Outrageous: Trump Disparages Fallen American Soldiers

I first saw reports Thursday night about an article in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg about the president’s reaction to and behavior around our country’s war dead and those who have borne the human cost of our conflicts. Goldstein’s article points out one more time just how Mr. Trump’s personality, psychoses, and intellectual limitations disqualify him for any elective office, much less the presidency of our United States. Goldberg’s article is a must-read for anyone concerned about the man’s suitability to serve another term, but I want to dive into two stories recounted in the article.

The Atlantic: The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades.

One is related to his visit to France in the fall of 2018 when he blew off a visit to a U.S. military cemetery where Marines killed in the battle of Belleau Wood are buried. He publicly complained of bad weather hampering his movement; but Goldberg reports that in discussions with aides he expressed total lack of understanding of why the U.S. was fighting in World War I.

He also used the terms “suckers” and “losers” to describe those who fought and died at Belleau Wood and, I imagine other battles in Europe in two world wars; and therefore, undeserving of his attention and homage.

The second recounts his visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day of 2017 with retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, who at that time was serving as the Secretary of Homeland Security. On that visit, at the grave of Kelly’s son who had died in combat in Afghanistan in 2010. Trump turned to Kelly and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” Kelly went on to serve as the president’s Chief of Staff, a career choice that I cannot understand.

Had I been in his position and hearing the president’s expression of both misunderstanding a call to duty and lack of empathy for another person’s loss, I think I would have resigned immediately. I cannot understand why Kelley stayed as long as he did in the toxic environment the president had created in his administration.

The Atlantic article is another cautionary tale of the president’s personality and behavior traits that should disqualify him from further service after next January 20th. The damage this person continues solely because his enablers in the U.S. Senate, including one of our senators, have decided to protect him from removal after impeachment, possibly to avoid the consequences of their prior enabling actions. Dealing with the damages to our democracy will be a major task for a Biden administration and a Democratic Congress, should the results of November’s election turn out as we hope.

I await Senator McSally’s reaction to and comments about Goldstein’s reporting since she has been schooled in the ethic of selfless service at the Air Force Academy and served in a combat arm of our Military, in harm’s way.

See the article at: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/