After an over 9-hour hour meeting where over 100 speakers provided testimony pro and con regarding construction and legality of the structure, the National Capital Planning Commission voted last week to approve construction of the Triumphal Arch by 8-4.
Yet the vitriol from elected officials and the few veterans commenting against the patriotic project compared to the large majority actually supporting it may cause irreputable harm to veterans and our active duty forces.
Other countries such as France honor heroes with their world renown Arch de Triomphe in Paris. Other arches not to be ignored, are the Arch of Titus in Rome, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Rua Augusta Arch in Lisbon, the Arch of Constantine also in Rome, the India Gate in New Delhi, or the Wellington Arch in London just to name a few.
America over the years has constructed its own edifices honoring patriots and patriotism such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the First and Second World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and Middle East memorials that remain therapeutic to our citizens and promote national pride.
Not all view our monuments with honor.
Outraged Marines on active duty and veterans, are still disgusted over the actions of Miguel Alonzo Maldanado Soriano, an illegal alien accused of vandalizing a replica of the Washington War Memorial more commonly known as the Iwo Jima monument at the entrance of Quantico Marine Base causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. According to media reports, Maldanado Soriano’s actions may have been caused by being rejected from enlisting in the Corps due to his immigration status and his mental state is being questioned. U.S. Marines young and old anxiously await his future incarceration and deportation.
Such acts by illegals as well as protesting agitators who exploit our laws, communities and symbols of freedom, share blame for the premature deaths of individuals on active duty, retired and others in our veteran community.
America’s jaded media took great efforts to acknowledge the few disgruntled Vietnam veterans and politicians such as Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones who were part of an amicus brief opposing the arch project.
Expectedly there was little reporting acknowledging the amicus brief from supportive individuals and organizations such as the Vietnam Veterans of America, Korean War Veterans Association, Chosin Few, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans For America First, and my organization, the National Vet Court Alliance Inc.
Collectively those in the amicus brief represented many hundreds of thousands of veterans supporting the Arch’s construction.
Concern and consternation from those opposed primarily revolved around the relationship of the name of the structure Triumphal Arch, and their angst with the sitting commander-in-chief, President Donald J. Trump. Not since the days after returning from my combat tour with the 5th Marines in Vietnam in 1971, have I seen such blatant misrepresentations regarding our veteran’s service and how to honor them linked to a particular president.
Perhaps the most troubling statistic presented before the commission receiving no media acknowledgement to my knowledge, was the fact that 17 veterans a day commit suicide due to feelings of disrespect, abandonment of patriotic principle by our nation’s officials as well as stresses after a combat tour or the intensity of training in garrison.
Ergo the reason for the passage of the Veteran’s Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019 signed by President Trump that allowed the funding of over 500 veteran courts and dockets in the nation to aid veterans who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law directly related to the aforementioned training or combat stresses.
During my testimony thoughts remained with the family of Marine Major “Corky” Ram who stepped where I should have stepped as he waved me off from walking point January 10, 1971 in the Que Son Mountains of Vietnam as we were attempting to rescue two wounded Marines. He set off a victim-operated improvised explosive device (VOIED) then known as a booby trap and was killed. He left behind a wife and six children.
And of the death of Marine Lt. Col. Daniel Schmitt who was part of our veteran’s docket in Spotsylvania, doing all he could to get his life right after his honorable service in the Middle East. Horribly, the demons of war got to him and he committed suicide July 24, 2024.
Conversations with both these men before they perished validated their respect and need for tributes to our nation’s men and women who had the intestinal fortitude to raise their right hand and swear against all enemies foreign and domestic. A large portion of them when I fought in Vietnam were of Hispanic heritage. Today they represent the nation’s new largest voting bloc. These men and women in our Hispanic community many who were or are on active duty today may be most affected by the blatant act of disrespect by representatives and private citizens or illegal aliens attempting to turn the need for the Arch into political repudiation of our president.
Thus an opportunity for Stephen Miller, Trump’s new Chief of Staff to bring in respected national Hispanic community leaders such as former GOYA CEO Bob Unanue as a senior Hispanic advisor to aid in Trump’s immigration policy under renewed attack.
With respect to the Triumphal Arch, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has directed a 14 day pause as those oppose seek legal injunctions to prevent its construction in spite of clear decades old legal authority granted to build the structure. Politics as usual. Would there be such opposition from liberals if the individual occupying the White House were named Harris and not Trump recommending construction of this structure to further honor our 250th national anniversary?
Allow this independent voter to suggest absolutely not. The Arch will be built with private funds as the Iwo Monument was, and I can’t wait to contribute.
This wounded Vietnam veteran who will one day be resting at Arlington National Cemetery along with the hundreds of thousands in support in our amicus brief says, “Build the Arch… now!”
May the shade of the structure comfort visiting families and our brothers and sisters now interred who gave the full measure so malcontents who have no shame of having the blood of suicide victims on their hands, may irresponsibly protest. Regardless of who builds them, there can never be too many monuments honoring our veterans “O’er the land of the free and home of the brave!”
DANIEL P. CORTEZ is a presidential and gubernatorial appointee, political writer and broadcaster who lives in Stafford County.
