Jun 14

Jun 14 Remembering

Donald J. Trump, Parades, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“Oh, Ruby
I still need some company
It’s hard to love a man whose legs are bent and paralyzed
And the wants and the needs of a woman of your age, Ruby, I realize
But it won’t be long I’ve heard them say until I’m not around
Oh, Ruby
Don’t take your love to town”

— Kenny Rogers, Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town (1969)

Only when Donald J. Trump is no longer the President of the United States will we fully comprehend the immense damage that he has done to our country. Several days ago, Trump delivered a highly politicized speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to a captive assembly of troops. Rattling off old chestnuts, he made derogatory references to former President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom, called out the “fake news,” and continued his attacks on transgender people. While Trump’s comments may not violate the law, they certainly violate a long-established norm against politicizing the military.

During his Fort Bragg appearance, Trump broke yet another norm by peddling Trump-branded merchandise the base, including “Make America Great Again” hats. The Department of Defense prohibits troops from wearing political gear and displaying political banners while in uniform. Should a presidential speech be an opportunity for more grift?

Always concerned with the visuals, Trump’s effort to shape the visual narrative was highly disrespectful to many of those in uniform. Those soliders in Trump’s audience were pre-screened, with overweight soldiers expressly excluded, an order that many believe came from the White House. The White House’s directive was not so delicate, instead using the word “fat,” as if Trump could be a spokesman for Weight Watchers.

Trump’s speech was part of the lead up to today’s military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday and Flag Day. Not by coincidence, today also is the day that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF”) holds its In Memory Day ceremony. Since 1993, the ceremony has been held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on the Nation’s Mall.

Under Department of Defense rules, to have his or her name inscribed on the Wall, a service member must have died under the conditions described in the following criteria:

(i) Served in Vietnam between November 1, 1955, and December 31, 1960.

(ii) Served in the defined combat zone on or after January 1, 1961.

(iii) As a result of wounds (combat or hostile related) sustained in the combat zone.

(iv) While participating in, or providing direct support to, a combat mission immediately enroute to or returning from a target within the defined combat zone.

(v) From physical injuries, other than wounds, occurring in a defined combat zone, provided that death occurred within 120 days from departing the defined combat zone and that death occurred within 120 days of the incident.

(vi) From a diagnosed illness while in a defined combat zone or outside the combat zone provided that death occurred within 120 days from departing the defined combat zone and that death occurred within 120 days of the diagnosis.

The In Memory Day ceremony is designed to honor those who served in Vietnam, but who do not meet the Department of Defense’s criteria for inclusion of their names on the Wall. I remain a bit unclear as exactly who this ceremony is honoring. A description on the VVMF’s website states,

The In Memory program honors those who returned home from Vietnam and later suffered from causes related to their service including Agent Orange exposure and PTSD/suicide.

Any family member or friend who wants to propose that a deceased service member’s name be read at the In Memory Day ceremony must complete an application and supply VVMF with documentation, including proof of service and a death certificate. The application’s instructions, however, state that VVMF does “NOT require, nor ask[s] for, proof of service-related death to honor a Vietnam veteran through In Memory.” So I am not sure whether each of the 774 individuals honored today died as a result of service-related injuries.

Each year on Flag Day, VVMF holds a ceremony at the Wall where family members or friends walk to the podium, and then read the name of their loved one, together with his rank and service branch affiliation.

Donald J. Trump strenuously denies that today’s U.S. military parade is about him or his 79th birthday. Nor that he is seeking reflected glory. He simply wants to honor the military. Anyone who believes that might want to buy a Trump-branded cell phone. Don, Jr. and Eric claim the phone is manufactured in the United States, but apparently the phones are manufactured in China.

Trump’s ostensible effort to honor the military meant moving the annual In Memory Day ceremony to the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. The Secret Service determined that holding the event at the Wall posed insurmountable security issues because of the Wall’s proximity to Trump’s parade.

Earlier this week, I spoke with a Vietnam veteran who volunteers his time providing visitors to the Wall with information about the Vietnam Memorial. He informed me that at the time Donald J. Trump announced the parade, over 700 hotel rooms had been booked for family members honoring deceased veterans who were honored today. VVMF had just six weeks to arrange for transportation to Alexandria and reconfigure the ceremony. Because the event was shifted from the Wall, VVMF arranged for a three-quarters replica of the Wall to be transported to the new site. Today, one speaker noted that the logistics involved in transporting the replica normally require six months of work.

In planning his vanity parade, Donald J. Trump simply said ‘Tough Luck’ to the families and friends of those being honored today. He might have redeemed himself had he attended the ceremony in Alexandria, but he apparently couldn’t be bothered. Trump is a true Sunshine Patriot.

On July 3, 2019, Trump posted the following statement on Facebook, “We LOVE our GREAT Veterans! Happy Independence Day to our American heroes!” Since then, Trump has made similar comments on countless occasions.

Nobody, however should shower Donald J. Trump with accolades. Working with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), Trump “slashed the federal workforce, firing up to 6,000 veteran workers and decimating staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” according to an April 8, 2025 press release from Senate Democrats. Up to 875 contracts were canceled, including ones for life-saving care. Now, those veterans making disability claims face months-long delays. Others will not receive mental health services. Those calling crisis lines also face long delays because of backlogs. New clinics have been delayed.

Rather than wasting an estimated $45 million on today’s parade, Trump could have allocated those dollars to provide needed medical services to veterans. But the world revolves around Donald J. Trump’s massive, but fragile ego, one that must be constantly stroked.

As for today’s In Memory Day ceremony: Over 2,000 people attended. It was a low-key affair, with people dressed casually. Before the reading of the 774 names that were honored today, dignitaries delivered short speeches. The day, however, was all about the names and the deceased veterans they represent.

Memory is a funny thing. The Vietnam War has receded in our collective memories, but as I stood and watched the ceremony, it all came rushing back. The draft lottery; the Tet Offensive; the network news weekly reports of death tolls; the anti-war demonstrations; the My Lai massacre; the bombers shot down over North Vietnam; the draft resisters who headed to Canada; the Paris peace negotiations, LBJ’s televised announcement that he would not seek his party’s nomination for a second term; Jane Fonda’s trip to Hanoi; Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers; the helicopter hovering above the U.S. embassy in Saigon as it was evacuated, Richard Nixon’s call for peace with honor, and the peace symbol everywhere. All those memories came rushing back as I stood in the open field listening to people read the names of recently deceased Vietnam vets.

Again, time plays tricks with our perceptions. Recalling their youth long gone, the wives of the recently deceased briefly referenced events from 50 and 60 years ago. Many once young wives are now dead, so a deceased service man’s name was often read by his children, or in some cases, his grandchildren. The Vietnam War ended three generations ago.

Let us not forget, Donald J. Trump avoided the draft, receiving four student deferments. He finally escaped the draft because a doctor found bone spurs in both of his feet. In responding to a question from Howard Stern about how he avoided STDs from his youthful sexual escapades, Trump responded,

It's amazing, I can't even believe it. I've been so lucky in terms of that whole world, it is a dangerous world out there. It's like Vietnam, sort of. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier

Trump didn’t have a clue back in the Nineties, and he still doesn’t have one today about the sacrifice many made in the Sixties and early Seventies..

Some of those reading names cried as they recited the name of their loved one. Today, Donald J. Trump dishonored the recently deceased Vietnam veterans and their families and friends, but I don’t think the families or friends saw it that way. Remembering was both sufficient solace and a fitting tribute.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order. Images from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial were captured last Wednesday morning—June 11, 2025]