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Letter: Our military personnel stay on the job — pay or no pay — because, unlike Trump, they take their oath seriously

An Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) with the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division disembarks the well deck of amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) during waterborne training in the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 12. The two-day waterborne training evolution focused on safety and transport capabilities for both the Marine Corps and Navy and is a part of a larger training plan to refine tactics and doctrine for amphibious operations. (Credit: U.S. Navy)

On Oct. 1 active duty military personnel went to work knowing they would not get paid for their work. The soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen of the finest military fighting force on the planet went to their jobs without pay. The men and women who stand between you and all the forces in the world that want to see us come to harm are not worth even the less-than-adequate compensation to which they are entitled.

The Trump shutdown aims with laser-like focus on the heroes who stand in the breach and run to the sound of gunfire for you. The men and women of the active services will go to work and will perform their duties because they swore an oath to do just that. They do not have a choice because, unlike Trump, they take their oath seriously; it has no escape clauses, no conditions, or exceptions. They shoulder their arms, go to their watch stations, prepare their aircraft, and do their jobs.

What is exceptional about their jobs is that their work may require them to put their lives at risk. They may take their ship into mined waters; they may assault a beach in the face of chattering machine guns; they may fly their aircraft into heavily defended airspace; or they may patrol a village where everyone hates them and wishes them dead.

The kid who mowed your lawn for three summers may lose his legs to an improvised explosive device. The neighbor girl who babysat your kids may take a man’s life. The captain of the high school football team may drop precision ordnance on a target that is dangerously close to civilians.

We ask a lot of the men and women whom we put into harm’s way. Don’t you think we ought to pay them?

Donald Trump understands nothing other than what is good for him. Only 26% of active duty military personnel voted in the 2022 midterm elections, so Trump can afford to withhold their paychecks for a while. They can’t hurt him. I retired from the U.S. Navy. I received my pension check on time. 62% of retired military personnel voted in the 2022 midterm elections. Trump can’t afford to annoy us.

Keith D. Poe, Salt Lake City

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By Keith D. Poe | The Public Forum