Thank you for the truth you speak. My father served in the Navy and was in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He survived but his best friend was stationed on the Oklahoma and died when the ship was bombed and sank. My dad fortunately was on a different ship on the other side of of the harbor and was not bombed. But losing his friend stayed with him the rest of his life. He never talked about his navy life until just before he died in 2006. It was too traumatic for him to talk about the trauma he saw. People who have never had to fight to keep our country safe do not understand this and should not be making judgments about those who serve. It hurts me hear the terrible things he says about our military service and our veterans. I have no respect for this man who now occupies the Oval Office.
This will be a completely different Memorial Day. Time to honor our brave but more importantly to reflect on what we are becoming. The fight for morality, empathy, compassion, freedom and Democracy.
My husband graduated from West Point in 1962. He served two tours in Vietnam, resigned his commission as a result of seeing so many of his men killed on the battlefield in a war that he felt was unjust. He joined the peace movement and became an Episcopal Priest. He died, a very painful death, as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange.
At the end of his life, he wore his West Point hat everyday and his greatest desire was to be identified as a soldier; not a priest.
He would have despised Trump and would be on the streets protesting, with me, to bring Trump and the GOP down .
Barbara, my husband was in the Class of 1968. He served in Vietnam and died in 2022 also with illnesses attributed to agent orange exposure. At his funeral at West Point, when I was presented the flag and the “thanks of the President of the United States” for his service, my grandson said “good thing it isn’t Trump or she’d throw the flag back.” I am so glad he died during the Biden administration. He found Trump distasteful in his first term. He would have joined us and all of our friends to stop the cruelty and chaos that the vile, disgusting, evil Trump and Co are raining down on America.
My dad was in the Danish King's Army during World War II, father-in-law served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and my husband did his tour in Vietnam with our Air Force.
We listened to the West Point 2025 Commencement speech & all my husband could say was: "Bet the felon-in-chief will loose what's left of his mind when he learns that Kermit the frog's speech @ the University of Maryland was a celebrated success." May we all have a Memorial Day filled with gratitude for all who have served & sacrificed.
Agent Orange was the “King” of unintended consequences. It wasn’t the only one, but I think the deadliness. I’m waiting to see what scourge the sand fleas from Iraq bring us. Sorry for your dad’s loss. I understand his feelings about Vietnam. We keep involving the country in wars that we shouldn’t be fighting. We spent 20 years trying to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and look where that got us. We fell for the Domino theory; now we seem to think we wipe out terrorism. I think Trump is a terrorist.
Somewhere in the ether, there’s a soldier who died believing America meant something. He didn’t know the flag would one day be worn like a clown cape by a man who dodged the draft, dodges taxes, and dodges accountability with the grace of a greased pig in a gold-plated suit.
He didn’t know his sacrifice would be weaponized by cosplay patriots who think freedom means “nobody tells me I can’t be awful.”
And yet… I don’t think he’d take it back. Because real courage never makes deals with the outcome.
So we honor them not just with parades and hashtags—but by standing between democracy and the next wannabe dictator in a trucker hat.
Grieve the fallen. Roast the frauds. Protect what’s still worth saving.
Why? WHY? How can our wonderful country be in this position? I’m less convinced it’s Donald Trump and more convinced it was the people who voted for him.
People who see nothing wrong with the things Trump has said and done. A man who shows his lack of personal and financial values every day, and yet 70 some million citizens thought he was smart enough and competent enough to run the most powerful country in the world.
I also think that the only people who can stop Trump from his acts of daily destruction are Republican legislators. They’re afraid of Trump now but some are going to have get some balls and speak out against him. I’m hoping that our marching and calls help.
Even more than the voters and legislators are the oligarchs who will finance the destruction of anyone who will stand up against this shameless administration and finance the election of those who will do as they are told no matter how awful the consequences will be for the true American people.
With D J T serving a second term, we've entered a nightmarish Twilight Zone episode playing out on Pennsylvania Avenue. The surreal absurdity of a 34-count convicted felon and bone spur draft dodger babbling incoherent word salad at West Point, then having the gall to stage a grandiose military parade on June 14th to stroke his fragile ego, is beyond sickening. It's a cruel mockery of the presidency, our democracy, and the brave men and women who serve honorably in uniform. That this morally bankrupt, criminally corrupt charlatan could dupe enough Americans to gain another four years squatting in the White House is a damning indictment of how far we've fallen as a nation. As he continues to shred the Constitution, coddle dictators, enrich himself and his cronies, and fan the flames of hatred and division, one can only watch in undeniable helplessness as the American experiment teeters on the brink of collapse. The mind reels at how much more damage he may inflict on the republic before this ongoing waking nightmare finally ends.
