"Some of our leaders don't really care about all of those who serve our country. The Trump administration is quietly moving forward with plans to involuntarily discharge more than 4,000 brave Americans not because they can't do the job, but because they're transgender. They make some people uncomfortable. In the past, I would have asked my father what he thought about this. Sadly, I can't do that."
"He was a military professional, trained to follow orders. So, I believe that's what he would have done. But he wouldn't have done it quietly. One of his favorite savings was, If you don't have the courage of your convictions, you had no convictions to start with. I've been reflecting on how he would have demonstrated his abundant courage. He taught me to raise my voice."
"Our government made a promise to our warriors: If you serve honorably, follow legal orders and protect this country, you will earn a retirement to help provide for your family. Stripping someone of their promised benefits after 10, 15 or even 17 years of faithful service without due process or regard for the quality of their performance isn't just wrong. It's a betrayal. And my father would have understood that."
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to involuntarily discharge more than 4,000 transgender service members not because of poor performance but because they make some people uncomfortable. A veteran's son recounts his father's 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, rise to chief master sergeant, and death from Agent Orange–related cancer. The father exemplified military professionalism, moral courage, and the teaching to raise one's voice. Stripping promised retirement benefits after a decade or more of honorable service without due process violates the commitment to service members and amounts to betrayal.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]