The shattering effect of the Atlantic Monthly journal’s article on Trump’s dramatic disparaging and castigation of many of America’s military heroes, and its possible impact on the campaign for 2020 White House oval office, is yet to be felt. The Atlantic Monthly Journal reported that Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of our service members; and, asked that wounded veterans, be kept away from official military parades. The slogan of all our military men and women is: "Aim High, Fly-Fight-Win" – Air Force; "Forged by the Sea" – Navy; "Army Strong" – Army; “The few, The Proud” – Marines; “Born Ready” – Coast Guard; say so much about endurance, respect, selflessness, perseverance, commitment and dedication to service; a brand that is not only unique, but sacrificial of the tenets of men and women, who once, and are currently, serving in the five arms of uniformed military service. If Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America, a man who Article 11, section 2 of the US Constitution bestows the title of the Commander-In-Chief, does not understand patriotism in military service, Houston: America surely has a problem!
Trump’s denials after the snowball effect of the
Atlantic Monthly article, and subsequent affirmation or confirmation of parts
of the claim by FOXNEW-TV’s journalist, Jennifer Griffen, symbolizes an
aphorism: In a divided nation and democracy, where the far-right ideology is
hostile to the progressive left, it is possible for a presidency to degenerate
to a calamity. In the mind of Donald Trump, fighting a war to protect and
preserve America, is a futile effort, since the soldiers are gaining nothing
financially for their efforts. For him, it is conceivable that our fallen
heroes are losers are suckers, and need not be celebrated on Memorial Day or
any other time, in the life of our nation
The furious Twitter denials and melt-down, calling for Jennifer
Griffen be fired, can hardly set the damage aback. The documented disrespect of
our veterans and hostility from Mr. Trump, who has a flair for despotic
governments in Russia and N. Korea, say a lot about our civic classes in k-12
curriculum: they need to be re-vamped and our president re-educated. Here are
documented disrespectful and vulgar statements attributed to the President of
the United States: 1) McCain is not a war time hero; 2) Mattis is an over-rated
[general]; 3) [General] Clapper is purely lying; 4) [General] Allen failed
badly; 5) [General] Powell is highly over-rated; 6) [General] Nicholson,
doesn’t know how to win; 7) [Commander] Crozer did a terrible thing; and, 8)
Joint Chief of Staffs are dopes and babies. Statements which one of the best
pilots in the history of America, Sully Sullenberger, observed, are made by
someone, who: 1) “cannot understand selflessness because he is selfish; who
cannot conceive of courage because he is a coward;” 2) “For the first time in
American history, a president has repeatedly shown utter and vulgar contempt
and disrespect for those who have served and died serving our country;”. These
are damning observations. Whether they are going to matter much depends on how
voters respond to the avid suggestion that : ” “[Americans], owe it not only to
those who have served and sacrificed for our nation, but to ourselves and to
succeeding generations to vote him out.”
The blows to the reputation of men and women who serve
in American military are probably striking, with all the fuss of coming from
the Command-In-Chief. Not that America’s military men patriotism will be
weakened; rather, it’s probably going to re-define, how the nation goes about
picking her ‘Command-In-Chief’ of the future. Donald Trump’s presidency will be
a stain on America’s democracy; however, patriots will still serve, generations
of veterans will continue to save the world from ills of fascism,
authoritarianism, socialism and communism, just the way many of them have
done in the past. What will never be forgotten, is that, once upon a time, a
President of the United States, surreptitiously bemoan the need for military
service, disrespected and castigated military heroism as over- rated for his
political and personal fortunes.
To some extent, military services are not largely
understood; and or, appreciated by some outside the industry. A couple
Americans, out of ignorance of the place of the military in national life and
security, are unable to fathom the selflessness of serving a cause greater than
oneself, as a higher calling; one that transcends myopic selfishness in some
individuals. Others, are unable to understand and or appreciate, why many
Americans serve in the America’s armed forces. Frankly, ordinary american citizen’s experience of the military, come when there is hostility against the
nation; and, because we operate a volunteer military service paradigm, a few of
our citizens hardly understand the place of the military in America’s
democracy. The vision of safety, readiness, triumph and victory found in
military service in time of hostilities, must now be the revenge, against any
disrespect or bemoaning of our president regarding the weight of sacrifice
provided by service men and women in uniform. The renaissance of a time, when
the military was the focal point of safety and protection of a nation, must be
assuage, once again. Heroism of service in the military must now be acknowledge
and respected, not assaulted, as in current disposition of our president.
Over the past three centuries, the heroism many
Americans in uniform have endured, has largely been ignored by some. A few
pacifists, who have not, or will not, serve in the military service, or who are
completely oblivious of what the military does or stands for, are now becoming antagonistic to the
gallantry of many who have served in military uniform. There is still heroism in
serving America, a lot of respect from the populace at large for the services
rendered by men and women in uniform. However, the surreptitious undermining
of the efforts of military men and women, and the onus of skepticism of service,
hardly negate the need, purpose and essence of a standing army, in a world of hostility
and instability.