John, thank you so very much for your post here. Your words are sound and true. It's interesting to me that by chance(?) I saw the post below mine from (Judy), before I began writing* My father's brother James Williams, was also on the Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was 20 years old and did not survive. He was buried in a mass grave near by, during the early days after the attack. With our family's humble appreciation, the Department of the Navy exhumed those mass graves and spent years sorting and identifying all of the bones. In 2013 I was contacted by the Navy research team and asked to supply my DNA for positive identification, which I did. In April of 2020 the scientist had a positive identification of my father's brother, James Williams. James has since been reinterred in Arlington.
My dad's friend was Daryl. I don't know his last name. My parents named my sister after him, Margaret Daryl. I wonder if their paths crossed on the ship. Another side note about this, is my dad was originally on the Oklahoma. But early in 1941 my dad had proposed to my mom but had orders for the Oklahoma. Daryl was on another ship but wanted to get on the Oklahoma to be with his brother. My dad and Daryl went to the officer in charge of orders and asked if they would be able to switch the orders, then Daryl could be with his brother and my dad could go back to the states and get married. The officer gave them the okay on the switch and Daryl shipped out on the Oklahoma with his brother and my dad took 6 weeks leave for California to get married. My parents were married on May 17th and I was conceived 1 month later. When his leave was over he shipped out of Vallejo on a supply ship headed for one of the Pacific islands. On December 7 his ship and Daryl's ships were both in Pearl Harbor. Daryl died but his brother survived.
What an extraordinary story! I do wonder if the present Departments of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marines would be in the business of a compassionate assignment such as this. Probably not as the importance of our military today is its “lethality!”
Christina, I feel and fear the same* The Nebraska site and elsewhere that is/ was doing all of the forensics over a period of decades for unknown thousands, did the honorable work for the families! All of us that are conscious know that those professions are a mix of uniformed and civilian employees and are subject to the DOGE disgraceful lot.
As a veteran, USN spouse, and military brat, celebrating this Memorial Day will be a much heavier and somber experience given the Trump tyrannical traitor in the White House.
What a shame it is to be an American given our leader's lack of respect, disregard, and utter incompetence. DJT has no concept of what it means to serve with honor, dignity, sacrifice, and pride for this country. He is using the highest position in the land to enrich himself and his cronies.
I will shed more than one tear this Monday when I think of my grandfather (WWII veteran) and grandfather-in-law, who was a torpedo pilot during the Battle of Midway, sacrificing it ALL for his country.
They would be horrified by our nation's descent into authoritarianism.
We must stop this madness and continue to resist, remembering what our fore father's sacrificed.
My father who was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked and then set to Europe for the rest of the war, would be appalled at being called a sucker and loser. I'm grateful he didn't live long enough to witness what is happening today.
Every time I listen to a Trumper spouting their lies I think of my father-in-law who was imprisoned in a camp in Germany during WW2, and what he went through. And I remember to do what I am sure he would want me to do in the face of those lies. Fight for the truth. Which I will continue to do until the day I die. In honor of him.
If you want to understand the lack of respect DJT has for our military...look no further than the person he selected as the Secretary of Defense. A lying, pretty boy, drunk, talking head from Faux News.
We are not without agency. We can show up and fight for our country.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FIGHT BACK --Pass it on.
Indivisible And Partners Announce ‘NO KINGS’ Nationwide Day of Defiance on Flag Day, During Trump’s Birthday Parade June 14th But there are other days too and you don't have to log in to search most of these sites.
I believe it is very important to understand his speech today and how he was working to connect with cadets. And the Levittown story. About momentum, etc. This is the type of stuff that makes him insidious.
Thank you for the truth you speak. My father served in the Navy and was in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He survived but his best friend was stationed on the Oklahoma and died when the ship was bombed and sank. My dad fortunately was on a different ship on the other side of of the harbor and was not bombed. But losing his friend stayed with him the rest of his life. He never talked about his navy life until just before he died in 2006. It was too traumatic for him to talk about the trauma he saw. People who have never had to fight to keep our country safe do not understand this and should not be making judgments about those who serve. It hurts me hear the terrible things he says about our military service and our veterans. I have no respect for this man who now occupies the Oval Office.
