Marine veteran Sean Barney, who received a Purple Heart after being severely wounded by an enemy sniper in Iraq, has published a CNN op-ed about Republican nominee Donald Trump’s comments about ‘receiving’ a copy of a veterans Purple Heart last week. He tears into Trump for trivializing the immense sacrifice that Purple Heart recipients make in their efforts to keep America safe and free.
When a veteran Trump supporter gave Trump a replica of his invaluable medal, all Trump had to say was, “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.” One of Barney’s fellow Marine veterans said to Barney, “Does he understand that many Marines have gotten their Purple Hearts at their funerals? Wonder if he would still want one.”
The Purple Heart incident came only days after Trump repeatedly disrespected the Khans, a Gold Star Family who lost their only child in Iraq. Barney writes,
“Khizr Khan made the point at the Democratic Convention that the Khans, immigrants who would have been denied entry to the United States if a policy like the one Trump proposes had been in place, had sacrificed more for their adopted country than Trump ever has. The Khans lost their son, Capt. Humayun Khan, in 2004 when, acting to protect his fellow soldiers, he was killed by a car bomb in Iraq.”
Barney makes a compelling case that Trump is in no way qualified to be Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. For all his rhetoric, Trump time and again refuses to treat our veterans with the respect owed to them. He deliberately avoids facing the uncomfortable facts about the immense sacrifices veterans make every day. We need a President who makes military decisions with national security and our brave service men and women in mind – not a President who makes up his mind based on money, without regard for the human cost of his decisions.
Here is an excerpt of Barney’s op-ed:
Last Tuesday, a veteran supporter handed Donald Trump a Purple Heart medal. Trump’s flippant response: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.” As a veteran, I was quite simply astonished.
I fought for our country in Iraq. I was wounded, and was awarded a Purple Heart. I can tell you, no one should ever “want” to get a Purple Heart. … As I struggled to remain conscious, they rushed me from a street corner in the center of the city to a surgical center on the outskirts of the city in in 12 minutes flat. The Navy corpsman used his fingers to pinch off bleeding from my jugular vein, refusing to let go until surgeons gave him the signal.
I was left partially paralyzed. I underwent multiple surgeries and a year of physical therapy. I received skilled care from dedicated medical professionals, and slowly recovered physically. Still, I struggled with post-traumatic stress. Because of the intense effort it took to remain conscious after I was shot, after returning home I had difficulty relaxing enough to sleep. With treatment, I recovered and began to lead a normal life again.
One of the Marines I served with in Iraq, a Republican, remarked to me after Trump spoke, “Does he understand that many Marines have gotten their Purple Hearts at their funerals? Wonder if he would still want one.”
I am conscious every day of how fortunate I was, to have improbably survived and to have friends and loved ones with me at the ceremony presided over by the Commandant of the Marine Corps at which I was awarded my Purple Heart.
Trump could have ignored the Khans. He could have responded to their criticism with the respect they have earned. But instead — in keeping with what we are learning about his character — he resorted to innuendo, bigotry and bullying.
The Purple Heart bears the image of our first commander in chief, George Washington, but Donald Trump, who seeks to be our commander in chief, plainly does not understand what the medal represents. …
One of the Marines I served with in Iraq, a Republican, remarked to me after Trump spoke, “Does he understand that many Marines have gotten their Purple Hearts at their funerals? Wonder if he would still want one.”
Sean Barney is a progressive Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives, running in Delaware. You can support his run here.
Marisa Manfredo
Marisa completed her undergraduate degree in 2013 at the University of Wisconsin with a double major in creative writing and media studies. She is an advocate of progressive policies and focuses her interests on gender equality and preventing sexual and domestic violence.
Marisa completed her undergraduate degree in 2013 at the University of Wisconsin with a double major in creative writing and media studies. She is an advocate of progressive policies and focuses her interests on gender equality and preventing sexual and domestic violence.
