Tom McNichol

Boalsburg

My Uncle John, a Marine who fought in WWII, was killed at the battle of Tarawa in the South Pacific on Nov. 23, 1943. He was reported “non-recoverable, missing in action.”

In 2017, DNA evidence, including dental records, identified his remains, which were returned to the United States. 74 years later, he was interred in a full military honors funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, in the presence of extended family.

A horse drawn procession carried Uncle John’s casket to his gravesite. Silence prevailed as family and Marines in ceremonial “Dress Blues” moved solemnly across sacred ground. A four-star general knelt at his coffin, praised his sacrifice and valor, and then knelt before our family and acknowledged our loss.

There were few dry eyes that day; the Marines had returned one of their fallen and my Uncle John finally received the recognition and tribute he had earned.

Donald Trump, the man seeking a second term as president, considers my Uncle John, and the countless men who died serving this country, “suckers” and “losers.” When Senator John McCain died in 2018, then President Trump refused to honor McCain’s legendary military service and legacy — and was not welcome at his memorial service.

Donald Trump, who received five dubious deferments during the Vietnam War, violated cemetery rules and federal law by using the hollowed and sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery for a political stunt. The man who calls our nation’s fallen service members “losers” and “suckers” must never again become our nation’s Commander-in-Chief!