The fallout from the explosive article in the Atlantic, where trump was quoted as calling Americans who died in war “losers and suckers”, continues to grow. We have seen the angry responses on twitter of military families posting pictures of their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, sons and daughters, who have sacrificed their lives and limbs for the country and for the freedoms we enjoy.
Below is a twitter thread by Charlotte Clymer, a military veteran, transgender activist and former Press Secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the US. In it, she recalls her trip in 2005 to Dover AFB, for a Dignified Transfer event, where we honor the return of the remains of fallen service members. The memories were triggered by the “losers and suckers” story.
From en.wikipedia.org/… — The dignified transfer is a procedure honoring the return of the remains of a service member from the theater of operations where they have died in the service of the United States. The transfer is conducted upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, from the arriving aircraft to a transfer vehicle, which then proceeds to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs. US military officials do not designate the dignified transfer as a ceremony so that loved ones of the deceased do not feel obliged to attend. Instead, it is described as "a solemn movement of the transfer case".
I am posting the entire twitter thread verbatim — so you can feel the strong bond service members have for each other, the love, respect and empathy they have for military families, the effort they put into making the event as flawless and dignified as possible, the emotional support they provide to families who are there to watch their loved ones arrive not on their feet but in a casket. The anger they must feel when they hear the despicable words spoken by the so called Commander-in-Chief is unimaginable.
- I was more nervous than I've ever been in my life about what was to come next, and so, as this Black Hawk floated above the earth with my casket team--me being the youngest and most junior--I could only think: "What if I mess this up? What if I fail? How will I live with myself?"
- That's how it should be in a moment like this. You should be nervous. You should let that sharpen your focus. Because there is no room for error when handling the remains of a service member returning to the U.S. after being killed in combat. You should strive for perfection.
- The helicopter landed, and my anxiety spiked. In retrospect, I recall noticing the silence of the rest of the casket team. These were young men, mostly early 20s, loud and boisterous and chests puffed. Now, they were quiet. It was unnerving.
- When you're a new enlisted soldier in an infantry unit--the FNG--you're treated like you know nothing. Because you don't. Everyone around you is older and vastly more competent and confident. Yet, in this moment, despite having done this before, they were all nervous, too. Scary.
- We were brought into a holding area near the tarmac on Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the remains of service members who have died in a theater of operations arrive on a C-17 transport plane. We rehearsed our steps. And did it again. And then again. No room for error.
- The plane arrived. The ramp was lowered. The transfer vehicle that would complete the next leg of the journey was parked. Our casket team was positioned. We were now each wearing ceremonial white cotton gloves we had held under the bathroom faucet. Damp gloves have a better grip.
- We’re a casket team, but these are not caskets. They're transfer cases: rectangular aluminum boxes that bear a resemblance to a crate for production equipment. Yet, the dimensions are obvious. Any given civilian would take only a few moments to realize that's for carrying bodies.
- It's called a "dignified transfer", not a "ceremony", because officials don't want loved ones to feel obligated to be there while in mourning, but it is as highly choreographed as any ceremony, probably more so. It is done as close to perfection as anything the military does.
- I was positioned in formation with my casket team, and I could see the transfer cases precisely laid out, dress right dress, in the cavernous space of the C-17, each draped with an American flag that had been fastened perfectly. I remember my stomach dropping.
- There is simply no space for other thoughts. Your full brain capacity is focused on not screwing up. The casket team steps off in crisp, exact steps toward the plane, up the ramp (please, oh god, don't slip), aside the case, lift up ceremonially, face back and down the ramp.
- During movement, everyone else is saluting: the plane personnel, the OIC (officer-in-charge), any senior NCOS and generals, and occasionally, the president. The family is sometimes there. No ceremonial music or talking. All silent, save for the steps of the casket team.
