Why signing those red hats was wrong
Donald Trump claims that the MAGA hats he signed while visiting military personnel at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq were brought by the troops. Earlier reports that he had provided the hats to the troops were disputed by both the White House and the Air Force.
Fair enough. I withdraw my earlier comment about them being campaign swag. That doesn't change the fact that those hats should not have been in the hands of military personnel in uniform. There is a Department of Defense (DOD) Directive on the subject. DOD Directive 1344.10 is very clear on what someone serving on active duty in the military can and cannot do regarding political activity. There is no "but the President is here" exception regarding the prohibition on doing anything that even resembles political activity while in uniform. Wearing, carrying and doing anything else with a MAGA hat while in uniform is almost certainly a violation of this directive.
Will the individual pictured here face discipline for displaying that hat while in uniform? Under a strict interpretation of military regulations, they should. But they almost certainly won't. In a statement, United States Air Forces Europe said there is no rule against bringing personal items to an event to get them signed by the president. I'm not the only one who disagrees.
Visiting the troops is about honoring their sacrifice. Not about promoting your own political agenda. Photo-ops are fine. But the presence of a MAGA hat in such a photo is wrong. MAGA was an official campaign slogan during the 2016 campaign and appears to be in play as one for Trump's 2020 campaign.
I was in the U.S. Air Force from August of 1977 through July of 1987. Where was I on Christmas day in those years?
1977, 78 and 79 were spent at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida.
1980 was spent on Guam.
1981 was spent with family.
1982 was spent with family.
1983 was spent at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi
1984 was spent in South Korea.
1985 and 1986 were spent at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
You cannot not have feelings about your Commander-in-Chief when you are wearing our nation's uniform. Jimmy Carter had run on a platform of making big cuts in defense spending. The perception of military personnel I knew during the Carter years was that he didn't do enough to protect our pay from the cost of living.
Year Military Pay Raise Rate of Inflation
1978 6.2% 9.0%
1979 5.5% 13.3%
1980 7.0% 12.5%
1981 11.7% 8.9%
Most of us were big fan of Ronald Reagan for a number of reasons. He pushed through a raise for us in 1982 of 14.3% and then our annual raises were on par with the inflation rate (in almost every year, but not all).
But that wasn't the only reason we were fans of President Reagan.
That's Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez. In 1968 he was involved in what is now known as "Six Hours in Hell" during a tour of duty with the 5th Special Forces Group. He saved eight lives that day. He was so badly wounded that the doctor was about to zip up the body bag in which he'd been place, when Benavidez spat in his face to show he was still alive.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 1980. In his autobiography Colin Powell wrote that one of the things that solidified his belief that the Carter administration had an "insensitivity" towards the military was President Carter's choice to not present the Medal of Honor to MSGT Benavidez.
President Reagan didn't just jump at the chance to bestow that honor on MSGT Benavidez. He read the citation himself at the presentation.
The reading of the citation begins just after the nine minute mark in the above recording.
* * *
Donald Trump doesn't place a real value on the men and women serving our nation, as the rest of us do. He sees them as his employees. Campaign props. Tools of foreign policy. He didn't go to Iraq and Germany for the primary purpose of honoring those men and women. He went there to deflect criticism aimed at him. He went to try to prop up his support among the population. He went to campaign for the 2020 election.
Barry McCaffrey is a retired four-star Army General. A true American hero, twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. He also earned two Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts. He said the following about Trump's trip to Iraq.
“It’s a good thing that the president went to Iraq and visited the troops, even better that he brought Melania along,” McCaffrey said. “It was entirely inappropriate to use that as a point of a political rally.”
He also pointed out that Trump lied about to the troops about military pay raises, taking credit for getting them a 10% raise. The actual raise is 2.6%. He lied by claiming it was their first raise in a decade. Military personnel cost of living adjustments (the raises I mentioned earlier) were given to military personnel every single one of the last ten years.
If military personnel want to support Donald Trump, they are free to do so. When out of uniform.
Fair enough. I withdraw my earlier comment about them being campaign swag. That doesn't change the fact that those hats should not have been in the hands of military personnel in uniform. There is a Department of Defense (DOD) Directive on the subject. DOD Directive 1344.10 is very clear on what someone serving on active duty in the military can and cannot do regarding political activity. There is no "but the President is here" exception regarding the prohibition on doing anything that even resembles political activity while in uniform. Wearing, carrying and doing anything else with a MAGA hat while in uniform is almost certainly a violation of this directive.
As a former Navy JAG, I can tell you that engaging in partisan political activity such as flying a Trump flag or wearing a MAGA hat, while in uniform is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and its implementing regs. https://t.co/lN7Au7YQ1r— Pam Keith (@PamKeithFL) December 27, 2018
Visiting the troops is about honoring their sacrifice. Not about promoting your own political agenda. Photo-ops are fine. But the presence of a MAGA hat in such a photo is wrong. MAGA was an official campaign slogan during the 2016 campaign and appears to be in play as one for Trump's 2020 campaign.
I was in the U.S. Air Force from August of 1977 through July of 1987. Where was I on Christmas day in those years?
1977, 78 and 79 were spent at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida.
1980 was spent on Guam.
1981 was spent with family.
1982 was spent with family.
1983 was spent at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi
1984 was spent in South Korea.
1985 and 1986 were spent at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
You cannot not have feelings about your Commander-in-Chief when you are wearing our nation's uniform. Jimmy Carter had run on a platform of making big cuts in defense spending. The perception of military personnel I knew during the Carter years was that he didn't do enough to protect our pay from the cost of living.
Year Military Pay Raise Rate of Inflation
1978 6.2% 9.0%
1979 5.5% 13.3%
1980 7.0% 12.5%
1981 11.7% 8.9%
Most of us were big fan of Ronald Reagan for a number of reasons. He pushed through a raise for us in 1982 of 14.3% and then our annual raises were on par with the inflation rate (in almost every year, but not all).
But that wasn't the only reason we were fans of President Reagan.
That's Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez. In 1968 he was involved in what is now known as "Six Hours in Hell" during a tour of duty with the 5th Special Forces Group. He saved eight lives that day. He was so badly wounded that the doctor was about to zip up the body bag in which he'd been place, when Benavidez spat in his face to show he was still alive.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 1980. In his autobiography Colin Powell wrote that one of the things that solidified his belief that the Carter administration had an "insensitivity" towards the military was President Carter's choice to not present the Medal of Honor to MSGT Benavidez.
President Reagan didn't just jump at the chance to bestow that honor on MSGT Benavidez. He read the citation himself at the presentation.
The reading of the citation begins just after the nine minute mark in the above recording.
* * *
Donald Trump doesn't place a real value on the men and women serving our nation, as the rest of us do. He sees them as his employees. Campaign props. Tools of foreign policy. He didn't go to Iraq and Germany for the primary purpose of honoring those men and women. He went there to deflect criticism aimed at him. He went to try to prop up his support among the population. He went to campaign for the 2020 election.
Barry McCaffrey is a retired four-star Army General. A true American hero, twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. He also earned two Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts. He said the following about Trump's trip to Iraq.
“It’s a good thing that the president went to Iraq and visited the troops, even better that he brought Melania along,” McCaffrey said. “It was entirely inappropriate to use that as a point of a political rally.”
He also pointed out that Trump lied about to the troops about military pay raises, taking credit for getting them a 10% raise. The actual raise is 2.6%. He lied by claiming it was their first raise in a decade. Military personnel cost of living adjustments (the raises I mentioned earlier) were given to military personnel every single one of the last ten years.
If military personnel want to support Donald Trump, they are free to do so. When out of uniform.
posted by me at 10:39 AM
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