MISFIRE: Trump should let John Kelly’s son rest in peace
By Military Times Editors
ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 29: President Donald Trump stands with Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly after laying flowers on the grave of Kelly's son, First Lieutenant Robert Kelly, at Arlington National Cemetery on May 29, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. Lt. Kelly was killed in 2010 while leading a patrol in Afghanistan. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Rarely do we hear a remark from a commander-in-chief that is as off-key and seemingly thoughtless as President Trump’s comment on Tuesday about the combat death of his chief of staff’s son in 2010.
Speaking on talk radio, Trump was fending off criticism that he was remiss in failing to call the families of the four U.S. Army soldiers who were killed in Niger last week. He lashed out and claimed that President Obama had also failed to call the families of service members (a claim of questionable veracity).
Then, in a stunning turn, he invoked the death of retired Marine Gen. John Kelly’s son, 1st Lt. Robert Kelly, who was killed when he stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan in November 2010.
“I mean, you could ask General Kelly: Did he get a call from Obama? You could ask other people. I don’t know what Obama’s policy was” Trump said on the radio.
Kelly has spoken in a deeply personal and heart-wrenching way about how he, as a lifelong military professional, dealt with the death of his son.
Like every other gold-star parent, Kelly deserves to have his fallen child left out of Washington politics.
A year after Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola died in a blast during evacuations of the Kabul airport, Disneyland offered to host a medal presentation for him.
A steady income and benefits, a desire to help, frequent moves and deployments, and more make military members and families particular targets of scammers.