It goes without saying that Trump has consistently shown his support for the United States military, and he has always made sure to show them his neverending appreciation. If you ever doubted Donald Trump’s loyalty to the troops, then pay attention, because once you’re done reading this, you’ll see how dedicated he really is.
On Christmas Day, President Trump and his wife, Melania, made a surprise trip to visit the U.S. soldiers that were stationed in Iraq. It was Trump’s first time visiting a combat zone, and it was the first time that a first lady had been to a combat zone in over ten years.
Trump took selfies, shook hands, and spoke with the soldiers, who genuinely seemed happy to see him. Many of them asked the President to sign their MAGA hats and one woman even brought her Trump banner with her for him to sign.
On December 15, 2018, President Trump paid a visit to Arlington National Cemetary. He took the time to give his respects to the Wreaths Across America, which is where volunteers distributed Christmas wreaths on every tombstone in the cemetery. During his visit, he visited Section 60, which is where the fallen Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans are laid to rest.
On Thanksgiving Day, Trump spent the holiday with the members of the Coast Guard at Station Lake Worth Inlet in Florida. “If you were doing a brand, they would say this is one of the great brand increases. Nobody has gone up more than the Coast Guard,” he said to the Coast Guard members.
In May of 2018, Trump hosted the military spouses and mothers at the White House to recognize them for what they do for our country. “Too often, military spouses do not receive the recognition they deserve,” said Trump at the ceremony on May 9th.
“You endure long separations during deployments, and some of them are much longer than you ever bargained for. You routinely move your families around the country and all over the world. You maintain morale in your family and across the military community. Your support is essential to making our military the mightiest fighting force in the world, and getting stronger all the time,” he explained. “Your love, resilience, and courage uplifts our heroes and, indeed, our nation. We are forever in your debt,” he continued.
Last Christmas, Trump paid a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland to visit the wounded warriors. According to reporters, Trump said that he was going there to “say hello to some of the bravest people anywhere in the world.”
Trump told reporters, “We’re just going to wish them a Merry Christmas, a happy New Year.” While he was visiting the wounded soldiers, Trump awarded his very first presidential Purple Heart to an Army sergeant that was wounded in Afghanistan.
In November of 2017, Trump celebrated Veterans Day by visiting the U.S. veterans in Vietnam. “One of my great honors is to represent the people standing right behind me — great, great warriors and veterans of the Vietnam War,” he told the veterans during a meeting at a hotel in Danang, Vietnam. In November of 2018, he designated the entire month of November as National Veterans and Military Families Month.
He continued talking to the veterans by telling them: “To each of you with me today, you are the heroes who fulfilled your duty to our nation. And each of you, under the most difficult conditions, did what you had to do, and you did it well.”
Also, in November of 2017, Trump visited over 100 troops that were stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Trump had a Taco Tuesday lunch at the dining facility on the base with the president of South Korea, Jae-in.
After the president’s 20-minute appearance, 21-year old Pvt. Merion Holmes told Stars and Stripes that “He said he’d rather eat with the troops than at a fancy restaurant. It made me feel like he cared.”
Trump hosted two dozen Medal of Honor recipients and their guests in honor of Medal Day at the White House in March of 2017. According to the Military Times, Trump told the crowd, “Your acts of valor inspire us and they show us that there is always someone on the night watch to ensure a bright sun rises on America each and every morning,”
In March of 2017, President Trump visited the sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford. The Navy Times reports that there were hundreds of yard workers and sailors waiting for hours in the ship’s hangar bay to hear Trump speak.
The crowd cheered when Trump made the promise to end the defense sequester and to give “our military the tools to prevent war and, if needed, to fight war and only do one thing — you know what that is? Win. We are going to start winning again.”
22-year-old Fire Controlman 3rd Class James Meisch from Kingman, Arizona told the Times, “This is a very joyous day for me as it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a president in person…I’m really thrilled and honored to have this opportunity.”
Over and over again President Donald Trump has shown that he cares about the well-being of our troops and veterans. So, the next time you hear someone say different, you can back up the president with this post!
