Gold Star Families Criticize Trump’s Remarks on U.S. Troops Killed Amid Iran Conflict
Key Takeaways
- •Gold Star families from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have condemned President Trump's claims that four recently killed U.S. troops strongly supported the conflict with Iran.
- •Trump made his remarks to reporters ahead of traveling to Dover Air Force Base, where the remains of fallen service members are received in ceremonies known as dignified transfers.
- •Karie Fugett, whose husband died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, called Trump's comments a disgraceful political stunt motivated by election concerns over the war's unpopularity.
- •Kelly McHugh-Stewart, whose father died in Afghanistan in 2010, described the Iran conflict as an illegal war lacking congressional authorization, a clear mission, an end goal, or a defined timeline.
- •Rivka Bent, who lost her son in Afghanistan, stated that no amount of praise or political rhetoric from the president can replace the lives of fallen service members.
Gold Star families — the immediate relatives of U.S. military service members killed in action — of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan criticized President Donald Trump's comments about four U.S. troops who were recently killed amid the conflict with Iran, according to HuffPost.
HuffPost reported that relatives of fallen service members were angered by remarks Trump made earlier this week before departing for Dover Air Force Base, the Delaware military installation where the remains of fallen service members are returned to U.S. soil in ceremonies known as dignified transfers. Speaking to reporters, Trump said all four service members killed earlier in the week had fully supported the war in Iran.
"They are indeed great heroes, actually," Trump said. "They said, and they, all of them, said, very strongly, 'We can't let, cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.'"
Family members of U.S. service members who died in earlier conflicts shared their reactions to Trump's remarks with HuffPost.
Karie Fugett, whose husband, Marine Corps Corporal Jimmy Cleveland II, died during Operation Iraqi Freedom, told HuffPost, "It's crystal clear to me that this is a disgraceful political stunt ahead of a major election."
"The president knows his war with Iran is the most unpopular war in modern history, and he's terrified of how that will show up at the ballot box," Fugett said. "It's foul."
Kelly McHugh-Stewart, the daughter of U.S. Army Colonel John M. McHugh, who died in Afghanistan in 2010, also criticized Trump's comments.
"As the president of the United States, he can do a lot more than 'throw his heart out,'" McHugh-Stewart said.
"Perhaps start with ending this illegal war in Iran," she continued, describing the conflict as "a war with no clear mission, end goal, or timeline, a war costing billions of dollars that still has not been approved by Congress." Her reference to congressional approval reflects an ongoing debate over whether the executive branch has legal authority to conduct military operations against Iran absent an explicit authorization from lawmakers.
Rivka Bent, whose son, Lance Corporal Cole M. Bent, died in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, said praise and political language could not replace the lives lost.
"All of us would rather have our sons or daughters safely returned to us, and no amount of praise or political rhetoric can replace that," Bent said.