My father, the Marine.

In my home, I see the mementos of two parents who were in the Marine Corps. My father is now buried at Arlington and my mother is living in an assisted living facility. Neither of them ever voted for a Democrat in their lives. I would guess though that my father would change that if he were still alive. My mother has already announced that she is voting for Clinton.

I look at my father’s Dress Blues (the uniform they wear at the same time civilians wear black tie) with his medals hanging on the jacket. One of his medals is a Purple Heart. He was wounded in World War II several times. I grew up with him having to go to Bethesda Naval Hospital occasionally when pieces of shrapnel from the Japanese would work their way to just below his skin and he would have to have them cut out. I read his service reports when he died. He saved other Marines lives with his wounds untreated.

How dare Trump criticize a couple who lost their child to war, whose son sacrificed his life to help protect all of us. How dare Trump hold a purple heart in his hands and say that he “always wanted one” and that this was an easy way to get it.

Republicans who are still backing him use Hillary’s email catastrophe and her handling of the Benghazi attack as saying she is not trustworthy and would risk national security. Well, Trump has steadily these past two weeks put himself in that category, and worse by attacking a military family. He says he was “hitting back” because he was criticized. Does he think that he can never be wrong? How is he going to be President if he can’t take criticism? How is he going to lead a country and our military if he has no concept of what the men and women in uniform do for us? If he can’t understand what grief and loss mean to those who have lost their family members or our country?

I grew up being incredibly proud of my Marine parents and their service to this country. I cannot support someone who doesn’t recognize what sacrifices military families make every day for all of us. And Mr. Khan was right in asking what sacrifices Mr. Trump had ever made. And all Trump could answer was building buildings and creating jobs. What has this country come to when we have candidates like Trump?