WASHINGTON: The US Army defended an Arlington National Cemetery employee who was pushed aside during a visit by former President Donald Trump, saying that she acted professionally and was being unfairly attacked.

The military rarely comments on political matters and while its statement on Thursday did not explicitly mention Trump or his campaign, it made reference to a Monday ceremony.

On that day Trump, the Republican candidate in the Nov 5 presidential election, visited the cemetery and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the 13 service members killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

He also visited Section 60 of the cemetery, where troops are buried and is considered hallowed ground in the military. Federal law and Pentagon policies do not allow political activities in that section of the cemetery, but videos were taken by Trump’s campaign and used in advertisements.

“An ANC (Arlington National Cemetery) employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the Army statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” it added.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung had said: “The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”

Trump’s vice presidential running mate JD Vance, at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, brushed off the criticism and said the Trump campaign had permission to have a photographer present during Trump’s stop at the cemetery.

Concerns about politicisation

The US military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the US Constitution and independent of any party or political movement. But critics accused Trump of using the military as prop and undermining Pentagon efforts to keep out of politics during his four years in office from 2017-2021.

While in office, Trump intervened and restored the rank of a Navy Seal convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State detainee and threatened to use US troops to put down protests around the country. Since leaving office Trump has berated some military officials.

The Arlington cemetery incident has revived fears among some officials and experts that Trump could use the military for political purposes if he wins a second term. “We really did not want to get involved in this,” said a US military official. “But what happened (at Arlington) is not acceptable.”

The Army has said that it considers the matter closed since the employee did not press charges. “It definitely puts the military in a position they’re trying to avoid,” said Kori Schake, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Impact on veteran voters?

A post on TikTok by Trump shows images of him near tombstones in Section 60 at the cemetery, sometimes smiling and giving a thumbs up with the family of at least one service member killed in Afghanistan. A number of veterans have criticised Trump, calling the move disrespectful.

“This is no way for a government official or political candidate to conduct themselves on the sacred ground of Section 60 at Arlington,” retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The final resting place of so many heroic Americans — including some who died under my command — is not a political prop,” Stavridis added.

Whether the move will sway veterans on Election Day was unclear. In a report published in April, the Pew Research Centre found that military veterans favor the Republican Party, with 63 per cent of respondents identifying with or leaning Republican.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024