What is a hero?
Wikipedia defines a hero as “a person or character who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays courage, bravery, or self-sacrifice for some greater good …”
Donald Trump unleashed a firestorm of criticism when he said Sen. John McCain was “not a hero … because he was captured.” [“Trump attack on McCain overshadows more substantive issues,” Associated Press article, July 19] He made it worse by saying he prefers people who weren’t captured.
Trump may know business, but he doesn’t have a clue about courage and self-sacrifice.
McCain’s courage was demonstrated by flying 53 combat missions over North Vietnam. His self-sacrifice was demonstrated through more than five years of torture for refusing to cooperate with his captors during sessions when his arms were pulled from their sockets. It was further proven when he denied his captors a PR victory by refusing early release based on his father’s rank as a Navy admiral.
I know a Delawarean who spent more than seven years in the Hanoi Hilton and a World War II veteran who still has nightmares about being captured in the Battle of the Bulge and nearly executed.
Since 1973, everyone who has volunteered to serve in the U.S. military has shown courage and self-sacrifice.
Enlistment means surrendering yourself to the will of the government. It equals multiple tours in harm’s way and separation from family. To more than 6,700 patriots since 2001, it meant death. More than 32,000 have been wounded, not including psychological injuries.
The Delaware Veterans Trust Fund, signed into law in September 2013, was created to provide a one-time hand up to male and female veterans who have found themselves in emergency financial difficulty. Under the auspices of the Commission of Veterans Affairs, the Trust Fund is run by the Friends of Delaware Veterans, a 501 (c) (3) volunteer organization that raises tax-deductible funds.
I invite readers to visit
www.DelawareVeteransTrustFund.com for more information.
If Donald Trump wants to support heroes, he can contribute to the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund at 802 Silver Lake Blvd., Suite 100, Dover, DE 19904, where 100 percent of his money will provide a one-time hand up to a hero.
Dave Skocik
President, Friends of
Delaware Veterans Inc.
Dover