To the editor:
How is it that the former commander in chief of the military of our great nation, Donald J. Trump, continues to shockingly disrespect gallant members of our nation's armed forces, as he has done once again at an event at the hallowed Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., to honor 13 members of our nation's military who were, sadly, killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021, by turning a very solemn memorial ceremony into an unadulterated political photo-op event in his attempt to be re-elected into the highest office in our land, with Trump and his staff taking, and revealing to the public, numerous photos of Trump smiling and giving the thumbs-up sign in spite of it being made abundantly clear to Trump and his minions that such was strictly prohibited on such hallowed grounds and, deservedly, so that only the utmost respect to our fallen heroes would be permitted, which was completely ignored by Trump and his entourage?
This in addition to Trump's troubling words regarding the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is granted to deserving, non-military citizens, as he stated that the Medal of Freedom, in his opinion, is much better than the Medal of Honor, which is awarded to our military heroes, because the military heroes are "either in very bad shape because they've been hit with so many bullets, or they are dead."
Again, incredibly disrespectful and inappropriate coming from any American, must less than a former commander in chief, who is currently attempting to return to the Oval Office.
In addition, during his tenure in office, Trump's then-chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, reported that while in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Trump refused to visit and pay respects at the graves of America's war dead, who were laid to rest at that honored cemetery, referring to our nation's deceased war heroes as "losers and suckers," and also informed Kelly that he refused to be seen with veteran amputees because he felt that it "wouldn't look good for him to do so."
Recall, also, Trump's comments regarding the late Sen. John McCain, disparagingly stating that he did not consider McCain to be a military hero because he had been captured by the enemy during the Vietnam War.
Also, Kelly has referred to Trump as "the most flawed person he has ever met, and Gen. James Mattis, who served as Trump's first secretary of defense, stated that Trump was "dangerous" and "unfit (to serve.)"
All of the aforementioned are, incredibly, words and actions of a man (Trump) who dodged military service, presumably as a result of bone spurs, although there is absolutely no such corroborating evidence, and Trump reportedly cannot even remember in which foot such had been located, and no medical procedure was ever followed to remove them as, obviously, they simply did not exist.
Richard Hord
Martins Ferry