This is Mr. Trump's first visit to Vietnam. Unlike 2,500,000 other Americans, Mr. Trump was able to avoid military service during his eligible years. After years of student deferments, he was able to secure a medical deferment because of "bone spurs" on his foot. Bone spurs. Bone spurs? He is attending a conference among Asian trading partners to discuss trade deals and dealing among attendees.
Maybe Mr. Trump will visit "China Beach", the former American rest center the fictional setting of a successful TV series of the '80's. Nearby, is the port city of DaNang, where American ships anchored during the war, supplying the war material needed by the 500,000 soldiers, sailors, and Marines who fought so hard to thwart Communist efforts in S.E. Asia. Maybe he'll note the beauty of the Marble Mountain monoliths that leap skyward just a few kilometers south of the harbor which held Marine observation posts on its crest, and Communist medical facilities underneath in the interior spaces.
I also doubt he'll visit remnants of the former US Tactical bomber base, now the largest air facility on the central coast. Or the ruins of the former German hospital near An Hoa where the Communist guerillas murdered the entire staff early in the war because they treated anyone brought to the facility.
Maybe the visit will make him so uncomfortable he'll leave early; perhaps because he feels remorse for his early efforts to avoid serving with his fellow countrymen.
And today is Veterans Day in the United States. It is a day we recall the losses from all wars in which Americans fought and died.
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