Trump was (and still is I’m sure) OFFENDED by the sight of veterans wounded in the course of serving this country. So much so that he ordered General Milley not to allow them at his events.
Look, it’s no secret that Trump thinks those who’ve served out country were damned fools to have done so. I know I’ve felt like my own service didn’t mean a goddamned thing in a country that could allow someone like Trump to even have a realistic shot at, much less slither into the White House. I’ve ranted here, and in former times over on DK about how ashamed I am that John Kelly who wore the same uniform I did, and served as Trump’s Chief of Staff didn’t knock Trump on his fat ass more than once. First there was the incident at Arlington National Cemetery when Kelley took Trump to his son’s (who had died in combat) grave. Observers noted Trump being truly bewildered and asking Kelly “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” I never had kids, but had I been standing next to Trump then and there I’d have wound up in jail because Trump would have been a bleeding, crying mass of lumpy orange on the ground!
Then we had the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice ending WWI. All the world’s leaders had gathered in France. Trump showed his ass at the cemetery overlooking Normandy, and later on in Paris the day before the big Nov. 11 ceremony most leaders went up to Aisne-Marne Cemetery where the Corps dead from the Battle of Belleau Wood (which was the major turning point in the war as my Marine Corps routed the Germans, earning from the German’s the nickname Teufelhunden – Devil Dog) to honor that battle and those who fought and died in it. Trump refused to go. Seems there was a light drizzle of rain that day and there was no cover on the platform so he begged off. His duckass hairdo might have gotten all frizzy!
Again, this was the day before the actual commemoration of the Armistice. November 10 which happens to be the Marine Corps Birthday. For us jarheads it’s the high holy day. Hell, I’m told even recruits in boot camp get cut a bit of slack at some point to mark the date. Also, Belleau Wood is one of the most iconic chapters in Marine’s history. And Trump blew off the Corps. AGAIN! How Kelley refused to stand up for veterans, AND the Corps will forever stain him as far as I’m concerned but my point in relaying all that is that Trump, who MAGAs insist is super-real-total “Mur-i-can” “Patriot” has never had an ounce of regard for those who have served.
Of John McCain? One can (and I have) take issue with many of his political stances but the sacrifice he made during Vietnam, including years of additional torture when he turned down early release because he (correctly) knew North Vietnam would turn their “humanitarian” gesture into propaganda (McCain’s father was still on active duty as a Navy Admiral) meant nothing to Trump. His dismissive I like those who didn’t get themselves captured comment during the campaign should have ended things right there but didn’t.
Now, as this article from Mediaite illustrates we have a new level of contempt from Trump towards those who have sacrificed greatly. Trump was offended by the mere appearance of wounded warriors at his events! The article notes that during his welcome ceremony Milley had invited a wounded warrior to sing:
Milley had chosen a severely wounded Army captain, Luis Avila, to sing “God Bless America.” Avila, who had completed five combat tours, had lost a leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan, and had suffered two heart attacks, two strokes, and brain damage as a result of his injuries. To Milley, and to four-star generals across the Army, Avila and his wife, Claudia, represented the heroism, sacrifice, and dignity of wounded soldiers.
The article goes on to note the ground was soft and at one point Capt. Avila’s wheelchair almost tipped over. Not just Avila’s wife, but VP Mike Pence ran over to help him. Trump? Well…
After Avila’s performance, Trump walked over to congratulate him, but then said to Milley, within earshot of several witnesses, “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.” Never let Avila appear in public again, Trump told Milley. (Recently, Milley invited Avila to sing at his retirement ceremony.)
Then there would come the time when Trump told the aforementioned Kelly not to have any wounded veterans in that big military parade he wanted in DC. He told Kelly “I don’t want any wounded guys” and dismissed Kelly’s protests. More of Trump’s “No one wants to see that” attitude. TRUMP didn’t want to see it!
Then there was the late night trip to Dover to receive repatriated remains of fallen troops when Milley tried to convince Trump he shouldn’t be intervening in the Eddie Gallagher case. Gallagher was a SEAL who’d been properly charged for slitting a prisoner’s throat. Trump saw nothing wrong with what he’d done. Milley tried to explain how bad it was for the Commander-in-Chief to get involved and that Trump should allow the Navy to handle things. Trump said Gallagher was a hero and that he didn’t understand why he was being punished. Milley responded “Because he slit the throat of a wounded prisoner,” to which Trump said “The guy was going to die anyway.” Trump said.
Milley answered, “Mr. President, we have military ethics and laws about what happens in battle. We can’t do that kind of thing. It’s a war crime.” Trump answered that he didn’t understand “the big deal.” He went on, “You guys”—meaning combat soldiers—“are all just killers. What’s the difference?”
I am beside myself once again. HOW could ANYONE even think of supporting someone as despicable at Trump? I swear, he truly is a human shaped flaming orange rectum stuffed with toxic shiite.
Unless and until (one can hope) we bury the whole Trump mythology of him being a great leader this country isn’t worthy of the sacrifice of all those who served it. And I’m not talking only about those who served in uniform when I say that.
