Donald Trump denies having referred to the almost 2,000 Marines killed in the World War I battle of Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed. Even the enemy, Germany, respected those Marines, naming them “Teufelshunde” (“devil dogs”). Their sacrifice turned the tide in favor of the Allied forces.
Trump’s history of similar conducts supports his smears of the dead soldiers to be fact. His denial is worth about as much as his more than 20,000 lies, all fact-checked.
Trump’s disdain for military members wounded or killed in action has been public knowledge. In 2015, Trump publicly attacked the late Sen. John McCain, saying, “He’s not a war hero. I like people who weren’t captured.” On Twitter, Trump called McCain a “loser.” Upon McCain’s death, Trump told his senior staff “we’re not going to support that loser’s funeral.” Reportedly Trump fumed when he saw flags on half-staff after McCain’s death.
Trump showed utter heartlessness towards Capt. Khan, a Muslim American soldier, and his parents. The captain died protecting his fellow American soldiers.
Finally, Trump marked George H.W. Bush a “loser” for being shot down during World War II.
I can only wonder what it will take for his followers to open their eyes.
Maria Roberts, Park City