Tag: military service members

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Pentagon Reduces Number Of Iran War Deaths Because 4 Happened During Ceasefire

Trump attends the dignified transfer of 4 fallen U.S. service members

Well, this is hideous… The Pentagon removed the names of 4 service members who died in Jordan from their official list of casualties bringing the total from 18 to 14.

Officials explain that this is because “their deaths occurred after President Trump declared a cease-fire in the war in April.” So…they don’t count??? Continue reading “Pentagon Reduces Number Of Iran War Deaths Because 4 Happened During Ceasefire”

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Several Active Military/Veterans Among Arrested Patriot Front Members

Patriot Front member Winston Durham
Winston Durham  (screen capture)
The concerning trend of active military and veterans taking part in extremist groups continues as Military.com  reports several members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front who were arrested on conspiracy to riot charges at an Idaho Pride event last week have military backgrounds. Continue reading “Several Active Military/Veterans Among Arrested Patriot Front Members”

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Fox News Confirms Key Details Of ‘Atlantic’ Report On Trump

Jennifer Griffin of Fox News Channel
Jennifer Griffin, National Security correspondent for Fox News (of all outlets), reports that two former senior Trump administration officials confirmed to her reporting by The Atlantic that Donald Trump disparaged veterans and did not want to drive to honor American war dead at Aisne-Marne Cemetery outside Paris. Y’all – Fox News is confirming the story. So, there you go. Watch her report below.

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Trump Orders ‘Stars and Stripes’ Newspaper Shutdown Then Reverses Amid Controversy

Defense Department

(image: public domain/WhiteHouse/Flickr)
Can you say ‘bad timing?’ This isn’t really a good time to shut down the revered 160-year-old military newspaper The Stars and Stripes. From NPR:

The Pentagon ordered the closure of the venerable military newspaper, Stars and Stripes on Friday. But hours later, President Trump tweeted that he wouldn’t allow that to happen “under my watch.”

The twists and turns played out as Trump faced a firestorm of criticism for reportedly calling American Marines who died in World War I as “losers” and “suckers.” Trump vehemently denied the remarks, though several news organizations have now cited sources saying he made the statements in 2018 during a trip to France.

Stars and Stripes remains popular among many military members and has bipartisan support in Congress, especially among those who previously served in the armed forced.

But a memo signed by U.S. Army Col. Paul Haverstick said the newspaper would be shut down by Sept. 30, the last day of the government’s 2020 fiscal year. The memo gave no reason for closing the publication other than saying funding was not in next year’s budget request.

We know Trump has serious issues with the free press but this really takes the cake. Considering the day he’s having with the article from The Atlantic about calling military service members “losers” it’s no surprise he reversed on this one.

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Report: Trump Called Fallen US Soldiers ‘Losers’ And ‘Suckers’

Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
Donald Trump is facing a firestorm of criticism after a report from The Atlantic (based on several sources) shared that Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 not because his helicopter couldn’t get him there but because he reportedly didn’t understand the point in honoring our military dead.

Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.”

In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.

The article goes on to say in a 2018 meeting about planning a military parade, Trump sought to exclude injured service members because parade attendees might feel uncomfortable in the presence of amputees. “Nobody wants to see that,” Trump reportedly said. The AP confirmed several aspects of the article: “A senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press, including the 2018 cemetery comments.” Alyssa Farah, a White House spokesperson, emailed this statement to the author of the article:

“This report is false. President Trump holds the military in the highest regard. He’s demonstrated his commitment to them at every turn: delivering on his promise to give our troops a much-needed pay raise, increasing military spending, signing critical veterans reforms, and supporting military spouses. This has no basis in fact.”

Trump followed up with a series of tweets, of course:

As shown in the video above, we’ve seen Trump (who never served in the military receiving several deferments due to ‘bone spurs’) criticize military veterans like Sen. John McCain as well as Gold Star families in the past. So, none of this should really shock us as it seems to fit Trump’s mold. Former Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau served in Iraq in 2008 & 2009,  issued a statement criticizing the reported remarks:

“If the revelations in today’s Atlantic article are true, then they are yet another marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the President of the United States. I have long said that, as a nation, we have many obligations, but we only have one truly sacred obligation — to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families, both while they are deployed and after they return home. That’s the foundation of what Jill and I believe.

“It’s why we’ve always prioritized the health and well-being of our service members, veterans, and military families. We’ve visited troops coming home wounded in Walter Reed. We’ve hosted wounded veterans in our home to share a Thanksgiving meal. And, as the proud parents of a son who served in Iraq, we’ve made supporting military spouses, caregivers, and children a focus of our service.”

“Generations of American troops have shed blood around the world in defense of our freedoms and to protect U.S. vital interests. From the frontlines of our own Revolution to Belleau Wood to the Normandy beaches to the mountains of Afghanistan, the sacrifice and bravery of our troops and their willingness to serve our nation should be honored. Duty, honor, country — those are the values that drive our service members.

“Those are the values that have formed the core of America’s defense for centuries. And if I have the honor of serving as the next commander in chief, I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice — always.”

In related news, new polling from Military Times indicates Trump’s favorability rate plunging among both active-duty troops and officers. Perhaps more importantly, 41 percent plan to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden versus 37 percent for Trump.

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Trump Admin: Children Born To Service Members Overseas Won’t Automatically Be US Citizens

Thanks to a new policy announced by the Trump administration, some children born to U.S. service members and government employees will not automatically be considered citizens of the United States. The new policy came via policy alert issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. From Task & Purpose:

Previously, all children born to U.S. citizen parents were considered to be “residing in the United States,” and therefore would be automatically granted citizenship under Immigration and Nationality Act 320.

Now, children born to U.S. service members and government employees who are not yet themselves U.S. citizens, while abroad, will not be considered as “residing in the United States,” changing the way that they potentially receive citizenship.

Children who are not U.S. citizens and are adopted by U.S. service members while living abroad will also no longer receive automatic citizenship by living with the U.S. citizen adopted parents.

This will affect the children born to U.S. service members serving on military bases abroad as well children adopted by military service members. Also affected are children born to service members while overseas who are green card holders but not yet citizens. Children born to parents serving in diplomatic regard will be affected as well. Parents in these situations will have to apply for citizenship for their children before the child’s 18th birthday.