Kathy Hansinger: Trump disrespecting veterans

My late father had his doctor lie about his age in order to enlist in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Many others did the same. He was piloting bombers over Germany at age 17, then was recalled for the Korean conflict.

I suppose Donald Trump would call him “Lying Joe” for that act.

When he was lucky enough to return home, he was too battle-weary to talk about his experience and never joined the VFW organization. However, he did instill in his four children to be respectful of the sacrifices made, to never defame soldiers because we can’t imagine what they have gone through.

It saddened me to see the standing ovation given to Trump at the VFW convention. The same Trump who did everything to get out of service, who made flippant remarks about Sen. John McCain’s years as a POW and is now belittling himself by picking a fight with the parents of a dead soldier.

I know that my dad would have stood up when Trump entered the VFW convection room. But it would have been to walk out.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Kathy Hansinger: Trump disrespecting veterans."