What Trump misunderstands about veterans and military families
Across Fayetteville, military families laugh, cry and sacrifice together. Fort Liberty has a new name, but women, men, children, grandparents, cousins, neighbors and kin of all kinds have bound together here for more than 100 years.
With the possibility of Donald Trump reclaiming the presidency in November, voices from the veteran’s community must speak up. Trump has never understood us, our devotion to service and our faith in each other.
We don’t always agree on politics, but we share a common understanding of duty, honor and country. In my family, this began with my father, a Navy veteran. My dad voted most of his life for Republicans before considering a Democrat. His perspective on politics might have changed but his desire to protect America never did.
Country above party
Country above party. This is what holds Fayetteville together. Here we regularly send brothers, mothers, husbands, uncles and neighbors off to conduct America’s most dangerous missions. They fight to preserve our freedom. Some never return. Some return with hidden scars that can lead to divorce, substance abuse or most tragically, suicide.
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Life around here can be hard. We all know it. That is why when my family gathers with veterans to throw a BBQ, nobody gets kicked out for their politics. Our former president certainly cannot say the same.
His interactions with, and comments about, military families consistently reveal a disturbing lack of respect and understanding. It started during the Vietnam era when he schemed to avoid military service.
They were not ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’
This troubling pattern is regularly highlighted by his apparent disregard for the sanctity of military cemeteries, where we honor fallen heroes. Trump’s decision to skip a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, along with his comments demeaning the soldiers buried there, speaks volumes about his failure to grasp the profound significance of these sacred sites.
Trump called these American soldiers who died in battle “losers” and “suckers.” They are not. They were sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. They are heroes. Trump does not get it. We as a community understand their sacrifice intimately.
His divisiveness and desire to divide us stand in stark contrast to the unity and diversity of the veteran community. We are a cross-section of America. We embody the values and ideals that have fortified our nation. We inspire others worldwide.
Against the rule of law, democracy
Trump’s presidency was marked by actions and rhetoric that challenged this. His unfounded claims of election fraud in 2020, his disregard for the judicial system, and his incitement of violence against democratic institutions at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are antithetical to the rule of law and democracy that our veterans have risked their lives to uphold.
Trump is so angry, even if you are a Republican, he can hate you for not pledging loyalty. Earlier this month he mocked the family of his GOP opponent Nikki Haley because her husband is deployed to the Horn of Africa on a National Guard assignment.
For years the late John McCain’s family has dealt with this abuse, as have Gold Star families. No target has been off-limits, no sacrifice held sacred.
I urge all of Fayetteville to digest what Trump has said about veterans and service. America works as a country only when our leaders and citizens hold service and the rule of law as sacred. The example is set at the top by our commander-in-chief.
Lindsey Schiro is on the board of Veterans for Responsible Leadership and lives near Ft. Liberty with her family.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Trump desire to divide us at odds with Fayetteville, veteran community