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Veteran Rep. Scott Holcomb Response to Trump at Commander in Chief Forum

Veteran Rep. Scott Holcomb Response to Trump at Commander in Chief Forum

 

In response to NBC’s Commander in Chief Forum, Georgia Representative Scott Holcomb, an Army veteran who served six years on active duty and deployed overseas three times for the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, said:

 

“The most damning evidence that Donald Trump is unfit to be Command-in-Chief are his own words. He mocks the sacrifices of parents who lost a child to war but can’t identify any sacrifices he’s ever made for our nation. He laments that he always wanted a Purple Heart but lied about giving to veterans charities that support those who’ve sacrificed. He lacks the most basic understanding of foreign policy and thinks that he’s smarter than our professional soldiers because he went to a military high school decades ago.

 

“Mr. Trump won’t stand behind our troops and have their backs, Hillary will. She’s ready, and I’m proud to join veterans across our state and nation who are supporting her.”

 

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Rep. Scott Holcomb’s Statement Commemorating Memorial Day

Release:  Monday, May 25, 2015                                                                                       

 

Rep. Scott Holcomb’s Statement Commemorating Memorial Day

 

 Atlanta, GA – Today, Georgia State Representative Scott Holcomb released the following statement commemorating Memorial Day:

 

“Today, we remember and honor those who lost their lives in service to our nation. We remember those who died and what they died for—for us and for our freedoms. We remember the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price defending our country. Our history, and our present, is marked with patriots who answered the call, fought to keep us safe, and sacrificed for the nation.

 

“For the families of fallen servicemembers, today is a day of personal remembrance for their loved ones. Let us keep these families in our thoughts and prayers.

 

“Today is also a day of remembrance for veterans who served in combat and lost their brothers and sisters-in-arms. For them, Memorial Day is when thoughts return to battlefields and war zones. It is a day when they run their fingers over names etched on tombstones and memorials, a day when they remember comrades and resolve to honor their memories.

 

“This Memorial Day, let us join together to remember those who died defending our country and resolve to honor their memories by ensuring that our country’s blessings are available to all Americans. As we honor and remember, let us also recommit ourselves to the values that make our country great and worthy of our fallen heroes’ sacrifices. When we do so, America remains a nation worthy of their sacrifices.”

 

Scott Holcomb serves as the State Representative for District 81. A veteran, Scott served for six years in the Air National Guard and six years on active duty with the U.S. Army. He deployed overseas for Operations Joint Forge (Bosnia), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Iraqi Freedom.

 

Veterans Day Message from Rep. Scott Holcomb

Scott in Bosnia

 

Veterans Day is different from every other national holiday.  We’re not remembering someone or something from long ago.  Veterans Day honors the heroes who live among us.  It is about remembering to say thank you.  It is also a time to pay homage to the strength that makes America the greatest nation on earth.

 

Veterans embody the spirit of our nation.  They offered themselves in service, willing to give their time, their comfort and potentially their lives for the benefit of our country and its goals.

 

Military service teaches veterans fundamental truths about life. Foremost among them is that it is not just about you. And combat is the ultimate teacher.  Combat veterans know, in a way that few others do, the meaning of real selflessness – to be willing to give your life to save another.

 

Veterans carry this ethos of selfless service with them for the rest of their days.  And when veterans return home, they help provide the steel spine that abides at the center of American communities.

 

The great leap achieved by our Founding Fathers was the belief that the heroism that exists in the heart of every soldier could also be found in the heart of every citizen.  Our nation begins with the idea that each of us can and should think and act for ourselves, but none of us should think and act only for ourselves.

 

On this Veterans Day, as we say thank you to all who served and are serving our nation, let us also rededicate ourselves to the veterans’ example of service.

 

Thank you to all who served and who are serving, and to your families.  God bless America.

 

Rep. Scott Holcomb

 

Scott Holcomb serves as the State Representative for District 81. A veteran, Scott served for six years in the Air National Guard and six years on active duty with the U.S. Army. He deployed overseas for Operations Joint Forge (Bosnia), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and Iraqi Freedom.

 

Visit his website at votescottholcomb.com and follow him on Twitter at @RepScottHolcomb

Memorial Day Message from Rep. Scott Holcomb

Several months ago, I had the great honor of visiting Normandy. As I walked along Omaha Beach and looked at the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, the only thought that ran through my mind was, “I don’t know how they did it.”  The site of the D-Day invasion was a kill zone, yet those who fought that day kept moving forward and ultimately succeeded.  They did so even when they knew they might die.  And thousands were killed.

The spirit of service and sacrifice that has defined our service members for generations lives on today.  Anyone who has served during wartime can attest to this.  And it is right for us to honor those who died in service to our nation.

When you take a moment to honor the fallen on this Memorial Day, please also say a prayer for their families.  For them, this holiday is a somber reminder of their loss.

May God Bless America, and those who protect her.

 

Very respectfully yours,

 

Rep. Scott Holcomb

U.S. Army Veteran

 

Memorial Day Message from Rep. Scott Holcomb

Few holidays impact me as much as Memorial Day.  As one of my friends who is a veteran said so well, “Memorial Day isn’t when we remember what we won.  It’s when we remember what we lost.”

For the last several days, I’ve been remembering the fallen.  I started by recalling the first time the meaning of this holiday really hit home.  It was after I had enlisted in the Air National Guard and I was driving with my father.  It was very late, well after midnight, and as we were about to exit he asked me to drive a little farther.  Minutes later, we pulled up to a Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

We got out of the car and sat down on a bench a few meters from the V sculpture engraved with names.  My father had served in Vietnam and I was born while he was overseas, but we had never talked about what happened over there. We sat together in silence for the better part of an hour and he eventually uttered a single statement: “Darkness.  That’s all I remember.”  He then went up to the memorial and placed his hand over several names.  It was an incredibly powerful moment.

Three decades after my father’s service in Vietnam, I deployed three times with the U.S. Army.  After those experiences, I now know what it feels like to run my hand over names etched in stone.  The sense of loss and grief is paralyzing.

As we honor the fallen on Memorial Day, please join me in praying for all of the families who lost loved ones to war.  And let us also pray for the safe return of our women and men who are fighting to keep us safe around the globe.

God Bless America, and those who protect her.

Very respectfully yours,

Rep. Scott Holcomb