Letters To The New York Daily News Concerning Trump's Offensive Words To The Widow Of Slain Soldier La David Johnson
Finding the right words for grief
Syosset, L.I.: It’s not only the words that matter, but the way in which they are conveyed, and by whom.
I believe that the President did ask Gen. John Kelly what to say in his call to the families of the men killed in Niger. The general conveyed the words that had comforted him when his son was killed. And they were good words, spoken between two men who have military backgrounds, who view service in the military as a higher calling, an honorable calling.
Had a member of the military told Myeshia Johnson that her husband “knew what he was getting into,” it would have been received in a different spirit. I can imagine though, that hearing those words spoken by Trump, someone who has never known the meaning of the words service and sacrifice, they must have sounded very glib and dismissive.
The words and the subsequent storm surrounding them have only served to cause the family of Sgt. La David Johnson more grief. Perhaps the President should forego phone calls in future and stick to letters. It might be easier to feign empathy and sincerity on paper. Elena Andrusezko
Trump’s Gold Star exception
Bronx: I am curious as to what John Kelly thinks of Trump’s past treatment of the Gold Star family of slain Muslim Army Capt. Humayun Khan. If Kelly is going to bring up past issues in regards to the disrespect that Rep. Frederica Wilson has insisted occurred and which has been confirmed by the family of the widow of slain Sgt. La David Johnson, then Kelly might want to make a comment on why Trump can’t seem to relate to nonwhite families of slain military service members. Kevin Valentine
Poignant viewpoints
Onslow, Iowa: John Kelly’s reply to President Trump is what one soldier expresses to another soldier about his soldier son’s death and is probably fitting in that context. I have heard that concept expressed, on NPR, by a soldier, saying they are professionals and know what they have signed up for. However, when speaking to a pregnant, grieving widow, you must come to her, from her point of view, a wife who has just lost her husband and the father of their family. Therefore, the congresswoman is not wrong; it was not the thing to say. We must choose our words carefully, befitting the situation and circumstance. (Also, if one is conveying condolences to a parent or a child, you do so from their viewpoint, as well.) Marilyn J. Gray
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