Opinion: After 50 years, a Marine comes home. No, Donald Trump, Captain Ron Forrester is not a loser.

In January 1970, six Marine 2nd Lieutenants were commissioned at Texas A&M. I was one of them. Ron Forrester was another. Ron received his wings as a Naval Flight Officer, and I became a Marine artillery officer. We were both deployed to Vietnam. Ron was flying combat missions out of Nam Phong, Thailand, and I was assigned to the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade. During a night mission over North Vietnam on December 27, then-Lt. Forrester’s A-6 Intruder was shot down. Ron, later promoted to captain, along with Captain Ralph J. Chipman, were designated as missing in action and later as killed in action. For five decades their remains were not recovered.

Ron Forrester’s remains were positively identified on December 4th, 2023 and he will be coming home to Arlington National Cemetery. Captain Chipman’s return preceded Ron’s by four months.

Ron’s daughter, Karoni, who was only two when her dad was shot down, his twin brother Don and younger brother Larry, are thankfully now able to obtain closure and the solace that should follow from knowing their father and their brother is finally home and at rest. There are 1,577 Vietnam veteran families who remain without that relief.

For the last several decades Karoni Forrester hasn’t simply waited for something positive to happen. She served on the board of directors of the National League of POW/MIA Families and visited Vietnam representing POW-MIA families. She spoke at the dedication of the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument. These are her words:

“I want you to bring your children here and your grandchildren. You tell them about these men and women that we honored here today. You tell your kids about how these veterans answered their nation's call and left Texas to go to a far-away land called Vietnam. Tell them how these veterans fulfilled their duty to their country. Your duty is to make sure it is never forgotten”.

Unfortunately, former and possibly future President Donald J. Trump doesn’t share Karoni’s sentiments.

This past October, former Trump White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly, USMC, retired, confirmed in an interview various disparaging comments Trump has made about veterans. Kelly served Trump faithfully for longer than any other senior staff or Cabinet member. His integrity and honesty are impeccable.

You may recall that Trump famously described John McCain as “not a war hero” because he was captured, and added, “I like people who weren’t captured”. He made similar comments about former president George H. W. Bush who was shot down in the Pacific during World War II. You may think this is old news. It’s not. It’s consistency.

It's pretty rich coming from a guy who boasts he was a draft-worthy baseball player and certainly enjoys golf, yet during the Vietnam War received a military deferment for “bone spurs” signed by a doctor who was his father’s tenant.

Trump also emphatically described veterans who were killed or wounded in action as “losers” because “there is nothing in it for them”. He demanded he not be seen in the presence of veteran amputees because “it doesn’t look good for me.” During a 2018 trip to France, he cancelled a visit to the graves of 1,800 Marines killed in the World War One Battle of Belleau Wood saying, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with “losers.” He also described those same Marines as “suckers” for getting killed. General Kelly’s Marine son was killed in Afghanistan and one can only wonder if the general thought Trump considered his son a “loser” as well.

I’m certain Trump would consider Marine Captain Ronald Wayne Forrester, and Marine 1st Lieutenant Robert Michael Kelly, in the same manner as those Marines buried in France. I can add others to that list.

Marine 1st Lieutenant Ed Hayen and I vied for a single slot as an Aerial Observer in Vietnam. Ed prevailed and was killed in 1972 by NVA artillery during the “Easter Offensive.” Army Warrant Officer and fellow high school swimming teammate Ted Skiles was killed in action while piloting an AH-1 Cobra Attack helicopter in Long An province. Lt Commander Jim Bob Segars didn’t die in combat but rather in an aircraft accident. These men would all be “losers” to Donald Trump. He’s wrong. They are heroes.

If Commander-in-Chief, how would his blatant disregard for military service manifest itself when making decisions that may put our military in harm’s way? Those who serve today deserve a commander who respects, not disparages, their service; and our votes should demand that. Vietnam veterans made a commitment that no veteran would receive the treatment we did upon returning home from fulfilling our duty. We need to also commit that anyone elected to wield the power to send our military to action be someone who respects it and respects us. Donald Trump is not that person.

Welcome home and Semper Fidelis, Ron. You’re not a ‘loser” or a “sucker.” You’re a patriot and an honorable Texan who loved his country. God Bless you.

Patterson is a retired Marine Vietnam veteran and former Texas Land Commissioner and state senator. He resides in Austin.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Opinion: After 50 years, a Marine comes home. No, Donald Trump, Captain Ron Forrester is not a loser.