Trump on Vietnam and his (lack of) Military Service

[GMDino]

Caution: DJT word salad ahead...prepare for a headache. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-making-up-for-no-military-service-with-defense-spending-2019-6?fbclid=IwAR3QChMCt4VlI3RyXQtnqgJDaNow0fkShjO5eShfgws8cZAgr9nuXS9oBdE

Quote:In an interview before he attended D-Day memorial services, President Donald Trump was asked about not having served in the military. 

• President Donald Trump in an interview with Piers Morgan that aired Wednesday was asked about his military record.
• Trump said he "was never a fan" of the Vietnam War, which he avoided fighting in because of a bone-spur diagnosis.
• He went on to say that by increasing Pentagon funding he was "making up" for not serving in the military.
• Opponents, including the Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, have accused Trump of lying about the medical condition.
  

President Donald Trump in an interview with the British broadcaster Piers Morgan said he's "making up for" not serving in the US military by providing billions of dollars in funding for the Pentagon.



In the interview, broadcast Wednesday before Trump attended ceremonies in England to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France, Morgan quizzed Trump about his reasons for not having served in the military.


Morgan noted that Trump received a draft deferment for the Vietnam War because of a "bone spur" that was said to have made Trump physically unfit to serve.

Trump then discussed Vietnam at greater length, telling Morgan he was "never a fan" of the conflict.


"I thought it was a terrible war, I thought it was very far away, and at that time nobody ever heard of the country — today they're doing very well," Trump said.


"Nobody heard of Vietnam — so many people dying, what is happening over there? So I was never a fan — like we're fighting against Nazi Germany, we're fighting against Hitler."


Morgan then asked Trump whether he would have liked to serve in another conflict. Trump said he would have been "honored" to serve and added that his administration's funding for the military compensated for the fact he never did.

"I would not have minded that at all — I would have been honored," he said.


"But I think I make up for it right now. Look, $700 billion I gave last year, and this year $716 billion. And I think I'm making up for it rapidly because we're rebuilding our military at a level it's never seen before."


Trump has long faced questions about the draft deferment he received after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War.


He had already received four deferments to complete his college degree and afterward was given a medical deferment over a diagnosis of bone spurs, which are protrusions caused by calcium buildup on the heel bone.


He never sought treatment for the condition and worked for his father's businesses after graduation. This past December, The New York Times quoted the daughters of the doctor who made the diagnosis as saying their father, who died in 2007, did so as a favor to Trump's father.


The Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg — a former naval intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan — has criticized the president's military record.


"I have a pretty dim view of his decision to use his privileged status to fake a disability in order to avoid serving in Vietnam," he told the audience at a Washington Post event in May.

Trump has positioned himself as a champion of the military as president, agreeing to a proposed $750 billion military budget last year after reportedly having considered cutting back the budget to tackle the deficit.

He is scheduled to join world leaders including British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Portsmouth, England, on Wednesday for D-Day ceremonies.

Thousands of Allied troops embarked from the city for the land invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944.

Weird that "no one heard of Vietnam" by 1968 when my dad had already served (63-66/67 in Germany...don't know if that "counts" to some of the more hard core military guys around here) during the war.

Is Trump really that dumb or has he convinced himself after all these years of being "Trump the public figure" that that's really the reason he was against the war?

Lots of people were against the war...for lots of reasons.  I don't know if by the late 60's anyone used the "no one heard of Vietnam" as the reason other than DJT.

At least he's increasing the deficit to make up his actions in the 60's though.  

That's pretty typical of a "man" who used his charitable foundation to buy things for himself and pay off losses to use other people's money to make up for his mistakes.  

So much winning.

[Dill]

(06-06-2019, 12:15 PM)GMDino Wrote: Caution: DJT word salad ahead...prepare for a headache. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-making-up-for-no-military-service-with-defense-spending-2019-6?fbclid=IwAR3QChMCt4VlI3RyXQtnqgJDaNow0fkShjO5eShfgws8cZAgr9nuXS9oBdE

Morgan then asked Trump whether he would have liked to serve in another conflict. Trump said he would have been "honored" to serve and added that his administration's funding for the military compensated for the fact he never did.