- You don't see the family during this. You're too focused. There are other distractions. Maybe they forgot, but no one told me there'd be 40-60 lbs. of ice in the transfer case to prevent decomposition over the 10-hour plane ride. You can sometimes feel it sloshing around a bit.
- Some of the transfer cases feel slightly heavier, some slightly lighter. The weight is distributed among six bearers, so it's not a big difference. But then you carry a case that's significantly lighter, and you realize those are the only remains they were able to recover.
- It probably takes all of 30-40 seconds to carry the transfer case from the plane to the mortuary vehicle, but it felt like the longest walk ever each time. The case is carefully placed in the back of the mortuary vehicle, and the casket team moves away in formation.
- I don't know how to describe the feeling after you're done and on your way back to D.C., but it's a mixture of intense relief that you didn't screw up and profound sobriety over what you've just done and witnessed. I wouldn't call it a good feeling. Maybe a numbed pain.
- From the outside, the most egalitarian place in America is a military transfer case. They all look exactly the same: an aluminum box covered with the American flag. We didn't know their names, rank, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation--none of it. All the same.
- Whatever cruel and unfathomable politics had brought all of us to that moment--from the killed service member in the box to those of us carrying it to the occasional elected official who attends to pay respects--there were no politics to be found during a dignified transfer.
- The fallen service members I helped receive and carry during this part of the journey to their final resting place were not "losers" or "suckers". They were selfless and heroic, and I had the honor of being among the first to hold them when they returned home.
- There are service members around the world involved in caring for our war fatalities. The mortuary specialists, the casket teams, the family liaisons--so many people who work to ensure that this final act is done with the greatest amount of dignity and honor, seeking perfection.
- I suppose the one thing we all took for granted is that dignity would always be affirmed by all our civilian leaders to those service members who gave everything. I never would have predicted any official, let alone a sitting president, would insult fallen service members.
- I cannot adequately describe my anger at Donald Trump for being so willing to send service members halfway around the world to die on his own behalf and then call them "losers" for doing so. This coward is unfit for his office and the power it holds. He needs to go.
- POSTSCRIPT: I always feel bad when I can't thank everyone who says kind things for something I write because the mentions simply get overwhelming, but I appreciate all of you. When I get angry, I channel it into writing. I'm grateful it resonated.
This is what one of these events look like — it is quiet, it is solemn, it is dignified, it is done with the utmost of care.
In 2009, the Obama administration reversed an 18-year-old ban on news coverage of returning fallen soldiers; it is however subject to the consent of the family of the deceased.
An overview of the meticulous preparation that goes into this process -
FYI, trump has traveled to Dover AFB exactly 4 times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL. There have been 96 dignified transfers at Dover since the start of trump’s presidency, in which the remains of 127 Americans killed overseas have been returned. www.huffpost.com/…
Charlotte Clymer is quite vocal and creative on twitter, very dedicated to her cause of equality and justice. Check out her twitter site for some refreshing inspiration.
Lakes for Biden 😄
And there are yet more confirmations and stories to come — of trump and his disdain for our men and women in uniform.
Now trump is deviously trying a drive a wedge between soldiers and the top brass, most of whom were appointed by him. Also, he is the one who boasts in his rallies about showering the Pentagon with 100’s of billions of extra dollars to buy bombs and planes. Perhaps, he is trying to intimidate them into supporting him.
Let’s keep this story alive, along with many others, to expose the rotten core of trump and the republican party, who care only for own wealth and power and that of their donors, and for whom, the rest of the nation, including service members and their own supporters, are simply “losers and suckers”.
And stay focused on keeping trump and republicans on the defense, keep Democrats energized and do whatever we can to help the GOTV effort.
Here is a catchy meme 😄
Further Reading
- Dignified Transfer Pays Tribute to Fallen — archive.defense.gov/…
- Honoring the Fallen: One Photographer’s Witness to 490 Dignified Transfers — time.com/…
- Inside One of the Military's Most Sacred Missions — www.moaa.org/...