It is appropriate and even necessary to rebuke Donald Trump for his attacks on the Gold Star father and mother whose poignant story became a centerpiece of last week’s Democratic convention. Even prominent Republicans agree that Trump went too far. But it also is important for all of us to take this opportunity to reflect on the larger issue of sacrifice.
Khizr and Ghazala Khan appeared on stage to make the point that they, as Muslim Americans, had made the ultimate sacrifice that any parent can make for his or her country.
Their son, an Army captain, was killed in Iraq in 2004. He ordered his troops to stand back while he approached a suspicious vehicle that exploded and killed him.
Their son’s story of heroism and sacrifice simultaneously exposed and shattered Trump’s hate-mongering toward Muslims, which has included the suggestion that Muslims be banned from entering the U.S.
In a memorable moment, Khizr Khan asked if Trump ever had read the Constitution and offered to lend Trump his copy.
Khan also issued this rebuke: “Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”
Trump’s response has been shockingly inept.
He suggested that Ghazala Khan had stood silently beside her husband because, as a Muslim woman, she was forbidden to speak. In fact, she still is so overcome by grief for her son that she was unable to speak without breaking down.
Regarding sacrifice, Trump said: “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs – tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.”
That absurd response stirred social media to rain down scorn on Trump.
An example of the well-deserved mockery, under the hashtag #TrumpSacrifices, was:
“Once survived an entire week at Mar-a-Lago with just one can of hairspray.”
Trump’s hard-core supporters might forgive him for showing no compassion and little understanding of the sacrifice made by the Khans, but elsewhere condemnation was swift and bipartisan. Groups representing Gold Star parents demanded an apology. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a Vietnam POW Trump once refused to call a hero, said Trump does not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.”
While Trump deservedly twists slowly in the wind, it can be beneficial for all Americans to think about the challenge Khan issued to the Republican nominee. What have you sacrificed? Who have you lost?
Nearly 7,000 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tens of thousands more have been wounded.
Still, for most of us, the answer will be that we have sacrificed nothing and lost no one.
As individuals, we have been extraordinarily untouched by the American military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Let that sink in.
We invaded Afghanistan in 2001 – after the 9/11 attacks – and have been at war in the region ever since. Yet there has been no draft, no rationing, no special war tax.
It is crucial for those who are untouched by war to appreciate the sacrifices made by the men and women – and their families – who are directly affected by everything from long absences by a parent or spouse to the toll taken by PTSD to the combat death of a loved one.
When we ignore their sacrifices, it is too easy to shrug when the country provides inadequate veterans’ services.
When we ignore the sacrifice it will entail, it is too easy to go to war in the first place.
Of all people, the commander-in-chief must understand and appreciate the sacrifices that war requires.
For evidence that Donald Trump does not, consider his decision to declare a verbal war against Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan.
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