"I would not have minded that at all — I would have been honored," he said.

Hmm. I don't know.  Military service can be really dirty. And sweaty.  Not clean.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-germ-phobia-howard-stern-melania-knauss-tapes-1993-interview-newsweek-factbase-a7967731.html

[*bfine32*]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hope Trump, Biden and anyone else who "deferred" their way out of Vietnam because of privilege felt like the cowards they were every time they looked at a man such as John McCain.

It why my political heroes are folks like Seth Moulton and Tom Cotton.

[*michaelsean*]

Damn he sounds like a liberal politician. Look how generous I am with other people’s money.

[BakertheBeast]

Trump said no one knew about Vietnam and it was too far away.
Bone spurs in one of his feet (he forgot which one) is a way better reason to get out of serving than not being able to breathe (Asthma).
Trump said if he could of served he would of been proud.
Don't believe what his fixer Michael Cohen said when he asked Trump if he would of gone to Vietnam and Trump said, "no, do you think I'm stupid". Fake News.


MAGA

[Dill]

(06-07-2019, 06:59 AM)BakertheBeast Wrote: Trump said no one knew about Vietnam and it was too far away.
Bone spurs in one of his feet (he forgot which one) is a way better reason to get out of serving than not being able to breathe (Asthma).
Trump said if he could of served he would of been proud.
Don't believe what his fixer Michael Cohen said when he asked Trump if he would of gone to Vietnam and Trump said, "no, do you think I'm stupid". Fake News.


MAGA

Why would you believe Trump over his "fixer"?

[fredtoast]

Trump is pumping up military spending to pump up the economy and make himself look better.

[fredtoast]

(06-06-2019, 02:06 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hope Trump, Biden and anyone else who "deferred" their way out of Vietnam because of privilege felt like the cowards they were every time they looked at a man such as John McCain.

It why my political heroes are folks like Seth Moulton and Tom Cotton.

I really don't know what a 19 year old me would have done, but based on the way I think now I would not have gone to Vietnam if I could have avoided it.  I don't see anything "brave" about blind allegiance to authority 

But I am a "tough-minded" liberal instead of a meek conservative who does whatever he is told.  It takes guts to stand up for what you believe in.

[*Nately120*]

(06-07-2019, 12:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I really don't know what a 19 year old me would have done, but I based on the way I think now I would not have gone to Vitnam if I could have avoided it.  I don't see anything "brave" about blind allegiance to authority 

But I am a "tough-minded" liberal instead of a meek conservative who does whatever he is told.  It takes guts to stand up for what you believe in.

I'm of the same mindset, but then again I've dealt with a lot of people who aren't in the military who are also very certain they are better than trained soldiers and are tougher than them, etc.  It's all ego-driven nonsense.  My ol' man was drafted and I recall when I Was 18 and registering for the selective service thing he said "The draft probably won't come back, but if it does don't get on the bus like I did."

I'm of the mindset that combat isn't for me and I would likely suck at it and get killed and have no impact on the safety/freedom of this country.  I suppose that is a lot more respectful than people who take no part in combat but are supremely sure that they would win the war and kick so much ass while doing it.  Oy, after 9/11 every man and half the women in any bar in rural PA were talking about how much towelhead ass he would kick if he were "over there" and I've had baffling conversations with multiple people who are sure that Pennsylvania hunters could take out the US Army if/when it comes down to it.

Anyways, sign me up as a draft-dodging coward who would only go to war if he were more afraid of what the amazingly heroic american populace would do to him for not going.  With that being said, I do work 50 hours a week for a defense contractor and I haven't taken a sick day in the 3 years since I've started AND I don't get paid very much.  So I can help in my own chicken-shit sort of way, right?

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 12:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I really don't know what a 19 year old me would have done, but based on the way I think now I would not have gone to Vietnam if I could have avoided it.  I don't see anything "brave" about blind allegiance to authority 

But I am a "tough-minded" liberal instead of a meek conservative who does whatever he is told.  It takes guts to stand up for what you believe in.

