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PA Veterans Find Trump's Remarks Offensive
August 2, 2016 by Daniel Loeb 2 Comments
Ahead of Donald Trump's event in Mechanicsburg on Monday, Pennsylvania veterans condemned Trump's offensive remarks and called on Trump to apologize to a Gold Star family he personally attacked multiple times over the weekend.
Donald Trump has attacked the US Armed Forces repeatedly: Calling it weak and ineffective, accusing our soldiers of stealing reconstruction money from Iraq, and denouncing prisoners of war for being captured.
Congressman Chris Carney, a former Commander in the United States Navy Reserve:
Folks like me who have served this country honorably for many years are absolutely disgusted at Donald Trump and what he said about those who have sacrificed for this country. It is clear Trump has neither the temperament nor the experience to be Commander-in-Chief and to lead the forces of the United States – especially when we have such complex issues bedeviling the country and the world right now. It is unfathomable that a man like that would want to sacrifice the honor of the military for his ego. Anybody who looks at this objectively will realize that Donald Trump is as hollow as it gets when it comes to being Commander-in-Chief.
Donald Trump has called for the military to violate the Geneva Convention's ban on torture and conduct reprisal killings of the family members of enemy soldiers and terrorists: "We're going to have to do things that are unthinkable."
However, as retired Army Major General Gale Pollock pointed out, our soldiers have all taken an oath to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" and are required to refuse illegal orders.
We asked Pollock what protocol troops and officers are trained to follow if they are given an illegal order. She responded that you are supposed to raise the issue with the person who gave the order and explain why you believe the order to be illegal. If this does not solve the problem, then the issue must be brought up the chain of command. This is why the question of illegal orders issued by the commander-in-chief is especially problematic. To whom could our military appeal to countermand such illegal orders? This would raise the specter of a constitutional military-civil crisis where our military leaders were forced for the first time in US history to ignore the orders of its civilian leadership.
"After 36 years in the Army, I believe very strongly in the values we share in the military. Loyalty duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity, and personal courage," said I think we have seen a trend of the military being insulted, whether it's our prisoners of war, men who sacrificed their lives, or veterans. I am just really troubled by this, and I think it's important we recognize that these behaviors, these accusations are unacceptable for a leader in America. Pennsylvanians respect the men and women who serve. And I would hope that many of us would be offended by the continued insults against our military that Mr. Trump has offered.
Last week, Mr. Khizr Khan the father of a Muslim American war hero gave a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention. He also called out Donald Trump's offensive and divisive religious discrimination that would have prevented their son – an Army captain who gave his life to save other soldiers in his unit – from even entering the United States of America.
Fmr. Navy Lt. Commander Manan Trivedi was the battalion surgeon with the first units to cross the Iraq border in 2003.
Frankly, I find Donald Trumps latest rhetoric disgusting, disgraceful and reprehensible towards veterans. It's just one more piece of proof that he lacks any kind of judgement to be our Commander-in-Chief. Unfortunately, I have seen first hand the ultimate sacrifice that people like Captain Khan and so many others have made. For Donald Trump to denigrate his family and service is beyond the pale.
For him to attack a mother who is still grieving for her son. It's shameful.
This is not the first time for Trump. Remember his comments about Senator John McCain. Time and time again, Trump has insulted our veterans, and our men and women in uniform deserve better.
Meanwhile, Trump's most vitriolic supporters are praising him for refusing to apologize to the Khans including Trump's advisor Roger Stone who called Khizr Khan a "Muslim Brotherhood agent". Similarly, the white nationalist video blogger Ramzpaul and the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer spouts hatred:
So, an Islamic terrorist from Pakistan infiltrates the US military, with the intent of getting high-quality training to use in his jihad against Whites, and also perhaps for the purpose of sabotage, and accidentally gets his dumbass killed.
And now, the Jews tell us we're supposed to celebrate him as a hero? Just because he's dead? […]
I am hereby calling for the Khan family to be immediately deported to Pakistan. What's more, I want their terrorist son's body dug up and shipped back with them.
This terrorist filth has no more right to rot in our ground than he had to walk on it.
Trump's comments on the Khan family are the latest in a series of his disrespectful rhetoric and record aimed at American veterans and military families such as lying about donations to veterans' charities, firing employees because of their military service and verbally attacking prisoners of war.
Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: Army, Carney, Donald Trump, Gale Pollock, Khizr Khan, torture, Trivedi
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