Judy, check out my husband’s comment below- His uncle died on the Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor too! Thanks for your post!
This will be a completely different Memorial Day. Time to honor our brave but more importantly to reflect on what we are becoming. The fight for morality, empathy, compassion, freedom and Democracy.
My husband graduated from West Point in 1962. He served two tours in Vietnam, resigned his commission as a result of seeing so many of his men killed on the battlefield in a war that he felt was unjust. He joined the peace movement and became an Episcopal Priest. He died, a very painful death, as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange.
At the end of his life, he wore his West Point hat everyday and his greatest desire was to be identified as a soldier; not a priest.
He would have despised Trump and would be on the streets protesting, with me, to bring Trump and the GOP down .
Barbara, my husband was in the Class of 1968. He served in Vietnam and died in 2022 also with illnesses attributed to agent orange exposure. At his funeral at West Point, when I was presented the flag and the “thanks of the President of the United States” for his service, my grandson said “good thing it isn’t Trump or she’d throw the flag back.” I am so glad he died during the Biden administration. He found Trump distasteful in his first term. He would have joined us and all of our friends to stop the cruelty and chaos that the vile, disgusting, evil Trump and Co are raining down on America.
My dad was in the Danish King's Army during World War II, father-in-law served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and my husband did his tour in Vietnam with our Air Force.
We listened to the West Point 2025 Commencement speech & all my husband could say was: "Bet the felon-in-chief will loose what's left of his mind when he learns that Kermit the frog's speech @ the University of Maryland was a celebrated success." May we all have a Memorial Day filled with gratitude for all who have served & sacrificed.
Kermit is smarter than Trump. So is the Geico Gecko.
Agent Orange was the “King” of unintended consequences. It wasn’t the only one, but I think the deadliness. I’m waiting to see what scourge the sand fleas from Iraq bring us. Sorry for your dad’s loss. I understand his feelings about Vietnam. We keep involving the country in wars that we shouldn’t be fighting. We spent 20 years trying to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and look where that got us. We fell for the Domino theory; now we seem to think we wipe out terrorism. I think Trump is a terrorist.
Somewhere in the ether, there’s a soldier who died believing America meant something. He didn’t know the flag would one day be worn like a clown cape by a man who dodged the draft, dodges taxes, and dodges accountability with the grace of a greased pig in a gold-plated suit.
He didn’t know his sacrifice would be weaponized by cosplay patriots who think freedom means “nobody tells me I can’t be awful.”
And yet… I don’t think he’d take it back. Because real courage never makes deals with the outcome.
So we honor them not just with parades and hashtags—but by standing between democracy and the next wannabe dictator in a trucker hat.
Grieve the fallen. Roast the frauds. Protect what’s still worth saving.
—Virgin Monk Boy
Amen.
Why? WHY? How can our wonderful country be in this position? I’m less convinced it’s Donald Trump and more convinced it was the people who voted for him.
People who see nothing wrong with the things Trump has said and done. A man who shows his lack of personal and financial values every day, and yet 70 some million citizens thought he was smart enough and competent enough to run the most powerful country in the world.
I also think that the only people who can stop Trump from his acts of daily destruction are Republican legislators. They’re afraid of Trump now but some are going to have get some balls and speak out against him. I’m hoping that our marching and calls help.
Even more than the voters and legislators are the oligarchs who will finance the destruction of anyone who will stand up against this shameless administration and finance the election of those who will do as they are told no matter how awful the consequences will be for the true American people.
Very true.
That is true!
Sadly, so true
Amen!
With D J T serving a second term, we've entered a nightmarish Twilight Zone episode playing out on Pennsylvania Avenue. The surreal absurdity of a 34-count convicted felon and bone spur draft dodger babbling incoherent word salad at West Point, then having the gall to stage a grandiose military parade on June 14th to stroke his fragile ego, is beyond sickening. It's a cruel mockery of the presidency, our democracy, and the brave men and women who serve honorably in uniform. That this morally bankrupt, criminally corrupt charlatan could dupe enough Americans to gain another four years squatting in the White House is a damning indictment of how far we've fallen as a nation. As he continues to shred the Constitution, coddle dictators, enrich himself and his cronies, and fan the flames of hatred and division, one can only watch in undeniable helplessness as the American experiment teeters on the brink of collapse. The mind reels at how much more damage he may inflict on the republic before this ongoing waking nightmare finally ends.
Well said, Kim.
Oh wow. Amazing visuals with no pictures. I hear you. I understand you. I agree with you.
