Trump’s response to bounties fails troops
Commander in chief still can call out Putin
Fifty years ago, the men I commanded in Vietnam taught me what loyalty meant. I was a captain then, and A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division was my responsibility. My troops and I were on patrol when we encountered a dug-in enemy force, and I was the first man hit — four rounds from an AK-47. I called the men to come forward and they ran forward, under fire. Then, when we gained fire superiority, they stood up and assaulted the enemy position. The men in my command put their lives on the line: Their courage saved my life. For the rest of my military career, there was no action I would not take to protect the troops in my command. As any good leader would.
This is why I find it so galling that, as commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, President Donald Trump has done nothing despite the fact Russia has put a bounty on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. That a president would do so little to protect those to whom he has a sacred obligation is unfathomable. It is a dereliction of duty as commander in chief, an abandonment of the troops who depend upon him and a betrayal of leadership. Those troops whom he claims to support have paid in blood.
The story here is simple. According to The New York Times, Russian operatives offered bounties to the Taliban and organized criminals to kill American troops. While we are not certain of Russia’s motivation, it was likely trying to disrupt a fragile negotiated peace in Afghanistan. Russia — which, it bears repeating, conservatives and progressives agree is a hostile nation — wants to see us trapped in an expensive war with few good options. If American soldiers die to achieve Russian objectives, they believe, then all the better.
Indeed, American soldiers have lost their lives thanks to Russia’s bounty.
Service members’ lives demand a strong response.
Punish Putin
We should be slapping additional sanctions on Russia and freezing the assets of the oligarchs in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circle. We should be stationing more troops in Europe to counter Russia. We should not, as President Trump has done, give Russia a major strategic victory by pulling 9,500 troops out of Germany. We should provide more support to civil society organizations in Russia that push for things Putin cannot abide, like human rights and freedom of dissent.
President Trump, of course, claims that no one briefed him or other senior White House officials about the bounties. While I find that difficult to believe — during my time in uniform, this sort of information would have rocketed up the chain of command and quickly been in the President’s Daily Brief, and former intelligence officials have said that they find it very unlikely that the president would not have been told — that is still no excuse for the president’s behavior since the story became public.
He should have, and still can, call on Putin to immediately halt this behavior, and do so publicly. He should have provided Putin an ultimatum, giving him 48 hours to halt — and publicly disavow — the bounties program or face punishing personal sanctions.
Protecting troops vs. himself
Unfortunately, the president’s first reaction was not, “How can I protect the troops?” It was, “How can I protect myself ?”
He issued a Twitter denial that he knew about the bounties, then proceeded to launch irrelevant attacks at former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. As is so often the case with President Trump, the welfare of the nation and of our troops did not come up.
This is not what leadership looks like. These are not the actions of someone who serves — or even cares about — the troops to whom he has a duty. These are the actions of a man concerned with self-preservation and little else.
President Trump receives well-deserved criticism for failing to serve his country in Vietnam. Yet, given the lack of loyalty to the troops he has displayed in recent months, that might have been for the best.
Were he in A Company back then, he wouldn’t have charged across that bridge — he would have hung back and let the rest of us fend for ourselves. I and the others might never have made it home. WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at letters@usatoday.com, @usatodayopinion on Twitter and facebook.com/usatodayopinion. Comments are edited for length and clarity. Content submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital or other forms. For letters, include name, address and phone number. Letters may be mailed to 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.