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JWV Condemns Rewriting Military Service Over Political Feud

This week, Representative Luis Gutierrez went off on a rant about Chief of Staff General (ret) John Kelly – stating that he was a “disgrace to the uniform” and likening him to white supremacists.  General Kelly recently assumed the position of Chief of Staff in the White House, and before that, he was the director of Homeland Security.

It seems that Mr. Gutierrez is placing all of his frustration with the Trump administration on General Kelly, who is a decorated General with an exemplary military service.  Gutierrez, who has never worn the uniform, thought it was acceptable to slander General Kelly’s military service over this partisan issue.

For those unfamiliar with the military, you can disagree with your commanding officer, but at the end of the day, they make a decision and you follow it.  It is not incongruent with General Kelly’s military service to execute a lawful order from the commander in chief.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.

In the future, we hope that any lawmakers refrain from defaming the military service of any veterans in an effort to gain political brownie points.  General Kelly is in no way a disgrace to the uniform.  We recommend that Representative Gutierrez rescind his earlier comments and issue an apology to General Kelly.

 

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JWV Supports the Right to Serve

On July 26, 2017, President Trump announced in a series of tweets that transgender troops would no longer be allowed to serve in the military – saying the U.S. military “would not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”

Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. stands for respecting all individuals without regard to race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.  We remain committed to supporting all are troops no matter their background.  Those that serve honorably deserve the same respect and honor as any other member of the Armed Forces.

We advise that the President work with his Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense to develop a policy that supports factual analysis and has respect for the individuals who have served our nation proudly.  We believe that by listening to wise council, the President will be able to make the right decision that supports our troops and ensures our national security.

“Echoing what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said…and to quote a former office mate of mine, the late Army General Maxwell R. Thurman, ‘be all you can be.’  We intend for the U.S. military to employ our nation’s best and brightest in protecting our country and upholding the values of the American people.  Permitting qualified individuals from all backgrounds serves this goal,” says JWV National Commander COL Carl A. Singer.

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