But the fact Trump ordered the Chair of the Joint Chiefs to ban wounded warriors from public events SHOULD embarrass the hell out of any and everyone who’s ever done the least bit to advocate, support or vote him. Sadly, tragically even it doesn’t.
Denis, Trump’s disciples have no idea what kind of scum he really is, because they don’t read or hear the truth. Nobody in their rightwing media (Fox, OAN, NY Post etc) tells them things like this, and they don’t go looking for other sources. If the Democratic party spent money running ads telling stories like this about him, all the time, on all outlets, maybe some of his worshippers would begin to suspect the awful truth about their idol. Maybe. But then they’d have to admit to themselves that perhaps they’d been conned, and very few people are capable of that kind of self-examination and judgement.
No, Jarvis, it is NOT the job of the Democrats to explain to the military and former military folks what a POS tRump is.
I think the point of denis’ article is to tell/remind all of his fellow military folks these facts. The military has a great group that discusses things among themselves and gets the word around. I’m sure they’re reminding their fellow vets about this stuff – VA funding, too, thx to the regressives in the House. Current duty? Maybe turn off fux on all the bases.
While I take a bit of offense at north of you’s rather harsh tone, the point remains that it’s not really the Dems’ duty to call out Trump’s badmouthing of the military because
IT
WON’T
MAKE
A
RAT’S
BEHIND
WORTH
OF
DIFFERENCE
TO
TRUMP’S
BRAIN-DEAD
MORONIC
FOLLOWERS.
They saw ALL of this before 2016. They saw how Trump just badmouthed and naysayed ALL military personnel–active-duty, retired and deceased–and their families throughout the 2016 election process and they didn’t care.
Trump’s followers are nothing more than cultists. You CANNOT show them any of Trump’s (many) faults and get them to recognize them as such. They have been led–initially by Fox “News” but, as the years passed, other right-wing and far-right-wing media “alternatives”–into following every last utterance by Trump as if it’s the Gospel. Even when they’re shown video (featuring sound) of Trump’s saying one thing and then saying the exact opposite just days, or even hours, later, they ignore as “fake news.”
It’s not just the general public supporters of the mango moron but there are members of the military who do. That is what I cannot wrap mind mind around. WTF?
Denis you are not alone in wanting to deck Traitor Tot. I have wanted to do so many times. His disrespect for anyone who has served our country in the military is one of many reasons! The reasons to want to deck Traitor Tot are too many to list here!!
Kelly ripped it when he called the black congresswoman “an empty barrel”, as she heard Trump sh*t all over a pregnant grieving widow, with small children, who’s husband was killed in an ill advised mission in Chad, a mission botched by trump and his military commanders. He backed this draft dodger and TRAITOR, thereby taking a dump on the sacrifice of his own son. When only 1% of our citizens ever serve in the military, it’s easy for this pampered, tv addicted culture to take freedom for granted. FACT. We keep phucking around and we’ll all find out just how off the rails federal power can be in the hand of an ignorant, heartless, soulless dictator with less knowledge and insight than a two year old. If that happens, count on me to finally pick up a goddamn gun to save my children from HELL ON EARTH.
I almost cried reading your story Mr. Elliott. I got out of the Navy at my EAOS In 1990 even though I was doing well financially. Went through a collision at sea that would have killed over a thousand men but for a few seconds due to the incompetence of the officers. The CO’s and many others were just too willing to suck-up to the Admirals even when their crews safety was an issue. Those sort of incidents were one of the reasons I left. The other was the fact that out of the last six elections the voters in America put fascists in the WH five times.
One of the reasons I joined the Navy was to see where Reagan was spending all this money with his proposed 600 ship Navy. At the time the Navy had the largest budget on Earth. It was greater than GM or any other American corporation. Fraud waste and abuse. Millions of dollars in upgrades of old ships that were decommissioned in just a few years. Missals that would come back at the ship way too many times. On and on. Most of the scum that votes for Trump never saw any service to this country of any sort. Trump is a perfect example of the average Republican, crude, self-centered scammers with no regard for the law if they think they can get away with the crime. Why would that sort have any appreciation of other’s sacrifice other than superficial patriotism. Yellow ribbons and flags are cheap.
Maybe RW military are “out-numbered” in Red States and if you can’t “fight’em, most join them! Also, Faux News “brainwashed” 24/7!
I saw this on MSNBC. I’m surprised I didn’t see anymore reporting on MTN or DK. It’s an absolute wonder that so many vet’s have turned to the extreme right. I’m wondering are those just the younger ones? No one who respects our great military men & women should ever consider a deranged person for Commander in Chief. Every time he calls Repubs patriots I cringe, every time he wraps himself in the flag I wish it would ignite and turn him to ash.
I think the serial draft dodger sees wounded troops and it humiliates him internally because he could never be that person ever. That, and as a narcissist, he can’t stand to see imperfection of any kind.
Compliments and respect for this piece, Denis. I did read of this incident and it made me literally sick to my stomach. I have nothing but love for all our servicepeople (which have included quite a few of my family).