Posted on 07/20/2015 5:13:39 PM PDT by familyop
A group representing retired military officers called Monday for Donald Trump to apologize to Sen. John McCain and all veterans for his disparaging remarks about the Arizona Republican's military service during the Vietnam War.
"We should acknowledge the facts: John McCain cares deeply about our men and women in uniform, and through his actions, he has made a real difference for our troops. Mr. Trump owes Senator McCain and all veterans an apology," said Retired Navy Vice Adm. Norb Ryan, president and CEO of Military Officers Association of America.
At a Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, the real estate mogul and 2016 presidential candidate said in regards to McCain, "He's not a war hero...He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."
His remarks, in response to McCain saying Trump had fired up the anti-immigration "crazies" at a recent Phoenix rally, prompted a strong rebuke from Republicans and veterans group, who rallied to McCain's defense.
Trump addressed his remarks in a USA Today op-ed on Sunday, saying that the media had distorted his words and that McCain had "abandoned" veterans.
The group defended McCain's record on helping veterans.
“Senator McCain will not say it, but let me state the obvious: John McCain is a military hero, and most importantly, he has always been a champion for the all-volunteer-force and our nation’s veterans," Ryan said.
"We can disagree with some of Senator McCain’s positions at times, but we can never say he has abandoned the troops," he said.
He noted that under McCain, the Armed Services Committee had a full debate and vote on the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act — which funds the Pentagon and the military — for the first time in three years.
"John McCain has proven his sincerity and passion for the troops. Leadership is about setting an example and not words," he said, adding, "no one has visited our troops in Afghanistan or Iraq more than John McCain."
McCain last visited troops in Afghanistan over the July 4 weekend.
Other veterans groups have rallied to McCain's defense as well.
"Trump’s asinine comments about Sen. John McCain’s service are an insult to everyone who has ever worn the uniform — and to all Americans," wrote Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America wrote in a New York Daily News op-ed on Monday.
"He is very capable of defending himself, but a public attack on one veteran’s service is an attack on us all," he added.
And John W. Stroud, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, also bashed Trump.
“For someone who never served a day in uniform to criticize the service and sacrifice of a combat-wounded veteran is despicable," he said, according to the Washington Post.
I would have no problem if Trump had criticized McCain’s war record for the Forrestal disaster. It just was unseemly to go after his POW status and it demonstrates Trump’s foot in mouth disease that would kill him in the general election.
Obamatrade - both supported it.
This is all irrelevant if the Kenyan decides to stay in the white hut.
There is no doubt John McCain suffered greatly as a POW inside the Hanoi Hilton. But he has allowed a myth to remain in existence regarding his ‘heroism’.
Admiral Stockdale ordered all POWs in the Hanoi Hilton to refuse any offers of early release. There is no doubt McCain was merely following orders when he refused an early release offer by the Communists. To his credit he obeyed the order but obeying orders does not translate to heroism, it translates to doing one’s duty.
McCain has certainly allowed the perception to persist that he chose to refuse early release out of his own sense of devotion to the other men and his personal integrity. Hence his alleged heroism. He never disavowed or corrected this perception or said, to my knowledge, that he was following an order from Stockdale.
AGAIN, He never disavowed or corrected this perception or said, to my knowledge, that he was following an order from Stockdale.
“The biggest insult right now to the military is our dictator. He won’t even address properly the murder of Marines. And you put your energy into a political fight? What kind of officers are you?”
Boy is this a great post. Telling it like it is.
FWIW, in today’s Navy (I’m told by men who are currently serving), you cannot move ahead without earning your politically correct stripes. Many guys/gals actually lie about sexual harassment or homophobe BS to get someone in trouble (most of the time it’s unwarranted).
Those are the people who get promoted.
Fair enough. I will grant you that is one area that Trump was more to my liking. I personally view that as less important than the complete absence of any social conservative side to Donald Trump but that is a fair answer.
Walker is the one they are most afraid of, because he actually has a record of cutting government spending. They would easily prefer Hillary as president.
Did you see, in my last comment, the percentage for those who would “definitely would NOT vote for” Trump?
That includes me, a no-vote, if Trump is nominated. Imagine the kind of mind required to be in big business in New York. It would be like doing business in Italy or Russia.
The veterans I know support Trump
This is my shocked face...
I lied. I haZ no shocked face.
MSM at it finest....’sigh’
I have many things to disagree with McCain, I don’t think Trump’s comments are one of them.
I don’t think Trump should be shut up or shut down for this. He says things that need stating.
Actually, yes there is.
I would probably vote for Trump if he is nominated but it would be with much misgiving because I don’t really trust him because in the past he has spouted off on the opposite side of most of the positions that he is taking today. And when he did spout off it was usually just about as strong on the liberal side as he now is on the conservative side.
I can’t believe you wrote this about the Forrestal disaster. I saw the films over and over while in the Navy, and McCain wasn’t responsible; in fact, he was nearly killed.
We have a Constitutional Republic. We elect representatives to Congress and the Senators we elect are not supposed to work against the wishes of the State’s electorate.
Trump spoke Truth to facts. If you don’t like it, too bad.
Do you realize he was following the orders of Stockdale when he refused to leave early? He couldn’t have left against the orders of his superior officer.
I didn’t know that until recently. Here again, he allowed the public to think it was all up to him for decades.
Are you aware the Pentagon refused to give John his promotions that POWs normally get?
Are you aware he made at least 30 and possibly as many as 38 propaganda films for the NVC?
Are you aware that he did an interview and stated himself that he made an arrangement with the NVC to give them top secrets for preferential treatment?
When training to fly aircraft, John didn’t apply himself. He flew one aircraft into the bay. He lost another one hot dogging. He last three more including the one he was shot down in. This qualified him as a reverse ACE.
Are you aware he revealed the delivery routes of our aircraft into Vietnam? Are you aware a number our pilots died shortly after that? Are you aware our operations were adversely affected?
Was he shot down because he didn’t apply himself in training? It’s a very real possibility.
He’s trainer stated that he knows for a fact he was only demanded to do several deck landings when the official demand is double or more what John was required to do, to be certified.
He should not have even been in the flight school. He graduated 894th out of 899 in his class, and would not have qualified for flight school based on that.
None the less he was appointed to flight school before all but two of his 900 classmates.
Did you know that John McCain fought veterans groups and the families of our men MIA in Vietnam. He with others classified information about our POWs so the families could not get it. He denied there are 1500 POWs left in Vietnam stating only about 475 were. The families requested information on the 475, and McCain said they’d have it after the Senate Select Committee was done.
They never got it.
He treated those families and their representatives terribly.
How does all this sit with you, as you contemplate McCain being a war hero?
“I see heroism in his refusing to be released from the Hanoi Hilton for propaganda purposes while other soldiers were still being held.”
Untrue. He was ordered not to leave by Adm. Stockdale and the reason was he said ‘we all go home together’. So McCain had to stay.
This came out of a book he wrote in 1984 I believe.
The problem is that the other Republicans lack the sale factor, which is why the GOPe wants to push Bush as loser against Hillery.
Real Officers should be thinking about taking matters in hand and setting up a Provisional Government.
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