BTW before this gets twisted to say i am supporting what Trump did let me explain.

It is brave to refuse to go to a war because you openly oppose it.

It is chickenshit to refuse to go to war and act like it was because of a medical condition.

[*bfine32*]

(06-07-2019, 12:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I really don't know what a 19 year old me would have done, but based on the way I think now I would not have gone to Vietnam if I could have avoided it.  I don't see anything "brave" about blind allegiance to authority 

But I am a "tough-minded" liberal instead of a meek conservative who does whatever he is told.  It takes guts to stand up for what you believe in.

Best to let others fight the battles, but at least your mind is tough. But your slur to those that fought so you don't have to has been noted

[*bfine32*]

(06-07-2019, 01:51 PM)fredtoast Wrote: BTW before this gets twisted to say i am supporting what Trump did let me explain.

It is brave to refuse to go to a war because you openly oppose it.

It is chickenshit to refuse to go to war and act like it was because of a medical condition.

So then you agree with my assertion?

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 03:13 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Best to let others fight the battles, but at least your mind is tough.

Best to keep us completely out of that battle.  No one "had to" fight in that war.  We lost and it did not hurt our country at all.

If the United States really is about "freedom" we would have been on Ho's side from the very beginning helping them throw out the imperialists.

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 03:14 PM)bfine32 Wrote: So then you agree with my assertion?

No.

I don't believe everyone who avoided service in Vietnam was a coward.

[*bfine32*]

(06-07-2019, 03:46 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No.

I don't believe everyone who avoided service in Vietnam was a coward.

Oh, you just didn't read my assertion. Have someone read it to you

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 03:54 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Oh, you just didn't read my assertion. Have someone read it to you

Sorry.  I though you were talking about this assertion.

(06-06-2019, 02:06 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hope Trump, Biden and anyone else who "deferred" their way out of Vietnam because of privilege felt like the cowards they were every time they looked at a man such as John McCain.

It why my political heroes are folks like Seth Moulton and Tom Cotton.

Where is your assertion that not all people who avoided service in Vietnam are cowards.  I must have missed it. But if you said it I certainly agree with you.

[*bfine32*]

(06-07-2019, 04:06 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Sorry.  I though you were talking about this assertion.



Where is your assertion that not all people who avoided service in Vietnam are cowards.  I must have missed it. But if you said it I certainly agree with you.

So close. If you just would have bolded the whole sentence someone could have better explained it to you.

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 04:10 PM)bfine32 Wrote: So close. If you just would have bolded the whole sentence someone could have better explained it to you.

I have no idea what is going on here.  I said that not everyone who avoided service in Vietnam is a coward.  You seem to be insisting that we agree on this.  So why not just point out where you said it?

If we agree then what are you arguing about?

[*bfine32*]

(06-06-2019, 02:06 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hope Trump, Biden and anyone else who "deferred" their way out of Vietnam because of privilege felt like the cowards they were every time they looked at a man such as John McCain.

It why my political heroes are folks like Seth Moulton and Tom Cotton.

(06-07-2019, 04:52 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I have no idea what is going on here.  I said that not everyone who avoided service in Vietnam is a coward.  You seem to be insisting that we agree on this.  So why not just point out where you said it?

If we agree then what are you arguing about?

Comprehension is not your strong-point, but at least you have that tough-minded thing going for you.

[fredtoast]

(06-07-2019, 05:01 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Comprehension is not your strong-point, but at least you have that tough-minded thing going for you.

My opinion of who is a coward for avoiding service has nothing to do with privilege.  Where did you ever get that idea?

My opinion is not based on how they avoided service.  If Trump or Biden got a medical deferment to avoid service and then said it was an unjust war that we should not have been involved with I would not call them cowards.

So lets get back to "comprehension".  When I said that not everyone who avoided service in Vietnam was a coward why did you keep insisting that we agree?  Is that also your position?  You don't think the guys who went to Canada were cowards just because they did not avoid service through privilege?