Veterans Vent About First Presidential Debate

One very important segment of the country is speaking out about the first presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton earlier this week — the impacts of which are still being felt.

Our valued veterans — those who risked everything, literally, to keep our nation strong, and in most cases left their families behind for months or even years to serve our nation — had interesting observations about Trump’s strengths. They also weighed in on Clinton’s highly calculated performance.

“To me, Clinton came off as trying to con the voters one more time,” said a veteran and psychologist.

“The first debate was essentially a draw between the two candidates,” Jim Lake, 71, a retired United States Army colonel from Athol, Massachusetts, said. “Trump was Trump — as I expected he would be. Clinton was scripted as she has always been. Frankly, it is the same old stuff we have heard for months.”

He added, “If anything, Trump continues to resonate with a large group of the U.S. population that believes that we have moved in a wrong and dangerous direction. Trump is simply saying what a lot of people are really thinking.”

Lake will cast a vote for Trump on Nov. 8 — and his reasons are clear.

“He is the best chance of replacing Supreme Court justices with constitutionalists. Whoever is appointed to the Supreme Court by the next president will determine whether this country is based on solid constitutional precepts, which have held our county together for years — or changing the precepts to fit a changing world governed by progressive thought and action.”

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He continued, “You cannot have it both ways. You either have a constitutional worldview, or you have a relative worldview. It’s like the Bible — it has absolute truth within its pages. Others like to disregard the absolute truth within Scripture, or simply change it to fit their particular life style or way of living.”

Daniel Dennis, from Syracuse, New York, served in the Army as an infantryman with the 4th battalion, 31st infantry, 2nd brigade combat team out of Fort Drum, New York. Dennis was honorably discharged for medical reasons and left service as an E-5 sergeant.

“I believe Donald Trump crushed the debate,” Dennis, 32, told LifeZette. “I strongly believe that not only will he bring jobs back, but he will support our military and our veterans.”

Dennis noticed something during the debate that bothered him — and many other veterans and military personnel, no doubt. “Right off the bat Clinton showed that she would not [support military members and veterans],” Dennis noted. “She didn’t even wear an American flag when she took the stage.”

Related: At the Next Debate, Go for It, Mr. Trump

David Grossman, 60, is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army from Mascoutah, Illinois, and a psychologist who specializes in the psychology of killing. He responded to the post-debate “spin” that many media outlets foisted on the public.

“I thought it was interesting that the media overwhelmingly thought Clinton ‘won’ the debate, but the popular vote and post-debate polls said the opposite. I have to agree with popular opinion,” he said.

“Clinton didn’t even wear an American flag when she took the stage,” noted one veteran.

“As a soldier, I felt like Trump acted like someone who was used to being in charge, almost like a senior officer (a flamboyant, bombastic general, almost a ‘Patton’) — and not at all like a politician,” he wrote in an email to LifeZette. “Which is a good thing,” he added.

“To me, Clinton came off as a snide lawyer in front of a jury, or a politician trying to con the voters one more time. I thought Trump came off as someone I could trust to make life-and-death decisions. That is just the soldier in me.”

Lake, the retired colonel from Athol, Massachusetts, said he is turning to the words of faith leader Franklin Graham in pulling the lever in November.

“I will follow the advice of Franklin Graham. On his ‘Decision America’ tour in Boston, he said every Christian needs to vote — even if you have to hold your nose when you vote.”

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