US Army defends Arlington National Cemetery employee in Trump campaign
incident
Send a link to a friend
[August 30, 2024]
By Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army defended an Arlington National
Cemetery 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 Monday ceremony.
On that day Trump, the Republican candidate in the Nov. 5 presidential
election, visited the cemetery and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony
honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from
Afghanistan in 2021.
He also visited 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 (Arlington National Cemetery) 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 Arlington
National Cemetery and take photographs with them.

"They love me and I love them," Trump said.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung had said: "The fact is that a
private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever
reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health
episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team
during a very solemn ceremony."
Trump used the third anniversary on Monday of the U.S. withdrawal from
Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic pullout on his Democratic rival
for the White House, Kamala Harris.
CONCERNS ABOUT POLITICIZATION
The U.S. military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the U.S.
Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
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.
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 U.S. troops to put down protests around the country.
Since leaving office Trump has berated some military officials.
[to top of second column]
|

Gravestones adorned with American Flags are seen at Arlington
National Cemetery on Memorial Day in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., May
27, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

"We really did not want to get involved in this," said a U.S.
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 post on TikTok by Trump shows videos of 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 U.S. 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 shows Trump and the family of Darin Taylor
Hoover, a 31-year-old Marine Corps staff sergeant who was among the
last 13 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan, smiling and giving a
thumbs up over Hoover's tombstone.
Hoover's father, also Darin Hoover, told Reuters that a number of
families had invited Trump to Arlington cemetery because he has been
supportive of them.
Hoover said he was angered and frustrated by the outcry, including
over the image of his son's gravesite.
"This was our time to spend with (our son), spend with the
president.... If we didn't want to do it, we would not have done
it," Hoover said.
Another tombstone visible in that picture with Trump and others
smiling is of Master Sergeant Andrew Marckesano, who died by suicide
in 2020.
In a statement, his family said they understood Hoover's family and
other families looking for accountability for the troops killed in
Afghanistan, but based on their conversation with Arlington National
Cemetery, the Trump campaign did not follow the rules.
"We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these
were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are
honored and respected accordingly," Michele Marckesano said.
Whether the incident will sway veterans on Election Day was unclear.
In a report published in April, the Pew Research Center found that
military veterans favor the Republican Party, with 63% of
respondents identifying with or leaning Republican.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali. Additional reporting by Katharine Jackson;
Editing by Don Durfee, Howard Goller and Deepa Babington)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |