BY TONY CHEONG: Many of you, I'm guessing, watched the Republican debate last week.
I plopped myself on the sofa in front of the TV and watched, too.
And, of course, all eyes are on candidate Donald Trump. I got to wondering how folks in our neck of the woods feel about the billionaire who's leading the race in the polls. He's made some controversial statements, so of course I seized on that.
In particular, I wanted to know what our communities — which all have rich military histories — thought
BY TONY CHEONG: Many of you, I'm guessing, watched the Republican debate last week.
I plopped myself on the sofa in front of the TV and watched, too.
And, of course, all eyes are on candidate Donald Trump. I got to wondering how folks in our neck of the woods feel about the billionaire who's leading the race in the polls. He's made some controversial statements, so of course I seized on that.
In particular, I wanted to know what our communities — which all have rich military histories — thought
about his comments directed at John McCain, who he said was not a war hero even though he spent five years as a POW during the Vietnam War.
"I like guys who don't get captured," Trump said.
So I talked to local veterans about his comments. Frankly, I was surprised. I figured they'd all denounce him.
They didn't. To be sure, many did, but many also supported his comments, and support him for president. This is totally unscientific, but about 60-65 percent of the dozen or so vets I spoke to denounced him. That means 35 to 40 percent had no problem with what he said.
So here is a sampling of that they had to say. I've chosen three — one from Garden Grove, one from Stanton and one from Westminster.
PETER KATZ
Katz, of Garden Grove, served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1972. His duties included escorting fallen soldiers in their coffins on their way back to the United States and presiding over 28 military funerals. Here's what he had to say:
"He's the type of person that speaks off the cuff. If you listen to the whole comment, he didn't say what the media is reporting… He's saying a lot of right-on things about how we're not taking care of our vets."
Katz also opined that the VA is a "disaster," about half of the soldiers who fought in one or both of the Gulf wars are dead and that McCain should spend less time politicking and more time working on behalf of vets.
"John McCain has done very little in his position of power for veterans," Katz said.
DAVID NGUYEN
Nguyen (he changed his first name when he came to America), a Westminster resident, was a soldier for the Republic of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. When the North Vietnamese overwhelmed South Vietnam, he fled, eventually settling in Westminster with his wife and two children.
Following are his comments:
"Mr. John McCain will always be a hero to me for helping South Vietnam. We are in his debt, and he suffered so much for so long in the prison camp. They broke his bones. The Vietcong were evil. They tortured and killed prisoners. I would like to ask Mr. Trump a question: Where were you when Mr. John McCain was fighting for our freedom? I don't care about his money. Money does not make a man to me. Mr. John McCain is a man I respect and a hero."
AL ETHANS
Ethans, the mayor of Stanton, served in the Navy Reserve and U.S. Navy in the 1940s. During the Korean War, he served in the Air Force. His total service came to eight years.
Here's what he had to say about Trump:
"He should apologize. I'm like a lot of other veterans. All to me are heroes for serving their country and going through all that crap they have to go through. I think McCain's a hero but I think there are about 10,000 other heroes, too."
Do you have a comment, question or news tip for Tony? Email her at tonyontown@yahoo.com.
