Oct 6, 2016 2 min read

Being the simple-minded sap that he is, the GOP candidate for president said during a recent speech in Pennsylvania that U.S combat troops suffering from the insidious effects of post-traumatic stress disorder wouldn’t have to suffer if only they were stronger.

This from a lean, mean fighting machine who evaded service in Vietnam because of sore feet.

This from a warrior who, when accepting a Purple Heart from a veteran last summer, said he didn’t realize it was so easy.

When I served in the military, some guys I knew were stationed in Beirut, Lebanon, on the morning of Oct. 23, 1983, when a suicide bomber drove a truckload of explosives into compound that housed peacekeepers from the United States and France, killing 241 sleeping Marines and sailors. To this day, the survivors probably flinch when they hear a firecracker or a popping balloon, and who could blame them?

They are, despite what the Orange Joker would say, tough. They made it through the rigors of boot camp and were tough enough to endure the sacrifice of leaving their homes and families for months or years at a time in service of their country.

I wasn’t that tough. I was never awakened by the sound of bombs exploding around me. At worst, I had some sleepless nights during my first few weeks on an aircraft carrier, when my bunk was directly below where fighter jets took off and landed during nighttime operations. Eventually, I got used to it.

Sadly, many of our fighting men and women never recover from the horrors of war. And to those who still support the cretin who degrades them, I’m happy to have never served with you.

If I had, I would have never left you behind at a battle station. But if you had offered any assistance to me, I would have declined. I’d rather have given the ultimate sacrifice than be indebted to someone who worships a candidate who will never understand what it means to be strong.

Vin Morabito

Scranton