LAKEWOOD, Ohio — As a Vietnam veteran who also served on the front lines of the Cold War against the Soviet Union, I hit the sack on Election Day, Nov. 5, disappointed but not surprised. Six days later on Veterans Day, I was uplifted by the patriotic spirit projected by youngsters in our public schools.
I wonder why majorities of veterans support a man who has disparaged military service throughout his life and who vows to exact retribution against military leaders.
I don’t begrudge former and soon-to-return President Donald J. Trump for finding a friendly doctor who trumped up short-lived bone spurs in his heels to dodge the military draft when millions of 18-year-olds like me were heading for Vietnam. But it is worthy of note that 58,220 Americans who died in that war were not so duplicitous.
Vietnam veterans, especially, should never forget Trump’s asinine claim on “The Howard Stern Show” in 1993 that his sexual escapades were comparable to serving in that war. “We have our own Vietnam. It’s called the dating game,” he said, referring to the AIDS epidemic. “Dating is like being in Vietnam. You’re the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam.”
In July 2015, Trump declared that Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain, who completed 22 bombing missions over North Vietnam before being shot down by a Russian missile, was “not a war hero.” After all, McCain only endured 5 1/2 years of brutal torture in a communist prisoner-of-war camp.
During a 2018 presidential trip to Europe, Trump refused to visit an American World War I cemetery in France because it was raining. It was reported at the time and subsequently confirmed by his White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general, that Trump referred to those war dead as “suckers” and “losers.”
And now this malignant denunciator is looking to punish military officials who were involved in the August 2021 troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. But it was the former president who agreed to free 5,000 imprisoned Taliban terrorists in advance of that tragic pullout.
Unlike Trump, who in 2022 praised current Russian dictator and former Soviet KGB agent Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine as “genius,” past American leaders consistently backed our democratic allies. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy told the people of West Berlin that America would stand up for them against Soviet aggression. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan, also speaking in West Berlin, told the then-Soviet leader, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
Thanks to invitations by my two grandsons, I was among dozens of area veterans who were able to experience the kind of respect, appreciation, patriotism and love of freedom that I believe still exemplifies America.
A retired editor, Vietnam veteran and member of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, Dave Lange holds a master’s degree in political science.
At Kenston Middle School in Bainbridge Township on Veterans Day, over 40 of us, including two World War II veterans, were greeted by thunderous applause from some 800 students and faculty members who filled the gymnasium to capacity. We were treated to an ensemble performance of “America” and an invigorating speech by a recent Kenston graduate now serving in the military.
At Chestnut Elementary School in North Olmsted, each of the three grades performed patriotic songs and then delivered their personal Veterans Day drawings of American flags and written messages to us before breaking for a gathering around the American flag flying outside. I will not forget their messages.
From Giovanni: “Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for all of your support over the years. Thanks for keeping our country safe and in harmony for the past years.”
From Mohammad: “Thank you guys for helping us. You guys are the best guys. Save us.”
From Semsem: “Thank you for protecting our country and us. Thank you so much. The U.S.A. and the red, white and blue. The freedom that we have it’s all in you!”
Veterans Day ceremonies were held in public schools around the country. Our freedom and democracy depend on them.
Dave Lange, a retired editor who holds a master’s degree in political science, is a member of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame and author of the memoir, “Virginity Lost in Vietnam.”
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