Trump seems to cycle backwards through his greatest (read: most mean-spirited) hits. He’s back to feuding with the McCain family—again!
You might recall Trump did not think Sen. John McCain was a hero during the Vietnam War because he was captured.
Now he wants McCain’s daughter to obsequiously thank him for allowing McCain’s funeral to take place (to which he was pointedly not invited—no doubt that sting still smarts).
Yes, Mr. Bone Spurs has the audacity to question McCain’s service to his country despite McCain’s imprisonment which included beatings and other hardships.
He was also denied badly needed medical attention. McCain had a chance to be released early (in a trade) but refused on the grounds that his fellow captives should be released in the order captured.
He endured five years of unimaginable hell while Trump stayed home with his college and/or medical (“bone-spurs”) deferment.
That got me to thinking about the American Revolution. I guess Trump does not admire Paul Revere, Nathan Hale or Ethan Allen. All three men were respected as heroic figures in their own day.
Paul Revere is famous for his “midnight ride” . . . but he was also captured that night.
Nathan Hale agreed to serve as a spy for General Washington but was captured and executed. His last words on the scaffold: he regretted that he had but only one life to give for his country: a standard for patriotism that has never been equaled.
Ethan Allen had been the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, a man of great size and strength.
He led the successful raid on the British-held Fort Ticonderoga, reportedly pounding on the large doors and exclaiming: “Open up in the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!”
(The commander of the fort surrendered without a shot being fired).
Unfortunately, Ethan Allan was later captured and spent several years as a British prisoner-of-war which adversely affected his health.
This list can be extended, of course. For that matter, we should not forget the many American soldiers who perished during the long harsh winter while encamped at Valley Forge.
They died of disease, injuries, and starvation in large numbers; the common estimate is from two to three thousand deaths.
These were loyal patriots who stayed with the American army even unto sickness and death.
When the hour was darkest, their loyalty to the cause of American independence played a crucial role in preserving the Continental Army through the cold bleak months of winter.
They didn’t die charging the Redcoats but they nonetheless sacrificed their lives for a cause larger than themselves.
When you come right down to it, Trump is probably as ignorant of American history as he is of nearly everything else.
He probably has a comic book picture in his mind of what a hero is, an image further shaped by television shows and movies.
It was remarked by General Washington (and others) that a messenger could find the way to the army’s camp by following the trail of blood in the snow. Many of the soldiers had no boots or shoes; they had taken to wrapping their feet in newspaper and rags.
That’s a far cry from the luxury suite the president owns in Trump Tower in New York City.
He doesn’t understand that the White House, Congress, and the Constitution all flowed out of those revolutionary days when men were willing to risk their lives so a new kind of nation could live.
John McCain understood that lesson and he followed in their footsteps. He exemplified loyalty and patriotism–and a willingness to sacrifice–that is beyond the ken of the president to grasp.
It is ever so: men of little courage and little principle cannot grasp the bravery and honor of men willing to fight and die for their beliefs.
