Letter: Sign is appropriate

Response to letter objecting to “Trump was a draft dodger” sign.

The sign seems appropriate as 2,709,918 Vietnam Veterans served. It isn’t ok to take a “bone spur” excuse for dodging the military draft as Trump did and neither should have Biden, Clinton, Bush, in their privileged youth be too proud of their use of draft loopholes either. But they did not boast their contempt for war veterans. “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers”, a staff person heard Trump say when opting out of a ceremony in France where 1,800 marines from the Belleau Wood Battle were laid to rest. “Suckers.” It’s a matter of public record.

The conceit that it’s ok to call John McCain or Gold Star families, suckers like Trump has is cynical. Or to make slight of traumatic brain injury from ordinance, “headaches.” The sign is appropriate to remind us that blue collar boys 18 and 19 years old were sent to the jungle; inner city kids, deep south rural kids, Midwest farm boys, while privileged middle class boys “deferred,” stayed home to criticize those who went.

And those blue collar boys all of 18 and 19 years old with maybe a boot lieutenant along, put all those L.Z.s and Fire Support Bases together in the jungle with incredible skill could have used a few of those privileged kids. But probably not. They seem to have botched things up pretty good over the years for us right here at home in their “leadership” positions.

The sign is especially appropriate in that neighborhood. Funny thing is that thumbs up outnumber thumbs down. By the way, the term “jarhead” is pejorative, like calling Navy “squid” or air force “flyboy.” Typical lack of respect.

Jacob Arndt

Lake Mills