The United States Army has defended an Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) employee who was pushed aside during a visit by former President Donald Trump, saying that she acted professionally and was being unfairly attacked.
The military rarely comments on political matters and while its statement on Thursday did not explicitly mention Trump or his 2024 presidential campaign, it made reference to a ceremony that took place on Monday.
That was the day Trump visited the cemetery and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of 13 service members killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The incident occurred when he went to Section 60 of the cemetery, where troops are buried and which is considered hallowed ground in the military. Federal law and Pentagon policies do not allow political activities in that section of the cemetery, but videos were taken by Trump’s campaign and used in advertisements.
“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the army statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” it added.
During a speech in Michigan on Thursday, Trump said families of service members who died in Afghanistan had asked him to go to the cemetery and take photographs with them.”They love me and I love them,” Trump said.
He used the third anniversary on Monday of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic pullout on his Democratic rival for the White House, Kamala Harris.
Fear of Trump threatening military neutrality
The Arlington cemetery incident has revived fears among some officials and experts that Trump could use the military for political purposes if he wins a second term.
The US military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the US Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
While in office, Trump intervened and restored the rank of a Navy SEAL convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State detainee, and threatened to use US soldiers to put down protests around the country.
Since leaving office Trump has berated some military officials. “We really did not want to get involved in this,” said a US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But what happened (at Arlington) is not acceptable.”
The army has said that it considers the matter closed since the employee did not press charges.
Impact on veteran voters?
A video uploaded to TikTok by Trump showed him near tombstones in Section 60 at the cemetery. Some veterans called the move disrespectful.
“This is no way for a government official or political candidate to conduct themselves on the sacred ground of Section 60 at Arlington,” retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The final resting place of so many heroic Americans – including some who died under my command – is not a political prop,” Stavridis added.
One image on social media showed Trump and the family of Darin Taylor Hoover, a 31-year-old Marine Corps staff sergeant who was among the 13 soldiers killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal, smiling and giving a thumbs up over Hoover’s tombstone.
Another tombstone visible in that picture with Trump and others smiling was of Master Sergeant Andrew Marckesano, who died by suicide in 2020.
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