#Andrew Marckesano

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Why Trump’s Arlington controversy is actually a crime

John Stoehr

August 30, 2024 5:49AM ET

Sgt. Phillip J. Reddick plays taps in honor of Staff Sgt. Darryl D. Booker and Col. Paul M. Kelly Nov. 16, 2013, at their Arlington National Cemetery grave sites (Photo by Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

It’s not a controversy. It’s a crime.

If we don’t say so, we’re complicit.

National Public Radio reported Tuesday that two officials from the Donald Trump campaign assaulted a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery. The staffer tried stopping the former president from filming a campaign advertisment in Section 60. That section is reserved for the men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s considered by many Americans to be sacred ground.

Trump was at Arlington Monday for an event marking the third anniversary of an attack on US military forces as they withdrew from Afghanistan. An emerging theme of his presidential campaign is blaming Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the 13 Marines who were killed that day by an ISIS suicide bomber outside Kabul Airport.

Later, at the behest of two Gold Star families, Trump attended a separate, private ceremony in Section 60 at the headstones of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee. That’s when the “altercation” occurred. “When entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside,” according to NPR.

Assault is a crime, but the criming didn’t stop there.

ALSO READ: Trump campaign targets secretary of the Army in its latest attack over Arlington scandal

According to Arlington National Cemetery, it’s against federal law to make campaign advertisements in Section 60. In other words, it’s illegal to turn the honored war dead into disposable partisan props. Put another way, profaning their memory and sacrifice is punishable by law. In a statement to NPR, Arlington National Cemetery said:

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign.”

In the same statement, Arlington National Cemetery said it “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”

Compounding the offense is the Trump campaign’s reaction.

Spokesman Stephen Cheung accused the cemetery staffer who was trying to uphold federal law of physically blocking “members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony,” even saying the staffer was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.” Another campaign official called the staffer “a despicable individual.”

Compounding matters more is the treatment of the Gold Star families.

They chose to invite Trump to the memorial, but did they also choose to be complicit in a federal crime? Did the Trump campaign inform them of the law, as Arlington had informed the Trump campaign?

According to Arlington National Cemetery, it informed “all participants.” Were the families led to believe they were merely helping a candidate whom they clearly support? Or were they led to believe law-breaking was fine and dandy as long as they were with Trump?

It gets worse.

The Trump campaign appears to have induced these Gold Star families into issuing a press release in which they thanked Trump and said they authorized his videographer to take photos and video at the ceremony.

There are two problems: One is that permission wasn’t theirs to give. Two is that there’s another headstone in the campaign photo (above). Army Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, a Green Beret and a Silver Star recipient who served six tours in Afghanistan, is buried next to Hoover. According to reports, his family wasn’t asked for permission.

So not only do these Gold Star families appear complicit in breaking federal law, they appear complicit in gravely offending another Gold Star family whose child loved his country as much as theirs did.

And by inducing these families into issuing their press release, he involved them indirectly in a cover-up of the original crime.

It gets even worse.

The Timesreported that the cemetery staffer who was assaulted for trying, under law, to stop the Trump campaign has decided not to press charges. Why? According to military authorities, the Timessaid, it’s because “she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.”

In other words, she feared political violence.

So, thanks to Trump’s corruption, these Gold Star families now appear complicit in: breaking federal law; gravely offending another Gold Star family; covering up the original crime; and demonstrating the role of political violence in the wholesale degradation of individual liberty and the rule of law.

Their kids died fighting terrorism and terrorism won.

But they are not the only ones complicit.

So are we – if we don’t stand by what we say.

Arlington National Cemetery is operated by the United States Army. It is not a civilian bureaucracy run by a partisan appointee. There’s no “deep state” here. These are people with the deepest feeling imaginable for fidelity and respect. If anything, they’re Trumpsupporters. Yet loyalty to him didn’t override loyalty to the fallen. The obligation to their memory compelled them to oppose Trump’s desecration of it.

If we believe what we say about Arlington National Cemetery, and I think most of us do, there should be no debate over Monday’s events. There should not be “both sides.” This should not be a story about what Trump said versus what Arlington National Cemetery said. The question: shouldn’t be what happened? It should be: who do we believe?

Do we believe Trump, a draftdodger who thinks volunteers for military service are “suckers” and “losers”; who thinks soldiers maimed in combat are embarrassing; who said prisoners of war are unworthy of reverence; who insulted recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor; and who, just yesterday, released an ad using the honored war dead as a disposable campaign prop to attack his opponent?

Or do we believe those trying to keep sacred ground sacred?

As I’m writing, the Post reported that the Army stands by the cemetery staffer who tried stopping the Trump campaign’s criming. The rest of us should stand by her, too. If we believe what we say about Arlington — and our values – there’s no question about what happened.

