The parents of slain Navy SEAL member Aaron Carson Vaughn have reacted publicly to the spectacle of President Obama giving a press conference shortly after the brutal beheading of American photojournalist James Foley, only todepart hastily to the golf course (instead of to a war room).
In an open letter published at the World Tribune (via BizPacReview) the grieving parents excoriated the president for his lack of leadership:
As Commander-in-Chief, your actions — or lack thereof — Mr. President, cost lives. As you bumble about in your golf cart, slapping on a happy face and fist-pounding your buddies, your cowardly lack of leadership has left a gaping hole — not only in America’s security — but the security of the entire globe. Your message has come across loud and clear, sir: You are not up to this job. You know it. We know it. The world knows it.
Please vacate the people’s house and allow a man or woman of courage and substance to seize the reigns of this out-of-control thug-fest and regain the balance we, America, have provided throughout our great history.
Thanks to your “leadership” from whatever multi-million dollar vacation you happen to be on at any given moment, the world is in chaos. What’s been gained, you’ve lost. What’s been lost, you’ve decimated. You’ve demolished our ability to hold the trust of allies. You’ve made a mockery of the title “President.” And you’ve betrayed the nation for which my son and over 1.3 million others have sacrificed their very lives.
Image of Aaron Carson Vaughn courtesy of the Vaughn family via WJLA.
The parents, Billy and Karen Vaughn, put into context why their son became a Navy SEAL:
Many times over the past three years, I have been asked what drove my son to choose his particular career. What made him want to be a Navy SEAL? My answer is simple.
Aaron Vaughn was a man who possessed the courage to acknowledge evil. And evil, once truly acknowledged, demands response. Perhaps this is why so few are willing to look it in the eye. It is much simpler — much safer — to look the other way.
Image of Aaron Carson Vaughn via Molon Labe Industries.
Aaron Carson Vaughn was killed in action when a CH47D Chinook military helicopter transporting him and 21 other SEALS was shot down in eastern Afghanistan in August 2011. Significantly, the Vaughns express the real danger posed from the U.S. being led into decline:
Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such despair and such growing fear that the world’s last best hope, America, has finally been dismantled. Perhaps the better word is transformed — fundamentally transformed. Come to think of it, it’s become difficult — if not impossible — to believe things haven’t gone exactly as you planned, Mr. President.
Amazingly, in five short years, your administration has lurched from one disaster to another. You spearheaded the ambitious rush to end the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan — with no plan on how to do so effectively. Also, the release of “the Taliban five” in exchange for one American — without consulting Congress — is also on your shoulders.
You have been at the helm during unprecedented national security leaks — including, but not limited to the outing of SEAL Team VI on the Bin laden raid, the outing of the Pakistani doctor who provided the intelligence for that raid, the outing of Afghanistan’s CIA station chief, and the outing of your personal “kill list” to make you look tough. In addition, 75 percent of American deaths in Afghanistan and 83 percent of Americans-wounded-in-action have occurred on your watch, according to icasualties.org.
Image of Navy SEAL Aaron Carson Vaughn via Molon Labe Industries.
Finally, the Vaughns sum up what they think of the president’s leadership with a remark alluding to his comment about the terrorist army ISIS being a supposed “JV team“:
You, sir, are the JV team. It’s time for you to step down and allow a true leader to restore our honor and protect our sons and daughters.
America has always been exceptional. And she will be again. You, Mr. President, are a bump in our road.
The Vaughns are credited in the article as “Gold Star parents of Special Operations Chief (SEAL) Aaron Vaughn, KIA 6 Aug 2011. Billy is the author ofBetrayed: The Shocking True Story of Extortion 17. Read more athttp://www.forourson.us.”
The last known photograph of Aaron Carson Vaughn, taken with his wife Kimberly and his two children. Image via DVIDShub.net.
Aaron Carson Vaughn left behind his wife Kimberly and two young children. If you would like to donate to Vaughn’s family, you may find the mailing address through the endorsed Facebook page.
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/09/173422-sir-jv-team-open-letter-parents-slain-navy-seal-rebukes-president-obama/
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