American Patriotism

 

My father served in the United States Navy during WWII and in Korea as a Medic attached to the Marines.  The medals he was awarded are numerous.  He passed away in 2003 after a long-term battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s.  My mother passed away in 1992 and her loss most likely contributed to his broken heart and decline in health.

My father’s service to our country is unquestionable, undeniable, and the most patriotic thing a person could have done when his country needed him most.  He was the one in the fire fights doing his best to patch up Marines that were wounded hoping in his heart that they would make it.  My Dad saved many men till he got hit with shrapnel on Iwo Jima.  And yet he still reached out to the guys near him to give them much needed medical attention.

I was presented by the United States Navy with the flag of The United States of America at his funeral at the cemetery.  And they said these words to me:  "On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Navy, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."

Fast forward to 2022 and we have a political party hijacked by someone that would call my father a loser for serving his country.  A loser?  Republican Party politics are now anti American because of the party leader, and nobody dares to say that the Emperor is naked.  Nice tie sir.

You don’t have to make up things the former president has said against the military.  He does fine on his own…

“Such comments stand in stark contrast to Trump’s later criticisms of POWs, as well as private comments, reported by The Post last week, that he didn’t understand why the U.S. government spent so much effort to find missing soldiers who he believed had performed poorly and were caught. Trump told senior advisers that those who served in Vietnam were “losers” because they didn’t find a way to avoid service, a person familiar with the matter told The Post.”

Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-under-fire-for-alleged-comments-about-veterans-has-a-long-history-of-disparaging-military-service/2020/09/06/76aba4b8-f053-11ea-9279-45d6bdfe145f_story.html

 “Losers!”  The words of a former President.

Congress has this thing called the Congressional Medal of Honor.  It isn’t handed out to anyone of our armed services without in depth research of the valor they displayed during battle.  Each one of the people awarded the medal posthumously or still living is the highest award our nation can bestow on our service members in the United States Military.  “Losers” according to Donald Trump.  They should have investigated a deferment.

For the record, a living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor does not have to salute the President of the United States of America first.  The President must salute first.  That is what is called respect for service to our country.

America has no problem identifying our problems or problematic politicians when they say they love America but do nothing when our Capitol is taken over.  America isn’t in the halls of Congress or even the White House.  America is in all of our individual homes.  As Americans, we do not place all power in one house.  We have three checks on the balance of power, and it has worked for over 200 years.  The fourth check on power is at the ballot box.  And every single American should have easy access to vote via mail or in person.  That is a discussion for another post.

Long story short, every American vote matters, and every American can choose who they want to represent their values in our government.  Be it local or for the US Congress or US Senate.  Your vote matters.  At 58 years old I have seen many political battles but the one I fear the most is the voices that choose our next Supreme Court Justices.  That would be the President and any US Senator.  When the Presidency and the Supreme Court are loaded with extremist from any political party it is a disaster for the American experiment.

Are you okay with an America that has to live in one extreme way of life like the Taliban government in Afghanistan?  Dictators across the world would appreciate your comments below.  Supporters in Palm Beach, Florida look forward to your words of wisdom as he tees off on his X-Wife’s grave in Jersey.

 Papamoka