Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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Having served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, I had the privilege of leading and following a diverse cross section of enlisted men and women, and fellow officers. I am appealing to my fellow veterans not to fool themselves, again, as this commander in chief is an outrage.
From the beginning and throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has disrespected the members of our collective services. He has insulted gold star families. He has slighted genuine military warriors: John McCain, John Kelly, William McRaven, Jim Mattis, James Clapper, Stanley McChrystal and more.
Trump intervened in the military justice system by awarding offenders clemency. He sought to humiliate decorated combat veterans such as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, special counsel Robert Mueller and Ambassador William Taylor while disparaging them as “never-Trumpers.”
He initiated the seizure of hundreds of millions dollars in military construction funding to build his narcissistic wall — which he’d vowed another country would pay for. These funds directly affect the quality of life and morale of our troops and their families. The insult of it all is that he wants to seize hundreds of millions more for his wall, misusing operations and maintenance money that was scheduled for the operational needs of our armed forces. All this from a president who used five deferments to evade military service.
Listen to your veteran conscience when it comes to granting this reprobate president another four years. We have witnessed enough. This November, it’s time for his discharge.
