Monday, May 28, 2018

..........MEMORIAL DAY: 2018..........

Annual Memorial Day Blog

104 Stark Countians Died in Vietnam


As Donald J. Trump was graduating from New York Military Academy, I was completing a four year tour of duty in the United States Air Force having served one year in the Republic of South Korea.

I recall vividly standing in formation in front of base headquarters at Kunsan, Korea on November 23, 1963 in honor of President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.

During my first permanent duty station assignment (November, 1960 through January, 1963, Great Falls, Montana [Malmstrom AFB]), I recall the tenseness we all experienced, especially those of us in the military,  as President Kennedy and the American nation went eye-to-eye with Nikita Khrushchev and the-then Soviet Union in what we now call the Cuban Missile Crisis during the period of October 16 through October 28, 1962.

Now I am the father of a USAF medical doctor currently serving in Honolulu, HI and a USAFR public relations officer.

The Olson family believes in personal sacrifice in service of the well being of the nation. 

It appears to me Donald Trump was having none of that and, in my view, continues to way, way excessively look out for himself over the interests of Americans as a whole.

It certainly seems to be an ironic draft deferment sham that New York Military Academy graduate Trump went on to receive five (5) deferments.  Four for education reasons, and one medical deferment (Y-1; which totally excused him from military service during the Vietnam War era).

One would think that a person with a scintilla of humility would be loathe to criticize any U.S. military connected family.  We all remember Trump's over-the-top reaction of the Kahn family (Muslim American family whose son paid "the ultimate sacrifice") criticism of Trump's deferment record.    Here is a LINK to a recounting of the feud between the Kahns and then-political-presidential-candidate Donald J. Trump.

To be an equal opportunity critic, I single out Democrat William Jefferson Clinton (president from January 20, 1993 through January 20, 2001) as also having a draft-dodging personal deferment history.

And, of course, there is Democrat president Lyndon Baines Johnson whom I cleary recall saying in the 1964 presidential campaign (216 battlefield deaths) that under his watch "no American boy [was] going fight an Asian boy's war."  Four years later there were 16,899 "American boy" deaths (3,094 Ohioans).

Here is a LINK to a website which lists 63 Cantonians as having lost their lives in Vietnam including nurse Sharon Lane who was a Canton South and Aultman School of Nursing graduate.  Lane was the only nurse death owing to hostile action.


From the outstanding website (Virtual Wall), a collective list of those from Canton who died in Vietnam.  By going to the website, one can click on a name to get a more detailed listing of the deceased soldier's military service (see Sharon Lane abbreviated sample as presented above.)


And here is an accounting (41) of those from other parts of Stark County who lost their lives in Vietnam.


Using the two foregoing sources, the SCPR counts 104 Stark Countians as having died serving in Vietnam.

So today's blog is owing to the respect for the office of president of the United States of  America as the position of commander-in-chief of United States Armed Forces; not for the current Republican holder of the office who The Stark County Political Report thinks is not worthy—on the draft deferment issue in and of itself—of holding these titles.

Had I been writing this blog in the Clinton years, he would have gotten the same treatment at the hand of the SCPR.  For he too was a "draft dodger."

President Donald J. Trump Proclaims Memorial Day, May 28, 2018, as a Day of Prayer for Permanent Peace

Issued on: May 25, 2018

On Memorial Day, we pause in solemn gratitude to pay tribute to the brave patriots who laid down their lives defending peace and freedom while in military service to our great Nation.  We set aside this day to honor their sacrifice and to remind all Americans of the tremendous price of our precious liberty.

Throughout the history of our Republic, courageous Americans have purchased our cherished freedom with their lives.  Our 151 national cemeteries serve as the final resting place for millions of people, including veterans from every war and conflict, many of whom died while serving our country.  We remain duty bound to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf and to remember them with thankfulness and unwavering pride.  The fallen — our treasured loved ones, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens — deserve nothing less from a grateful Nation.

We must safeguard the legacies of our service members so that our children and our grandchildren will understand the sacrifices of our Armed Forces.  As a part of this effort, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to keep the memories of our fallen heroes from ever fading away.  The National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program challenges our youth, from elementary school through college, to research and share the stories and sacrifice of their hometown veterans, who are forever honored at VA National, State, and tribal veterans cemeteries.  To further ensure that our veterans’ legacies are remembered and celebrated, this program is developing an online memorialization platform that will amplify the voices of families, survivors, and Gold Star parents and spouses as they honor our beloved veterans and fallen service members.

Today, and every day, we revere those who have died in noble service to our country.  I call upon all Americans to remember the selfless service members who have been laid to rest in flag-draped coffins and their families who have suffered the greatest loss.  The sacrifices of our hallowed dead demand our Nation’s highest honor and deepest gratitude.  On this day, let us also unite in prayer for lasting peace in our troubled world so that future generations will enjoy the blessings of liberty and independence.

In honor and recognition of all of our fallen heroes, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer.  The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 28, 2018, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time when people might unite in prayer.
I further ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.
I also request the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control.  I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.
DONALD J. TRUMP

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