So many missed opportunities. Biden brought up Putin. I would have brought up Uranium One and Crimea being annexed under the Obama/Biden Admin. Biden Brought up fake stories like the loser sucker story and the bounty story but denied a senate report about his son receiving money. Trump needed to hammer him on those.
Trump and Military Service: A 100 Year Family History (June 6, 2016)
Frederick Trump (1869-1918) m. 1902; Age (1898) 29
Fred Trump (1905-1999) m. 1936 c 1937, 1938; Age (1940) 35
Donald Trump (6/14/1046-present) m. 1977; Age (1964) 18
Military Service: Frederick (None), Fred (None), Donald (None)
We have just celebrated Memorial Day for 2016, so military service to our country is freshly relevant.* In honoring America’s war dead on Memorial Day, we also honor the service of recent veterans and our family members who served to ensure freedom and liberty for all of us. Sort of a family investment in America. Trump has continued to make support for veteran’s a prime topic in the political debate.
Grandfather Frederick, though an immigrant from Germany, was an American citizen in 1898. There was no draft imposed for the Spanish American War, but we have some guidance from the Civil War draft and World War I draft standards to judge his eligibility for service, if not a strict obligation. In 1898 he was 29 years old, single, unmarried, with no dependents, not engaged in any critical war related occupation, and with no religious objections. Thus, he was a prime candidate for service, or induction had there been a draft.
In the spring of 1898 he moved to Canada (until 1901), when he returned briefly to Germany and married in 1902, and then returned to NY. When he attempted to return to Germany on a permanent basis again in 1904, he was expelled from the country because of an official finding that he had evaded his military service obligation (active to age 35) when he originally left the country in 1885. He did not serve in the military in either country. He had no legal military service obligation in the US, but was found to be in violation of his mandatory German 3-year military service duty.
Father Fred was born in 1905. At the time of World War II and the imposition of a draft in 1940, at age 35 he was married and had 2 small children. He was subject to the draft. He was not engaged in any occupation subject to service exemption, such as war related production, public health and safety jobs, or agricultural employment. In truth, even with the expansive induction criteria in 1942, he still would have been lower on the priority list of men to be drafted because of his marriage and 3 dependent children. By 1943 he would have aged out of the high risk draft pool. He was subject to the draft in World War II, but was never called to serve.
In 1964 Donald turned 18 and had to register. He was unmarried, with no dependents, and not engaged in any employment which carried occupational exemptions (war related work, health and safety occupations, farm work). He was prime draft material during the years from 1964-1972. He had typical college student deferments from 1964-1968, but they expired on graduation. He was then classified as 1-A, then 1-Y, and finally 4-F. His high lottery number (.350) was for 1970. So, from June1968 until January 1970 (18 months) he was at high risk to be drafted. He obtained a medical deferment (1-Y) for a minor condition (except in wartime), which was later converted to a permanently disqualifying illness in 1971.
There is another special feature in Donald’s draft history. He graduated high school from the New York Military Academy in 1964, and while a cadet there was an officer in an official established junior R.O.T.C. command. As such, he would have received special considerations had he volunteered for military service (choice of military specialty, officer training school). He declined to take advantage.
For three generations, Trump’s paternal line has not offered or performed any military service for America, voluntary or through the draft. His father and grandfather played by the rules in America, but Donald bent them to advantage.
The Trump men were all eligible for military service to America. Millions of their fellow Americans volunteered or were drafted into service for their country during wartime. The Trumps all chose not to contribute in the most personal way one can to defend America’s freedom of speech, and to preserve the bounties of our economic and political system. They didn’t think the discounted value of their American citizenship, and the bounties our country provides, were worth enough to merit Trump military service.
What they did is not illegal, but it is not admirable or generous. Not even once in 100 years (1885-1980). Through five major military conflicts: Spanish American, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and Viet Nam (which were contested for 30 years of that time period).
Why does this family history (or, rather lack thereof) matter? Because it means that Trump has no personal experience to learn from and appreciate military sacrifice, and no authentic family history stories to share with the tens of millions of family members of proud Veterans, living and dead who served their country honorably in times of war during the past century. biden should have brought up the trump family's lack of military service.
