Army’s Trump Callout Shows Institutional Rot
The Army’s blatantly political posturing demeans the sacrifice of the 13 Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in Abbey Gate, and demeans the military as an institution.
Last Monday, various news outlets began to report that members of President Trump’s campaign were involved in an altercation with staff at Arlington National Cemetery following a wreath laying ceremony to honor 13 service members who died in Afghanistan.
According to reports, a “cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried,” an area known as Section 60.
Trump’s campaign disputes there was an altercation. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung claimed “the fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony."
Regardless of what actually happened, the Army has now decided to step into the mess and remind everyone why trust in America’s institutions is at an all time low.
In a statement released by CNN, an Army spokesman said “Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”
The Army added, “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked."
It’s a pretty damning claim that makes the Trump campaign seem like they’re disrespecting the fallen heroes who gave all for their country. Democrats have long tried to paint Trump as flippant towards the troops and this latest incident just reinforced that fact.
Except, the Army seems to be a little choosy about how they enforce those policies.
Conservative commentators were quick to point out that Presidents Biden and Obama had both used footage of Section 60 in their campaigns to crickets from military brass. During Biden’s 2020 campaign, he released a video featuring himself and Jill Biden standing over graves in Section 60. Obama did the same thing during his 2012 reelection campaign, featuring photos of himself and Michelle walking through the graves.
Not to mention, Trump was there at the behest of the Gold Star families themselves, who noted that President Biden and VP Harris had “never reached out.”
“The only person who has reached out to our family over and over again — and all 13 families — is Trump,” Cheryl Juels, aunt of Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, told National Review.
Biden was seemingly too occupied to honor the dead on the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack, preferring instead to lounge at his house in Delaware. Harris’ schedule also contained no public appearances so who knows, maybe she was there with him.
What’s clear is that neither one of them gave enough of a shit to publicly say anything outside of a public statement from the White House likely written by an intern. Forgive me if the attacks on Trump for supposedly disrespecting the troops falls a little flat.
Was it Trump who repeatedly looked at his watch as the hallowed dead made their way off the plane from Afghanistan? Was it Trump who blatantly lied to the American public during the first presidential debate by claiming he was the “only president this century, this decade, that doesn't have any troops dying anywhere in the world?" Was it Trump that forced our brave men and women in uniform to inject an experimental drug into their bodies or lose their jobs?
The Army’s blatantly political posturing demeans the sacrifice of the 13 Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in Abbey Gate, and demeans the military as an institution. The Army serves the American people, not the Democratic Party.
By wading into the Arlington controversy, the Army deepens the politicization of our most revered and essential institutions. It shamelessly fuels and foments distrust amongst the American people. We deserve a military that is above politics.
Unfortunately, it appears even the Army has fallen victim to institutional corruption.