Answering The Call

By Dan Schmitt |  

Today marks the 75^th anniversary of D-Day. That invasion began the demise of the most heinous regime in modern history, Nazi Germany. 

On June 6, 1944, 175,000 men answered the call and participated in the Normandy invasion. There were 3,400 men killed that day, but it was the beginning of the end of Hitler and the Nazi regime.

Dad landed on Omaha Beach D-Day plus 4. Dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge and on into Germany. Dad answered the call.

My brother Rick enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1966 and did a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam.  Rick answered the call.

My brother Chuck enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1966 and served four years at Luke Air force Base near Phoenix. Chuck answered the call.

I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1967, serving two years on Lake Michigan and two years in San Diego. I answered the call.

Our current president will be giving a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial tomorrow, a sacred site where 9,388 Americans soldiers are buried. All those soldiers answered the call.

In an interview on “Good Morning Britain,” President Donald Trump was asked about his military experience. His response was, “I would have liked to serve in the U.S. military, but not during the height of fighting in Vietnam because ‘I was never a fan of that war.’”

     

Truth be told, our current president received five deferments during the height of the Vietnam War for education and bone spurs in his feet. Fact is, during the time he sought and received a deferment for bone spurs, Trump was playing football, tennis and squash. His medical history was unblemished, except for a routine appendectomy at the age of ten. Then the Selective Service came a knocking, and our president didn’t answer the call. He now says, in the interview with Good Morning Britain that “He’s making up for not being in the military by increasing the military budget rapidly.”

I can’t speak for my father who died at the age of 99. I can’t speak for my two brothers who served in the military. But I can speak for myself. Our current president didn’t “answer the call,” and I can’t think of a least deserving person to give a speech honoring those that did answer the call on June 6, 1944 than Donald Trump.