Since America has always been in the lead of many global
affairs; and have been a force for good in bringing about peace across the
globe, there will be a need for military service; and, there will always be
many, in and out of America, who appreciates what men and women in American military
do, to maintain world’s peace. The conflict of ideologies and pressures of
impending wars, bring about intransigence that only an august outsider
military body can resolve or dampen additional hostilities at many posts and
countries with strives and wars. American military is a shining light on a
beacon hill, a savior and a deliverer of many peoples and nations. But for
America’s military, 1940’s and 1950’s fascism will still be, or have grown in
Europe; the radical religious and land grabbing and or, race wars, will
permeate further in the Middle-East; and, would probably have festered to a global
menace, consuming more lives. Without America's military service in WWII, many European
countries would have fallen into servitude – ask the French, the Polish, the British
and more?
Donald Trump’s successor, will have to work double hard
to brandish and expatiate on the selflessness entailed in those, who are, or
have served, in the military service. He or she would have to re-affirm the place
of an active military service and educate the public, that without the military,
our democracy might be in jeopardy. To improve on citizens’ understanding of
the place of military service in our democracy, the new team must reject the
type of Trump’s disrespect, apprehension and denigration of our military generals; and, provide
relevant information regarding how the military has kept our nation’s peace and
safe.
Experiencing Donald Trump’s abhorrence of many of our
military generals may have created an enigma, or shattered urge and denials of
military service; however, the victories that America’s military have scored
across the globe, the reliability of our service men and women, and laudable
honor associated with their battle’s heroism, will continue to attract patriots
and committed Americans to this nation’s military service. Trump’s disrespect
may even end up provoking a serious debate on America’s volunteer military
service dogma. We may have to go as far, as compulsory and committed and non-deferrable
military service for all our citizens. Trump’s unscrupulous assessment of the
place of military service and heroism, may start a new debate regarding the
deferment or using frivolous excuses to obtain deferment of military service
during the draft period.
For the 2020 general election American voter, the
panorama of the current pro and con, of military heroism, may usher in new policy
changes in American military service. The current black-eye from several
unscrupulous denigration of military service and unfavorable and unsupportive statements
or assessment of America’s military general from the Commander-In-Chief, may
call for a new direction of our volunteer military services. The attempt to strip
and disrespect our generals, heroes and rank and file or class men, of their
lofty sacrifice, for personal political gain by Donald J. Trump in his
re-election campaign, must now play into our voting booths’ choices. There must
be a time of reckoning, a time to say, our heroes matter; citizens who
volunteer in our military service arms matter, just as lives of all our minorities
that have suffered humiliation and hostilities from bad policing, do.
Trump’s categorization of our generals as over-rated,
liars, dopes and babies, must be called out. There must be a reckoning for
those who do not appreciate our men and women in military service. As long as
they put on the military uniform and volunteered their lives, they are to be
appreciated, supported and acclaimed for their heroism. Their sacrifices to
preserve life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, must be acknowledged. A
nation’s leader, a president, must seek solidarity with the men and women in
the armed forces, he or she may not decimate or disrespect the sacrifice they
make and must not remain an obstacle to the well-intended vision and meaning of
military service.
A president must seek harmony of peoples in the nation,
instead of fraternization, as in the notion of White Supremacy. Americans who are
well meaning, must now form an accord that respects our military service men
and work, and seek to support a new president that cherishes hegemony,; a
president who support building up of our peoples, construction rather than
destruction, removing obstacles away from our state and local government; One,
that does not see people(s) different from him or her in complexions, as
outsiders and enemies; but fellow citizen. He or she must constantly and
consistently oscillate towards all Americans, engaged in the works protecting
and preserving the nation, men and women, seeking to make the future better
than the ones handed to them. He or she must not always be one, so wanting to
revisit the past as point of relevance on issues of advancement and development
in multiple affairs of the nation.
America needs and deserves a president that is engaging
in proactive policies, not one that is only concerned with the welfare of those
in agreement with his or policies; or, ones, that are more obsessed about their
looks; often disengaging and disparaging others that do not share, his or her,
personal or political preferences and policies. Americans, minorities
inclusive, must see themselves as welcomed, accommodated and judge by the
content of their character rather than the color of their skin. We must support
our military, just as they fight to support us and preserve our nation. We must
seek to remove barriers to harmony rather than dissipating our people and
nation. We must seek a more amicable relationship and re-connection of all the
races in this melting point, we all truly love and cherish as home. Never again
should we have to offer a discontentment and disapproval of our Commander-In-Chief,
as observed by Captain Sullenberger: “For the first time in American history, a
president has repeatedly shown utter and vulgar contempt and disrespect for
those who have served and died serving our country.” May God Bless America;
and, save our Republic!
