Respect The Troops

This is addressed to every veteran, active member of the armed forces, and every family member of those who served.

Respect the troops, they say.
Respect the troops, they say, while they use the troops as political pawns.
Respect the troops, they say, until the troops are homeless and begging for change.
Respect the troops, they say, until 17 troops commit suicide every day because they can't get mental health care.
Respect the troops, they say, until the troops come home from war, broken, and are forgotten by the country they served.
Respect the troops, they say, while they debase every value troops have fought, bled, and died for.

If you don't know, I proudly served in the Marine infantry. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Everyone who has served in the military swore the same oath. A month after I came off of active duty, my unit deployed to Iraq again, and fought in the Battle of Ramadi, the bloodiest battle of the war. 34 Marines and 1 sailor died in that battle alone. 12 of them were personal friends of mine, and they were all my brothers; some of them I trained. They made the ultimate sacrifice because of the oath they swore. This is very personal for me, and as a veteran, active member of the military, or family of someone who served, it should be for you, too. I respect the sacrifices made by everyone who serves, and I believe it is important that we do everything we can to uphold the values for which we all sacrificed. This isn't about politics, it's about honoring the oath we took.

Donald Trump, a draft dodger, called parts of the Constitution, that we all swore to defend, "phony." Whether you agree with him politically or not, this is an affront to everything we're supposed to stand for. It's a violation of his oath of office, and in opposition to the oath we swore. Trump, a draft dodger, insulted POWs. Trump, a draft dodger, compared military service to dodging STIs in college. Trump, a draft dodger, repeatedly attacked Gold Star families, who have suffered the ultimate sacrifice. Trump, a draft dodger, abused a charity for veterans for his own personal gain. Trump, a draft dodger, continues to use the troops as political pawns while debasing the Constitution and the sacrifices we've all made.

Even if you agree with every single thing he's done politically, he should have lost your support the minute he called the Constitution phony, even if you can overlook everything else he's done. If he calls the Constitution phony, and you support him, you are in direct violation of the oath you swore; you're an oath breaker. This isn't about politics at all, it's about basic integrity. Donald Trump, a draft dodger who called the Constitution phony, is the most un-American president we've ever had, and every minute he's in office is an insult to my service, and all of yours. Donald Trump, a draft dodger, doesn't respect the troops, he uses them for his political gain and nothing else.

If you never served, and you support Donald Trump, a draft dodger who called the Constitution phony, miss me with your fake "respect the troops" bullshit.

http://battlerattle.marinecorpstimes.com/2014/03/07/2nd-battalion-4th-marines-to-commemorate-deadly-2004-battle-of-ramadi/