Continuing disrespect

Illegally politicking on the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery and declaring the Presidential Medal of Freedom he awarded a billionaire donor “better” than the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest of our Armed Forces’ decorations — these are two of the most recent of the displays of disrespect candidate Trump has shown our troops.

The former president’s longest-serving chief-of-Staff, Gen. John Kelly, confirmed President Trump called those who served and sacrificed for our country “suckers” and “losers.” In 2015 we watched candidate Trump denigrate the military service of Sen. John McCain, who was shot down over Hanoi and held there for nearly six years as a POW. Trump capped his insults of war hero Capt. McCain with, “I like people who weren’t captured.”

My father was a combat-damaged veteran of the Korean War who, like John McCain, received a Bronze Star for this valor. My father would have been repulsed by a U.S. president who crossed into North Korea to shake hands with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, lavished praise onto China’s Xi and fawned over Russia’s Putin.

My father died 40 years after he’d served his country as an American GI with half his foot gone, nightmares cutting short his sleep and shrapnel still breaking through his skin when he showered. I am compelled to speak out on my father’s behalf. My father would say Donald J. Trump is a coward who kowtows to dictators and serves only himself and any billionaire willing to back his candidacy. He would be baffled as to how Trump became the Republican standard-bearer.

My father would say the whiny sore loser belongs in prison for inciting an attack on our Capitol. He’d say showing lack of respect for our troops and Gold Star families should disqualify one from ever becoming our president.

Jane Cox

Wheaton