Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Get the news
Log In or Subscribe to skip
57 [h=6]Share This Story![/h]Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about
[h=4]Ex-POW: 'Trump's comments were really stupid'[/h]Donald Trump, billionaire and Republican candidate for president, is under fire for comments he made last week about Arizona Senator John McCain not being a hero during the Vietnam War.
{# #}
[h=4]Sent![/h]A link has been sent to your friend's email address.
[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
[h=6]Join the Nation's Conversation[/h]To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs
[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]
Sen. John McCain says Donald Trump should apologize to former prisoners of war for comments which appeared to question their heroism. Trump says his comments were misconstrued. VPC
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on July 18, 2015.(Photo: Nati Harnik, AP)
Donald Trump's refusal to apologize for comments made about John McCain's heroism during the Vietnam War has<span style="color: Red;">*</span>left members of the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>veteran community shaking their heads.
Ann Mills-Griffiths, who chairs the board of The National League of POW/MIA Families, said his comments seemed "bizarre."
"It's rather insulting to all those who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were captured and came home, it seems unwarranted and inappropriate. I have no idea why anyone would make such a statement," she said in a phone interview.
McCain thinks that Trump owes an apology to the families of veterans and POWs nationwide.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>McCain said he doesn't think Trump should leave the race, but he is interested to see how his comments affect Trump's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>standing. Many polls show Trump at or near the top of the 2016 Republican presidential race.
In an open letter published on Sunday, Trump stated that John McCain has "failed the state of Arizona and the country."
Trump did not enter the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Vietnam War due to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>student deferrals, a foot injury and a high draft lottery number.
Photos: Closer look at Donald Trump
In spite of tales of McCain's harrowing ordeal as a prisoner of war at the "Hanoi Hilton" camp, and widespread outcry in reaction to his words, Trump has refused to back down.
Veterans and ex-POWs agreed with McCain's sentiments.
Dan Caldwell, legislative director of Concerned Veterans for America and Iraq war vet, denounced the GOP candidate's words.
USA TODAY
Trump: I don't need to be lectured
"Trump has no understanding of what military service entails or what POWs, especially those in Vietnam, have endured," the 28-year-old<span style="color: Red;">*</span>veteran said. "He is completely detached from what has been going on with the [Veterans' Affairs] in the past years and with McCain's leadership in regards to VA issues."
While Trump has fired back at critics, touting his own record of support for veterans' charity organizations, Caldwell thinks that Trump's displays of philanthropy do not justify his criticism of McCain's service. "Supporting a few veterans' charities does not give him the right to say what he said," Caldwell said.
Among the veteran community at large, Caldwell added, he has seen "nearly universal revulsion" toward Trump's comments.
Paul Galanti, Virginia native and Vietnam vet, weighed in on the Trump controversy.
"I think Trump's comments were really stupid," Galanti said. "McCain is one of the toughest, nicest guys I know and Trump didn't think about that. I've always liked Trump, but my attitude's changed a lot."
Galanti has campaigned for McCain on several occasions, including the senator's 2008 bid for the presidency. In Vietnam, Galanti was captured and interred for over six years, a time that included a stay at the "Hanoi Hilton," where McCain had been imprisoned.
In reference to Trump's response to public backlash, Galanti said that the candidate shouldn't keep digging himself into a hole. Galanti thinks McCain absolutely is a hero and that Trump's comments show a "lack of knowledge."
0) { %> 0) { %>
0) { %>
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed