CharlotteDems.com Editor’s note: The following letter to the editor of the Charlotte Sun, written by CCDEC member James Williams was published on Wednesday, Oct. 16th.
Editor: Charlotte County and Southwest Florida have a very large number of veterans in its population, and I know that most of them are supporters of President Trump. But now is the time for veterans to take a strong stand against him!
I’m a vet, airborne infantry from the Vietnam era, and implicit in the oath of office I took when I was commissioned was that no soldier, Marine, airman, or sailor leaves behind their fallen comrades and never abandons their allies. Trump’s irrational, seat-of-the-pants order to withdraw American special forces from supporting the Kurds last week goes against every grain of honor in my body.
His precipitous withdrawal not only betrayed our Kurdish allies but also upended recent gains made by the U.S. against ISIS. As of today (Oct. 14), at least 750 people with suspected links to ISIS escaped from a detention camp in northeast Syria. Additionally, the New York Times reported that the U.S. “failed to transfer five dozen ‘high value’ Islamic State detainees out of the country” while withdrawing.
I’m embarrassed and ashamed for my country, and every veteran should be as well.
James Williams, Punta Gorda
