World leaders will gather in solemn assembly next week above the sandy beaches of Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of the world-changing D-Day invasion of France. Itâ€
s typically a heartfelt tribute to alliance and sacrifice and a unified vow for enduring unity, outweighing any national or political skirmish of the moment.
In a report through stripes.com, thatâ€s what has some U.S. veterans and others worried about President Donald Trumpâ€s attendance. The president has shown a repeated willingness to inject nationalistic rhetoric and political partisanship into moments once aimed at unity. For Trump, there is no waterâ€s edge for politics, no veneer of non partisanship around military or national security matters.
The president, who did not serve in the military before becoming commander in chief, has feuded with Gold Star families, has blasted political opponents on foreign soil, and mocked Sen. John McCain, a prisoner of war, for being captured by the enemy. Trumpâ€s antipathy for the late senator was so well known that the White House this week requested that the Navy keep the USS McCain out of the presidentâ€s line of sight during a recent trip to Japan so as not to rile the president.
Itâ€s a pattern that is set to get more scrutiny in coming days, as Trump heads overseas for the D-Day memorial, where he will be joined at the service by, among others, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat whom he has called “crazy Nancyâ€� and has warned not to try to impeach him.
“Itâ€s unfortunate we have to be even concerned that this historic commemoration will be overly politicized, but this is the command climate heâ€s created and the reality we have,â€� said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and former head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and now host of the podcast “Angry Americans.â€� “We have to send our president. You go with the president weâ€ve got, and this is the president weâ€ve got. So weâ€re rightfully holding our breath for an event like this.â€�
More than 9,000 Americans are buried in the cemeteries dedicated to the D-Day operation that marked a turning point in World War II, beginning the Allied push to drive the Nazis out of France and eventually Europe. On a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, rows of white crosses and the Stars of David stretch as far as the eye can see — markers of sacrifices.
The president missed the other significant military commemoration of his term.
In November, also in France, Trump scuttled plans to honor the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. The White House said the presidentâ€s helicopter could not make it to the site because of bad weather. It did not explain why Trump could not make the 50-mile drive. His absence set off howls from many veterans.
The post World Leaders Set To Mark France D-Day Invasion,s 75th Anniversary appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Independent
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