Time For a Military Response to Trump
By Ed Kociela
The United States military has a history of not inserting itself into political matters.
It’s a tough position, to be sure, especially during the time of unpopular wars that have stretched from Southeast Asia to the Middle East when peace was the desire of the people, but the entanglements of war prevented it.
During all of that, the military’s public profile was decidedly low key.
Each year when funding issues come up, military leaders submit their requests and talk with Congress and the president about their needs. They do not go to the voters, they do not grab headlines or make the rounds of talking heads.
It is time, however, for somebody in uniform to rise up and put their name to claims that the president spoke of the military and those who lost their lives in defense of the nation as “losers” and “suckers” resting in the Aisne-Marne cemetery terms during a November 2018 trip to France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, a ceremony he did not attend because of inclement weather.
He tried to salvage it, saying how he called home to tell his wife how upset he was at not being able to attend the ceremony.
That never happened.
His wife had accompanied him on the trip.
In fact, her office issued a statement explaining that the First Lady and president were unable to visit the cemetery and memorial in Belleau, France, because of the weather, but noted that they did attend a dinner that night hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Look, call it a hoax if you will, call it a conspiracy or some secretive cabal maneuver to remove the president from office. The facts are that the remarks published by The Atlantic have been corroborated by numerous sources and by various media organizations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and even the president’s favorite, Fox News.
For all four of them to agree on something as serious as this would stretch beyond the realm of reason. No hoax, no conspiracy, no shadowy influence – not even the Russian propagandists – could manage that.
He said it.
If the president had a history of defending the military, his denials of the story in The Atlantic would carry a modicum of credibility.
But, he has not done so.
Just look at his comments about the late Sen. John McCain, as genuine a hero as we have ever seen.
The president insulted his military by claiming “I know more about ISIS than the generals do,” during a campaign stop in Iowa in 2015.
He has insulted military personnel who he hired for his cabinet and keeps disabled veterans from any public events.
This guy ain’t no friend of the military.
As I have said many times, I never wore the uniform, but that does not mean I disrespect it or the people who wear it. That’s why I bristle every time I hear a politician wrap himself up in faux camo and gear and use members of the military as political pawns.
We saw this happen recently when Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was roped into being part of the group that ventured out of the White House on June 1 for a photo op across the street at St. John’s Episcopal Church during the demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd.
Milley subsequently apologized for participating in the processional and photo op because of the “perception of military involvement in domestic politics.”
There comes a time, however, when decency must prevail.
Those who lost their lives, whether during World War I, World War II, in Vietnam, the Middle East, or anywhere else we have sent men and women into harm’s way were not suckers or losers. Many of those who went away and came back scarred – mentally, physically, emotionally – saw, and experienced things nobody should witness. They were not suckers or losers. They answered a call many others are incapable of fulfilling, more so now than during the days of the draft. They are not losers or suckers.
I don’t think we’ve treated them well enough or provided them with adequate resources or assistance to overcome what they went through because they stepped to the line and swore an oath, an oath that, by the way, doesn’t disappear when you are given your discharge papers.
There was a time, early on after going into the Middle East, when we were woefully negligent, embarrassingly ineffective, in the treatment we offered for those suffering from head trauma as the improvised explosive devices used over there created a whole new epidemic of head and brain injuries. Since Vietnam, we have learned about the devastating effects of PTSD on returning troops. These folks don’t want to get in the middle of some political beef, they just want to assimilate, go back to their families, friends, and jobs. But, they find themselves in a political tug o’ war, not of their doing.
Then, there are the survivors.
What about the families of those we lost in conflict? How painful is it to look at that flag presented to them at their loved one’s final services and hear somebody call them a loser or sucker?
The military is known for its courage, for standing up for what is right, for protection and support. Well, right now, we need somebody to emerge from those ranks and put a name to the stories that have been confirmed by five news sources now about these horrible comments. It would undoubtedly result in, at very least, a harsh reprimand. It may result in a choking off of one’s advancement in the service. It might result in one’s forced resignation from the service.
But, we need one of those heroes to stand up now, come forward, and say, “I was there and this is exactly what the president said.”
Yes, we know the anonymous sources have been vetted. Unless you have ever worked in the business, you cannot possibly understand how difficult it is to run an anonymous quote. The writer, the editor, the publisher, the attorneys know who the person is. They have all had contact with the person, vetted the person, examined every inch of the story inside and out before it reached publication. That’s how it works. As an editor, I knew the drill. It is painful but dutiful work to ensure the most important thing a reporter or publication has to offer: credibility.
That’s why if The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Associated Press, and Fox News have all independently corroborated the story, it is good enough for me at this point.
But, it is time now for somebody to stand up and address the issue head-on and let the chips fall where they may.
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