This week, a report came out from The Atlantic revealing that President Donald Trump had apparently called American service members who were killed in action “losers” and “suckers.” (Reportedly, he also asked his staff who the “good guys” were in World War I. He’s the president of the United States and has a staggeringly imbecilic understanding of basic American history.) Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who is an advisor for the progressive veterans group VoteVets, went viral with his condemnation of Trump after the report came out. In a video, Eaton insisted that Trump was “no patriot” and characterized him as a serious threat to “our country’s honor.”
The Atlantic report that Trump asked for disabled veterans be excluded from military parades and referred to American war dead as “losers" and "suckers"- sparked a series of overnight denials. But much of the reporting has now been confirmed by @AP @washingtonpost
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) September 4, 2020
Eaton said:
‘I’m pretty unhappy with you, Mr. Trump. So I’m going to keep this short for your famous short attention span. You have shown disrespect to the military on countless occasions. I am stunned that anybody in the United States military would consider you anything but a ‘loser’ or a ‘sucker.’ You’re no patriot.’
Eaton subsequently picked up a dog tag that was retrieved from a crash site where his own father died during the Vietnam War. He added:
‘Let me tell you about a patriot. My father was killed in Vietnam. He was shot down over a Ho Chi Minh trail section, just outside of Vietnam, in Laos. He delivered ordinance to cut the trail and cut supplies. And then he delivered close air support to Special Forces troops on the ground, and his airplane blew up. He went down — in 1969. 13 January, 1969. This dog tag was recovered at the crash site. My father was a patriot — well-educated. He was a wise man.’
Biden campaign is hosting conference call today with “Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Khizr Khan, and Rep. Connor Lamb (D-PA) in reaction to the appalling revelations about Donald Trump and veterans”
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) September 4, 2020
Infamously, Trump evaded service in Vietnam via very dubious diagnoses of “bone spurs.” A recent Military Times poll revealed that Cadet Bone Spurs, as Trump has mockingly been nicknamed, isn’t doing great among troops — Democratic presidential pick Joe Biden led by about 4 percent.
Servicemembers and veterans make unimaginable sacrifices for our country every day. They deserve nothing but respect—and for their Commander-in-Chief to speak this way is indefensible and offensive to all those who served and their families.https://t.co/rfhNhUVBXD
— Cal Cunningham (@CalforNC) September 4, 2020
Eaton, meanwhile, added:
‘The best men and women in the United States of America are found in the Armed Forces of the United States military. Our Army, our Navy, our Marine Corps, our Air Force, our Coast Guard. Brave men and women. They’re not just brave. They’re smart and wise. So, Mr. Trump, come 3 November, we’re all voting for a real patriot — Joe Biden. And everybody who hears this, please take notice and please vote. Vote Democratic. Our country’s honor depends on it.’
As of mid-Friday morning, Eaton’s video had 2.2 million views and counting. Check it out below:
Read Jeff Goldberg’s article in The Atlantic. How could anyone support Trump? pic.twitter.com/xqfnklmCBq
— Major General (ret) Paul Eaton (@PaulDEaton52) September 4, 2020
