HOLIDAY/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VIETNAM: “On the 75th anniversary of a defining battle of the defining war of human history so far, it’s clear that military service has never been less important to American voters. President Donald Trump, who is in Europe to commemorate D-Day, felt completely comfortable explaining his own lack of service in Vietnam because he didn’t like that war, though at the time he said it was bone spurs. Trump said Wednesday [6-5-19] he’s making up for it by giving the military lots of money now — taxpayer money, that is. Six US presidents served overseas during World War II, but none since President George H.W. Bush have gone abroad, if they served at all. At this point, we might get a President who served in Afghanistan or Iraq — that’s South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard or Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton — but it’s almost certain the US will never have a commander in chief who served in Vietnam. It has had three, including Trump, who found a way around the draft. That’s old news, but it doesn’t mean Trump won’t still have to answer questions about it, as he did in Wednesday’s interview with the British journalist Piers Morgan, who asked him if he would have liked to have served.”
–Zachary B. Wolf, “Why Trump’s Vietnam comments matter on D-Day,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, June 5, 2019 7:26 pm