Response to Trump’s Latest Attack on America’s Veterans and Military Families
NEW YORK: At a campaign event in Virginia today, Donald Trump attack America’s combat veterans, reportedly saying that soldiers who come home from war and suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues are not "strong" and "can't handle it."
The Not Who We Are campaign today released a statement in response to Trump’s latest attack on veterans from Ricardo Gutierrez, a U.S. Navy veteran who started an open letter on the Not Who We Are platform that has now been signed by more than 1,040 people:
“No one who attacks soldiers and sailors for the injuries they suffer while serving in combat can ever be qualified to serve as their Commander-in-Chief. Donald Trump just told a room full of veterans that the only the strongest and toughest soldiers can overcome PTSD. Not only is it incredibly arrogant for a man who has never seen combat to make statements like this, but it’s also incredibly damaging and inaccurate as well. Thousands of veterans end up not seeking the help they need because of stereotypes and societal pressures like this. Maybe Donald Trump shouldn’t run around, spouting opinions about things he has never - and hopefully will never - understand. Disrespecting veterans is not who we are. Donald Trump is not who we are. And there are thousands of veterans who agree.”
Not Who We Are is a movement of people from across the United States who are speaking their conscience by starting open letters as employees, professionals, students, and members of civic institutions to say that Donald Trump’s racially intolerant rhetoric and policies are “Not Who We Are.” The campaign features NotWhoWeAre.us , an innovative online platform that allows Americans who are disgusted by Trump’s attacks to sign an open letter or create a more targeted one of their own.