I’m a Republican Military Spouse. For me, Hillary Is the Only Choice.
By Victoria Lewis
I initially chalked Donald Trump up as being nothing more than a TV huckster with a 5th grade mindset. I’ve never been a fan of Trump, but his failure to immediately disavow the KKK and David Duke during an interview in February was the last straw. I knew at that moment he was more than a huckster. He was someone who at his core is not a decent person and devoid of decent values. I knew then I would never vote for him.
The roots of the United States military run deep in my family with soldiers going back to the Revolutionary War through the present day. Someone from my family has served or fought in every major conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries. I joined the ranks of my ancestors when I became an Army wife.
Like many who come from a military family, I watched the last day of the DNC and saw the Khan family bravely take the stage to tell their story. I cried as I prayed for them and thanked God for their strength and courage.
Surely Trump would leave them alone. He could not be quite that repugnant. And then his attacks began. I was furious. How dare he insult the grieving parents of a fallen soldier?
Trump then had the audacity to say he had made “a lot of sacrifices.” He had worked hard and built structures. When I saw the interview I was shaking I was so livid. What decent human being would even dare to think those thoughts?
Being an Army wife is one of my proudest moments in life. I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to serve my country by loving and supporting one of our brave men. While we are no longer married, I am still incredibly proud of him and will cherish being an Army wife forever. Today, I continue to serve as the very proud sister of a courageous man I am honored to call my brother.
I have been through five deployments — three with my husband and two with my brother. Two of those five overlapped with my husband serving in Afghanistan at the same time my brother was serving in Iraq. For a total of 33 months I waited every day for my door bell to ring and to hear a soldier tell me I was a widow. For 24 months I waited for my phone to ring and for my mother to tell me I was once again an only child. Every day for nearly 1,000 days I proudly and honorably sacrificed my great country and I’d do every day over again if I had to because I believe in and love my country.
As Mr. Khan so aptly put it, Donald Trump has no clue what sacrifice is. Has he sat at Arlington next to the child of a slain soldier as she is handed the flag that draped her daddy’s casket? Has he held the hand of a soldier who has lost a leg and is taking his first steps in a prosthetic? Has he hugged the mother whose only child committed suicide as a result of PTSD?
What he has not done is been in the shoes of my mother or mother-in-law as they were worried sick for their only boys. He has not been in my shoes as tears rolled down my face watching my brave husband head off to war.
For him to even suggest he has sacrificed is evil, putrid, and at the very least insulting. Not only to our brave men and women who have the given their lives for our great land, but for the men and women who serve today, our veterans, and their families.
How can we elect someone who compares building things to losing a child? How can we allow a man who has no respect the courage of a decorated POW and Senator to decide whether our heroes will be rescued? How can we allow someone who says he “…always wanted one [Purple Heart]” to send our spouses, siblings, and children to war? How can we allow a man who “knows more than the generals” to give orders that violate Geneva Conventions, basic military law, and the Constitution to be Commander in Chief? And how can we allow a man who has openly talked about sexually assaulting women to command a military that continues to struggle with preventing and properly adjudicating sexual assault within their ranks?
This November for the first time in my life, I will proudly cast my vote in the presidential race for a Democrat — Hillary Clinton. She understands what real sacrifice is. She has the character, decency, and experience needed to be the Commander in Chief for my loved ones.
Victoria Lewis has volunteered and/or worked in Republican politics for 24 years. She began in 1992 at the age of 17 when she actively volunteered on the Bush/Quayle campaign. She continued volunteering on presidential, congressional, and state races throughout the years. She was and is a Republican, and deciding to vote for Secretary Clinton has been a tough road.