It’s not a controversy. It’s a crime.

We should say so.

[ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly]

By Chris CameronMaggie Haberman and Eric Schmitt

The family of a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving eight combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald J. Trump’s campaign had filmed his gravesite without permission as Mr. Trump stood in an area where campaign photography isn’t allowed.

Relatives of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano issued their statement two days after Mr. Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee. The former president’s campaign took video in a heavily restricted section of the cemetery known as Section 60, which is largely reserved for the fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.

Sergeant Marckesano died on July 7, 2020, after moving to Washington to begin a job at the Pentagon. He had three children, and friends said he had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in combat. He earned Silver and Bronze Stars during his service. His gravesite is adjacent to that of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who was killed in the 2021 bombing at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

The Hoover family granted permission to the Trump team to film and take photographs at the gravesite; the Marckesano family did not, and filming and photographing at the gravesite for political purposes is a violation of federal law, according to cemetery officials. Yet Sergeant Marckesano’s grave was shown in photos from the visit that were published online. A video was posted to Mr. Trump’s TikTok account featuring footage from the Section 60 visit and the gravestones from behind, with narration criticizing the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

In a statement from Sergeant Marckesano’s relatives after being contacted by The New York Times, his sister, Michele, said, “We fully support Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover’s family and the other families in their quest for answers and accountability regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”

“However,” she added, “according to our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery, the Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover’s gravesite in Section 60, which lays directly next to my brother’s grave.”

Sergeant Marckesano’s sister continued, “We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly.”

Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, did not address the statement from the Marckesano family, saying when asked about the TikTok video only that “the campaign will continue to respect the wishes of the Gold Star family members who invited President Trump.”

Sergeant Marckesano had served six tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne and others in combat overseas, according to news accounts at the time of his death. His family is said to have sought privacy since his death.

In the aftermath of the Monday altercation, the Army has closed the matter, after the Arlington official declined to press charges. According to three U.S. military officials, some Trump campaign members confronted and eventually pushed past the cemetery official when she tried to stop them from taking photos in Section 60.

Two Trump campaign officials, Mr. Cheung and Chris LaCivita, had insulted the cemetery worker in public statements on Tuesday. Mr. Cheung asserted that she was “suffering from a mental health episode” while Mr. LaCivita said that she was a “despicable individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”

Military officials said that the cemetery worker feared that pursuing the matter with the authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could subject her to retaliation from Trump supporters. Mr. Cheung said in a statement on Wednesday that “that is ridiculous and sounds like someone who has Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The Trump team had said it was prepared to release footage of the altercation, but never did.

Several Army officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential aspects of the matter, on Wednesday sought to keep the politically charged issue from escalating. But at the same time, they defended the cemetery official and pushed back on attacks from the Trump campaign, with one official saying that the woman at the cemetery was just trying to do her job.

Since Monday, the former president’s cemetery visit has become increasingly scrutinized for its political nature.

He was there for a wreath-laying ceremony honoring 13 American troops who were killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the United States’ Afghanistan withdrawal three years ago. Mr. Trump has said President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris bear responsibility for the bombing and America’s chaotic withdrawal, and repeated his attacks on the subject in campaign events after his visit to the cemetery.

Mr. Trump had laid three wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday morning, the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing. Two of the wreaths were for Marines killed: Sergeant Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. A third was dedicated to all 13 troops killed.

Mr. Trump was accompanied there by family members of the two slain Marines, as well as Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Corporal Kelsee Lainhart, two Marines who were injured in the Abbey Gate attack. 

Mr. Trump then accompanied the families and Marine veterans to Section 60. That part of Mr. Trump’s visit was private and closed to the press, and resulted in the confrontation. In a statement, the cemetery said that federal law prohibited political campaigning or “election-related” activities within Army cemeteries, including by photographers, and that the prohibition was “widely shared” with those participating in the event.

For centuries the United States has tried to keep military might and partisan politics far from each other, to avoid the appearance of allegiances to a political party or ideology. Because of this, military members are forbidden from participating in partisan activities or endorsing candidates while in uniform and military bases are off-limits for political campaigns.

It was unclear on Wednesday whether the Defense Department would pursue a legal claim related to the episode.

Campaigning in Erie, Pa., on Wednesday, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Mr. Trump’s running mate, blamed “some staff member” at the cemetery for the incident and criticized the media for reporting on it.

“Apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member had a little disagreement with somebody,” Mr. Vance said. “And they have turned — the media has turned this into a national news story.”

Photos of Mr. Trump’s visit to Section 60 were later published online. Mr. Trump was photographed giving a “thumbs up” to the camera standing behind the grave of Sergeant Hoover, with Sergeant Marckesano’s grave clearly visible a few feet away. Mr. Trump posted the video on TikTok on Tuesday that also showed the two headstones from behind as Mr. Trump laid flowers.

Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, who published one photo of himself and Mr. Trump standing behind the graves on social media, apologized on Wednesday for including other photos of the visit to Section 60 in a campaign email that solicited donations.

“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” Mr. Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will be sending out an apology.”

[unclesamsmisguidedclub]

"Captain America"- Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano

“Captain America”- Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano

Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano was known to his friends as “Captain America.” He served six tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne, and Army Rangers, as well as six other tours overseas. All were combat tours. He was a Silver Star recipient. Two days after the 4th of July, he committed suicide after dinner with his former commander. He had just been hired for a job at the Pentagon…

[theamericanpatriotpage]

The ghosts of war are difficult to eradicate. They have ambushed 20 of our service members a day for a long time. Rest in Peace, MSgt Marckesano

~ The Wolfdragon

[aguajerord]

Noticia | Veterano de guerra, Andrew Marckesano, se suicida a los 34 años delante de su esposa http://dlvr.it/RbYbSz

[alexseanchai]

[images 1 through the next to last are a 2024 August 28 tweet thread by cmclymer, plus a link to the same text in essay and audio format, below:]

[image the last is text reading, "The family of Master Sergeant Andrew Marckesano, a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving multiple combat tours and who is buried in Section 60, said according to their conversations with the cemetery, 'the Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit.'"]

This not only gives a bit of detail into what goes into roles like honor guards and cemetery officials...

It also highlights exactly how vile it was when Trump's campaign characterized the official who objected to their videoing as (and I directly quote) "clearly suffering from a mental health episode".

Like... I'm not exactly shocked or surprised... but still... the fuck.

Also, this may be harsh, but the Gold Stars and vets who took part in this were complicit. It was absolutely fair for them to take part in te RNC, even if I may disagree. It was a whole other thing to smile next Trump as he thumbs-up his way into turning Arlington into a circus. ESPECIALLY since other families have been caught up in this:

[robertsmichaeltd]

Decorated Green Beret known as ‘Captain America’ commits suicide Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano, 34 died ✝️ on July 6th 2020 leaving a wife and 3 kids. Suicide can happen to anyone, even superheroes.RIP brother 🇺🇸 #thingreenline 🟢 #military #veterans #greenberets #suicide #militaryheros #suicideprevention #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #depression #anxiety #mentalhealthmatters #suicide #mentalillness #selfcare #suicideawarness #ptsd #love #endthestigma #suicideawareness #depressionhelp #selflove https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjB8HBJL8k/?igshid=151xn7eblkw4

[hindinewshub]

Decorated Green Beret known as ‘Captain America’ commits suicide

Decorated Green Beret known as ‘Captain America’ commits suicide

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A decorated Green Beret who served a dozen combat tours, including six in Afghanistan, committed suicide last week in front of his wife, becoming the 30th member of his elite battalion to kill himself, according to reports.

Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano, 34, was known as “Captain America” to his fellow soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division. He earned a Silver Star for bravery…

[blairemclaren]

Army’s “Captain America” Tragically Died By Suicide After Nearly A Dozen Combat Tours

Army’s “Captain America” Tragically Died By Suicide After Nearly A Dozen Combat Tours

Army’s “Captain America” Tragically Died By Suicide After Nearly A Dozen Combat Tours –   Master Sgt. Andrew Christian Marckesano was a decorated Green Beret and a Silver Star recipient committed suicide in front of his wife two days after the Fourth of July, despite still being on active duty and leaving three small children behind. Andy wasn’t his only nickname, as his fellow military comrades…

[blairemclaren]

Andrew Marckesano Death | Cause Of Death - Andrew Marckesano Obituary | Died - Dies at 34

Andrew Marckesano Death | Cause Of Death – Andrew Marckesano Obituary | Died – Dies at 34

Andrew Marckesano Death / Obituary | Cause Of Death – Passed Away | Died – Dies at 34 | Funeral 

Andrew Marckesano Death / Obituary – It was announced on July 7, 2020 that Andrew Marckesano was dead following an unidentified cause of death at age 34

Andrew Christian Marckesano who was born on October 22, 1986 had passed away on July 7, 2020 at age 34. Andrew’s Cause Of Death is yet to be…

[blairemclaren]

Andrew Marckesano Death | Andrew Marckesano Dead - Obituary

Andrew Marckesano Death | Andrew Marckesano Dead – Obituary

Andrew Marckesano Death | Passed Away – Dead | Obituary

Andrew Marckesano Death – Dead: A great loss was made known to InsideEko. As friends and families of the deceased are mourning the passing of their loved and cherished Andrew Marckesano.

Having heard about this great loss, the family of this individual is passing through pains, mourning the unexpected passing of their beloved.

This departure…