Opinion

Guest Column

Dick Batchelor

This is why Trump should visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

He should take in the sacrifice made by those who fought for our freedoms in Vietnam, in World War II — and all wars.

Published Aug. 26 | Updated Yesterday

I grew up in poverty, one of seven children whose sharecropper parents toiled in the tobacco fields of North Carolina. Early on, I learned the value of commitment, not to mention hard work and sacrifice.

In the past few weeks as the presidential campaign has heated up, I’ve thought a lot about those values, especially the commitment that thousands of men and women make every year when they sign up to serve their country.

I know a little something about that solemn promise because I, too, made it as a young man. After moving to Florida during my senior year of high school, I volunteered for the Marine Corps and served one tour during the Tet Offensive, at the height of the Vietnam War.

I was very fortunate that while I volunteered for a tour in a combat zone, the most action I saw was mortar attacks. But many of my friends with whom I trained were not as fortunate. They were deployed to Khe Sanh, the site of one of the war’s bloodiest battles, and even Cambodia.

Some of my buddies were wounded. Others came home in body bags.

Every time I’m in Washington, D.C., I visit the sacred Vietnam Veterans Memorial, two black granite walls where more than 58,000 names are etched into history — names of people who gave their lives for freedom. They are heroes.

For those who made it back, the homecoming was often far from warm and welcoming, a painful reminder of how the war bitterly divided the country. Veterans were yelled at, called baby killers and shamed for what they thought was a fight for a noble cause. But they, too, are heroes.

Thankfully, today’s men and women don’t face such vitriol — at least from everyday Americans.

No, in today’s toxic political environment, the insults, mocking and criticism come from higher up. You need look no further than the two Republican candidates for president and vice president.

Just days ago, Donald Trump took heat for potentially politicizing a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, a claim he and his campaign deny. The controversy follows Trump’s recent comments comparing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which recognizes civilians, with the Medal of Honor, which is a military award. Speaking at a campaign event at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., the former commander in chief called the Medal of Freedom “much better” because service members who receive the nation’s highest military award are often badly wounded or dead. He later walked back his comments.

Let’s also not forget how the former president reportedly characterized fallen soldiers as “suckers” and “losers,” a description he denies but John Kelly, his former chief of staff and a retired four-star Marine general, backs up. All this from a Vietnam-era baby boomer who received multiple deferments.

Then there’s his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. A Marine veteran who served as a military journalist in Iraq, Vance ripped into his Democratic counterpart, accusing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of exaggerating his military record and abandoning his unit before it was deployed to Iraq. Vance even used the highly charged words “stolen valor.”

Meanwhile, Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, retiring to focus on running for Congress, another type of service to country. His battalion was later deployed to Iraq.

Here’s how Walz responded: “Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Thank you for your service and sacrifice.”

My father was one of the brave who wore that uniform in World War II. He fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the most brutal in the Italian campaign. I salute him and those who fought alongside him. Their sacrifice and service are not forgotten. They are heroes.

With that in mind, let me offer this suggestion for the Republican presidential nominee: Leave your country club and visit both the Vietnam Veterans and National World War II memorials in Washington. And while you’re there, really take in the sacrifice made by those who fought for our freedoms in both wars — all wars. Then solemnly reflect upon all those engraved names in the granite at the Vietnam memorial and sincerely apologize for ever calling them “losers.”

Let’s see, Mr. Trump, if you have what all veterans have, the valor to say, “Thank you for your service.” Remember, they are true heroes.

Dick Batchelor is an Orlando business consultant and former Florida legislator and author of the new book “Building Bridges in Toxic Political Times/A Road Map for Community Leaders.” A Marine Corps veteran, Batchelor was deployed to Vietnam from 1967 to ‘68. He is a Democrat.