PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

One reality I have never understood and will never understand is the disdain with which President Donald Trump treats military service personnel, including genuine American heroes.

It appears he thinks they are the enemy.

Hard on the heels of Veterans’ Day, Trump has gone nuclear again.

This time, he lofted substantial criticism of former Seal Team Six commander, retired Admiral Bill McRaven, suggesting that McRaven should have caught Osama Bin Laden sooner.

Of course, the fact that it was not McRaven’s job to find Bin Laden didn’t matter to Trump who, as usual, avoid facts and context. It was McRaven’s job, once Bin Laden was located by the Central Intelligence Agency, to do what he did, which was lead the effort to rid the world of this terrorist.

Leon Panetta who was CIA director during the bin Laden raid and later served as secretary of defense, said Trump owed an apology to McRaven and to all of those in the military and intelligence agencies who played a role in tracking down bin Laden and carrying out the risky raid into Pakistan. He called Trump’s remark “patently ridiculous.”

On top of that, McRaven also led Seal Team Six to capture former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein.

For these and other demonstrations of true, expert and sacrificial leadership, McRaven deserves the country’s thanks, not derision from the president.

Trump didn’t care about his sleights of McRaven. They only came on top of other slams against the military, which Trump, at least on paper, leads as commander in chief.

Other examples:

• Incredibly, Trump criticized the late Senator Jon McCain because he, Trump, said he respects military service personnel “who don’t get captured.”
• Incredibly, on the most recent Veterans’ Day, Trump failed to participate in ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the service of those who died defending the country. What did he say? That he was “too busy.”
• Incredibly, Trump has sent thousands of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to keep out those participating in what he calls a “caravan.” The fact that Trump’s initial action came shortly before the November 6 mid-term election struck a number of observers as nothing more than a political stunt.

All of this makes even less because Trump never served a minute in the military. Selfless service to his country was not in his makeup. Never was. Never will be.

As a narcissist, it’s all about aggrandizing himself at the expense of others.

My views are that, (a) Trump owes the late Senator McCain an apology, even though McCain will never hear it in person…his family will: (b) Trump owes McRaven an apology, though he, Trump, will never offer it; and (c) Trump should visit Arlington National Cemetery if only to reflect on the sacrifice and service of so many which, irony of ironies, have benefited Trump and others who live and work in a free society.