lie to take fruition; President Barack Obama signed the bill into action in 2014. On September 6, Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary said on Fox News Sunday, "This President supports the military in an unbelievable way." Well, I didn’t think Mnuchin and I could ever agree on anything; because this president’s attitude and lack of respect for our veterans is truly unbelievable. It is repugnant, pathetic and distasteful.
Since Trump has been president, he has exhibited contempt and low regard for those serving in the military by means other than his speech. The most egregious in my opinion, in addition to the “losers” comments, was tantamount to siding with Russia when U.S. intelligence discovered they hired Taliban mercenaries to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Russia a put bounty of the head of American soldiers, and it was determined by bank records some were killed. Trump lied saying he was not made privy to this information, but that is simply false and absurd. He never said one word to Putin about this, or took any action against Russia. His silence not only demonstrates he does not care about our soldiers fighting on the front lines; but it also shows his fear of Vladimir Putin.
Tantamount to giving the bird to the U.S. Army, Trump without any consultation with Army leadership; withdrew soldiers from Turkey who were assisting Kurdish soldiers in the fight against Isis. The Kurds were instrumental in helping the U.S. defeat much of Isis, and Donald Trump abandoned them without a thought. Isis has been regrouping ever since, so you can thank Donald Trump for that. It really was a deplorable, rotten thing to do to the Kurds and our military leaders, and rest assured our allies took notice.
Donald Trump has never valued the sacrificed made by our military men and women and our veterans. In truth, he has always viewed the military as an extension of himself - they are like the garnishment to his presidency. This is how sees the Republican Senate as well - and they oblige him by being spineless and weak; catering to his every whim. They are in effect “his” – to be beckoned at his call when he sees fit. Trump sees everyone is his administration as “his” and they will do whatever he wants, because they put their jobs first over doing the right thing.
His bottomless ego yearned for huge military parades, which he expressed for the parades to be like and I quote, “North Korea.” He loves to be in a room full of generals not because he respects them, but rather they are the accoutrements to his rank as president. His narcissism will not permit him to see it any other way, and what he perceives as his tutelage gratifies him. Being a sociopath he see the loss of lives from those serving the military and veterans as meaningless. He truly views veterans and those in the military as “losers” and “suckers” – to him they are disposable. By the way, Donald Trump has actually evaded serving in the Vietnam War five times.
To vote for a Commander in Chief who does not respect our military or veterans is quite frankly despicable. To approve of a president who does not respect those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for this country, means there is a part of you just as reprehensible as Trump. Sorry, I am being brutally honest here. Trump only values one life in this world - his. One of John Kelly’s friends (a four star general) came out and said Trump cannot comprehend someone doing something if it is not for himself. Not only this is the case, but it holds true for Trump concerning all matters of life and death – America’s welfare included. This is why he does not care about destroying people’s lives in New York City.
Trump will always place his needs over the needs of the American people. That is why he places no value towards those serving in the military or our veterans. This Commander in Chief can easily put those serving in the military in great, unnecessary peril. He will not weigh the loss of life in considering military conflicts, because those lives are meaningless to him. What would be paramount for him is to win. It is imperative that we have a Commander in Chief who values the lives of those who serve in the military and our veterans. Otherwise those serving in the military are extremely vulnerable under Trump’s command.
Please consider yourself warned; a vote for Trump could mean potentially placing our military men and women in harm’s way unnecessarily. If you have someone you love or care about serving in the Arm Forces, you need to consider this. Any president with such a low regard for those serving in the military will not protect them or look out for their best interest. Donald Trump looks only after himself and he has proven this over and over again. He will do whatever it takes to protect himself and the presidency; even at the expense of other people.
My father fought in the Korean War – he was a sergeant. He was not a “loser” or a “sucker.” He was on the front lines. Growing up time to time, I would ask him about the war. My father would not answer – he would just shake his head no, side to side. Eventually, I stopped asking him. Some years went by, and one day as an adult I decided to ask him again. It was like I had to know once and for all. I desperately wanted to believe he was not haunted by the war. So I asked him, and he responded the same way he always had my entire life. No words – he just shook his head no, side to side. I realize I had the answer all along, the one I did not want. I never asked him again.
To our veterans and those who serve in the military – thank you for your service. Thank you for your bravery, your selflessness, and for all you do to protect us in America. I lack the words to adequately express my profound respect for you and the sacrifices you make for everyone in our country. I am forever grateful.
