Bob Schwartz

It is Memorial Day, not Veterans Day, but there are never enough days to celebrate the sacrifice of our veterans.

In July 2020, Senator Tammy Duckworth was asked whether George Washington’s owning slaves should lead to taking down his statues. She said this question deserved a national dialogue.

Trump’s campaign responded:

“After saying she was open to tearing down statues of George Washington, Tammy Duckworth is now using her military service to deflect from her support for the left-wing campaign to villainize America’s founding. If she can’t defend George Washington, our first Commander-in-Chief, those of us who still respect our Founding Fathers’ immense sacrifice and think America is worth fighting for will hold her accountable for cowering to the far-left fascists in the Democrat Party.”

Trump talking about “immense sacrifice”, especially with respect to Senator Duckworth or any others who have served and sacrificed, including the ultimate sacrifice, is beneath comment. For those not familiar with the military career and the public service of Senator Duckworth:

Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.

In 2004, Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by an RPG and she lost her legs and partial use of her right arm. Senator Duckworth spent the next year recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she quickly became an advocate for her fellow Soldiers.

One doesn’t have to have served in the military to honor those who have. Officials pretending to be patriots while ignoring the plight of veterans is nothing new in America, though the current administration seems to have perfected the strategy.

Thanks to all those who served in the military and in war, whether currently in government, public service or civilian life. More than mere lip service, they deserve the best we as a people can provide, and also deserve our respect. Claiming that Senator Duckworth was “cowering to the far-left fascists in the Democrat Party”, or that Senator Mark Kelly, another combat veteran—and an astronaut!—should be tried for treason and hanged is not a sign of respect for veterans or for selfless sacrifice. From some quarters that don’t seem to understand sacrifice, such respect would be far too much to expect.