John, thank you so very much for your post here. Your words are sound and true. It's interesting to me that by chance(?) I saw the post below mine from (Judy), before I began writing* My father's brother James Williams, was also on the Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was 20 years old and did not survive. He was buried in a mass grave near by, during the early days after the attack. With our family's humble appreciation, the Department of the Navy exhumed those mass graves and spent years sorting and identifying all of the bones. In 2013 I was contacted by the Navy research team and asked to supply my DNA for positive identification, which I did. In April of 2020 the scientist had a positive identification of my father's brother, James Williams. James has since been reinterred in Arlington.
My dad's friend was Daryl. I don't know his last name. My parents named my sister after him, Margaret Daryl. I wonder if their paths crossed on the ship. Another side note about this, is my dad was originally on the Oklahoma. But early in 1941 my dad had proposed to my mom but had orders for the Oklahoma. Daryl was on another ship but wanted to get on the Oklahoma to be with his brother. My dad and Daryl went to the officer in charge of orders and asked if they would be able to switch the orders, then Daryl could be with his brother and my dad could go back to the states and get married. The officer gave them the okay on the switch and Daryl shipped out on the Oklahoma with his brother and my dad took 6 weeks leave for California to get married. My parents were married on May 17th and I was conceived 1 month later. When his leave was over he shipped out of Vallejo on a supply ship headed for one of the Pacific islands. On December 7 his ship and Daryl's ships were both in Pearl Harbor. Daryl died but his brother survived.
Thank you for sharing this!
What an extraordinary story! I do wonder if the present Departments of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marines would be in the business of a compassionate assignment such as this. Probably not as the importance of our military today is its “lethality!”
Christina, I feel and fear the same* The Nebraska site and elsewhere that is/ was doing all of the forensics over a period of decades for unknown thousands, did the honorable work for the families! All of us that are conscious know that those professions are a mix of uniformed and civilian employees and are subject to the DOGE disgraceful lot.
💔😔
That is good news!
As a veteran, USN spouse, and military brat, celebrating this Memorial Day will be a much heavier and somber experience given the Trump tyrannical traitor in the White House.
What a shame it is to be an American given our leader's lack of respect, disregard, and utter incompetence. DJT has no concept of what it means to serve with honor, dignity, sacrifice, and pride for this country. He is using the highest position in the land to enrich himself and his cronies.
I will shed more than one tear this Monday when I think of my grandfather (WWII veteran) and grandfather-in-law, who was a torpedo pilot during the Battle of Midway, sacrificing it ALL for his country.
They would be horrified by our nation's descent into authoritarianism.
We must stop this madness and continue to resist, remembering what our fore father's sacrificed.
My cousin once removed, who survived to tell his story (and influenced me more than I can tell):
https://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-War-Diving-Emperor/dp/0941332608
My father who was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked and then set to Europe for the rest of the war, would be appalled at being called a sucker and loser. I'm grateful he didn't live long enough to witness what is happening today.
Every time I listen to a Trumper spouting their lies I think of my father-in-law who was imprisoned in a camp in Germany during WW2, and what he went through. And I remember to do what I am sure he would want me to do in the face of those lies. Fight for the truth. Which I will continue to do until the day I die. In honor of him.
If you want to understand the lack of respect DJT has for our military...look no further than the person he selected as the Secretary of Defense. A lying, pretty boy, drunk, talking head from Faux News.
We are not without agency. We can show up and fight for our country.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FIGHT BACK --Pass it on.
Indivisible And Partners Announce ‘NO KINGS’ Nationwide Day of Defiance on Flag Day, During Trump’s Birthday Parade June 14th But there are other days too and you don't have to log in to search most of these sites.
You can find your local events for “NO KINGS” by clicking here. https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And you can find more protests local to you by clicking here.https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Here are resources to contact your Republican by clicking herehttps://indivisible.org/stopthecuts?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
TELL YOUR REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE HANDS OFF OUR HEALTH CARE AND FUTURES! : CLICK HERE https://indivisible.org/resource/call-now-hold-your-republican-representative-accountable-voting-slash-medicaid-snap?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
It doesn't hurt to encourage your Democratic reps to speak up too.
I believe it is very important to understand his speech today and how he was working to connect with cadets. And the Levittown story. About momentum, etc. This is the type of stuff that makes him insidious.
WOW! Your righteous anger is the Memorial Day speech we should have had.
Amen!
I totally agree. And I am LIVID!