Trump Insults Medal of Honor Recipients

President Donald Trump’s comments about military veterans, especially those who have been injured in combat, are well documented. He has disparaged them on several occasions and reportedly told aides when he was in office that he did not want to see service members who have lost limbs in parades.

At a recent campaign event, Trump went to great lengths to praise a wealthy donor, Dr. Miriam Adelson. Dr. Adelson and her late husband gave millions of dollars into electing Republicans, including Trump. While he was in office, Trump honored Dr. Adelson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her donations to anti-addiction facilities and her work as a medical professional. 

During the campaign event, Trump said the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the equivalent of the Medal of Honor but is better because “everyone who gets the Medal of Honor are soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.” 

As noble and important Dr. Adelson’s contributions have been, they truly cannot compare to the contributions of those who have received the Medal of Honor. How Trump could consider the two awards equal is beyond comprehension.

Since the award was first approved by Congress in 1861, 40 million individuals have served our country in uniform but only 3519 have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is also a prestigious award and is the highest civilian award in the U.S. It’s awarded to those individuals recommended to the president who have made especially meritorious contributions to the national security or national interests of the nation; world peace; or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Since 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been presented 653 times. 

A list of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients would include political leaders, athletes, writers, poets, musicians, movie stars, philanthropists, and supreme court justices. As grateful we are to those who have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, their contributions cannot be compared to those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Every American should take a moment to read just a few stories of the 3519 Medal of Honor recipients. 

William Henry Thompson. Army Private First Class William Henry Thompson served in the Korean War and was a member of an all-Black unit. In August 1950, North Koreans attacked his unit. Thompson was manning one of his platoon’s machine guns.

During the fight, Thompson was repeatedly hit by grenade fragments and small arms fire. When his platoon was ordered to retreat, he resisted all efforts to move toward safety. According to those who witnessed his actions, Thompson’s last words were, “Get out of here! I’ll cover you.”

As his platoon moved to higher ground to find a better defensive position, Thompson remained in place, firing his machine gun at the enemy. His fellow soldiers said they continued to hear his gun until several grenades exploded, and the sound of the machine gun stopped.

Days after the battle, soldiers from Thompson's company found his body surrounded by enemy soldiers he'd killed before he died.

Thompson was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously—the first Black man to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Korea.

 Wayne Maurice Caron. After just a month in Vietnam in 1968, Caron was serving as a Navy hospital corpsman in a Marine unit. During a firefight, two Marines fell, and Caron rushed to support them. As the battle became more intense, more Marines were injured. As he moved toward them, Caron himself was shot. Knocked to the ground, he quickly got back up and made it to a severely wounded Marine.

Caron heroically performed a tracheotomy on the man, undoubtedly saving his life.

As Caron ran to another injured Marine, he was hit again. No longer able to walk, he dragged himself to a second injured Marine. As he moved to a third Marine, Caron was hit once again. Caron crawled back to his platoon to obtain more supplies. He was soon hit once again and ultimately died.

Caron was found to have 28 bullet holes in his body. His son, who was born four months after his death, attended his father’s Medal of Honor ceremony in 1970.

Although not required by law or military regulation, military members are encouraged to render salutes to Medal of Honor recipients out of respect and courtesy—regardless of rank or status. This is one of the few instances where a living member of the military will receive salutes from members of a higher rank. 

Mr. Trump would be well served to read just a few of the more than 3500 jaw-dropping Medal of Honor documentations. His saying the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor are comparable is insulting to all those who have been honored with the Medal of Honor. He owes them and their surviving families an apology and solemn salute for their bravery, courage, and selfless sacrifice—all beyond the call of duty. 

Unfortunately, those actions are unlikely to come from Mr. Trump

RADM Tom Jurkowsky (U.S. Navy, ret.) served on active duty for 31 years, beginning his career as an enlisted sailor. He is the author of the book “The Secret Sauce for Organizational Success: Communications and Leadership on the Same Page.”