US Army defends Arlington cemetery employee pushed during Trump visit
Department of International Relations and Strategic Studies 30-08-2024
The United States Army has defended an Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) 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 ceremony that took place on Monday.
That was the day Trump visited the cemetery and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of 13 service members killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The incident occurred when he went to 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 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 the cemetery and take photographs with them.”They love me and I love them,” Trump said.
He used the third anniversary on Monday of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic pullout on his Democratic rival for the White House Kamala Harris.
