To the editor: As a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, I have felt the heartbreaking pain of losses in war. Always remember the precious dead and the wounded in body and spirit. (“Arlington Cemetery official who was ‘abruptly pulled aside’ in altercation with Trump staff will not press charges,” August 29)
Service to our nation is a noble cause that was cheapened and devalued by a leader who spoke heartlessly of losers and fools instead of acknowledging the sacrifice of service by so many in our armed forces.
That leader stooped even lower with his campaign photo shoot in which he desecrated Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to this being a specifically prohibited act, former President Trump made it worse by smiling and giving a thumbs-up sign at the grave of a fallen Marine.
I can no longer accept this shameful behavior from Trump, being Trump. It is disgusting for anyone to minimize the sacrifices made by fallen servicemen, and doubly so when a politician does so.
George N. Giacoppe, Riverside
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To the editor: Earlier this month, my family and I scattered my 85-year-old brother's ashes in the Pacific Ocean. On a small boat that left Long Beach, along with my wife and I, were my brother's son, his daughter, her husband, and their two children (my brother's only grandchildren).
I brought my camera and wondered if the photos would be appropriate. In the ones I took, no one was smiling. No one was giving a thumbs up. Even the color of the photos seemed inappropriate.
Who would have thought that in the MAGA world death could be so much more? (And more useful?)
Larry Harmell, Granada Hills
