An Open Letter to Khizr Khan July 31, 2016
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Army, DNC, Humayan, Kahn, Khizr, Muslims, Navy, Trump, USMC
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Please read “An Apology to Mr. Khan, Mrs. Smith & Gold Star Families”
Dear Mr. Khan,
I want to preface this letter by stating that I respect your son’s sacrifice for this great nation. By all accounts, he is a true hero that sacrificed himself in service to our country. For that I am thankful.
As a veteran, I watched your comments at the Democratic National Convention with a mixture of sadness, and anger. The United States has a military comprised of volunteers. Every single member has made the conscious choice to join the military and serve. There is not a single service member who has been forced into service. It is important for all service members (and apparently, their families) to understand that service to this great nation does not imbue one with special privileges or rights. I found your comments troubling when you said: “Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”
Does it matter whether Mr. Trump has sacrificed “…nothing and no one?”…has Ms. Clinton “..sacrificed” for this nation? How about Mr. Obama? Your comment stating that Mr. Trump “…has sacrifice no one” is alarming. Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? Sir, your son willingly sacrificed himself. As a father I cannot imagine the pain you must feel but his sacrifice is his own. He was not forced to serve.
I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than contempt for the US Service Member to parade you into the DNC to denounce Donald Trump. Did you watch when protesters at the DNC booed and heckled Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Florent Groberg? Did you notice your party interrupting the moment of silence for slain police officers? Your own hypocrisy in not denouncing these acts and instead using the DNC as a platform to make a political point is disgraceful. The simple fact is that whether one served or sacrificed does not give greater power to their statements. One vote is as valuable as another. That sir, is why our Country is great. Your condemnation of one person for a statement while standing idly as your party disparages veterans and police officers is the height of hypocrisy.
To conflate the need to prevent potential terrorists from entering our country with the belief that ‘all Muslims’ should be banned is simply wrong and disingenuous. As a reminder, Mr. Trump said: ” “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life,” The irony of your son’s own death at the hands of these very people in Iraq should not be ignored. I have little doubt that your son would have recognized the need to protect our country from these very people. In fact, he held is own troops back so that he could check on a suspicious car. Your son understood sacrifice and how to protect “his people”…’his soldiers’….’his fellow Americans’…
As you continue to make the media circuit and bask in the glow of affection cast upon you by a party that has little regard for your son’s own sacrifice, and veterans in general, I would ask you to consider your comments and your position more closely.
Respectfully,
Chris Mark
US Marine and Navy Veteran.
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 
Dear Mr. Mark,
I live in California and frequently drive the 442nd Regimental Combat Team Memorial Highway, and occasionally pass by Manzanar. As I’m sure you know, a section of CA 99 was named in recognition of American soldiers of Japanese descent who fought in Europe during WWII while their families (many also American citizens) were interned in remote camps. German-Americans were not sent to camps, and neither were Italian-Americans.
I believe there is a parallel with what is happening today with American Muslims. I’m a middle-aged white guy who grew up in Ohio and has never served in the military, but would feel a strong urge to speak out if someone questioned my loyalty to this country because of my religion or which part of the world my ancestors immigrated from. What would I do if I were Mr. Kahn? Some people say he and his wife can’t possibly be real Americans because of their religion, that people like them shouldn’t be allowed to come here, that even a son’s headstone in Arlington isn’t proof enough.
I’m too young to have spoken up against the way we treated American citizens of Japanese descent while their sons were fighting for us in Europe, and it’s quite possible that my sense of the injustice of their treatment only comes with decades of hindsight. But I hope we can say about our neighbors and co-workers who are American Muslims as their sons and daughters fight for us now, that, “Yes, you are Americans too”.
AMH
P.S: Please don’t not vote. This is a different topic, but money and special interests are the second most powerful force in politics. But if we don’t all use our votes, the 1st most powerful force, we cede control to the 2nd. So make a choice based on what you think is best for our country and get out there Nov. 8.
Mr AMH. Who the hell do you think you are? You have a lot of balls sitting behind Your computer insulting my father and all those who were interned. No person of Japanese decent was ever accused or charged with any act of treason, sabotage, terrorism. They sacrificed their lives serving in the 442nd as my father did to prove that they are loyal Americans.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. Along with the highest casualty rate of over 300% The 4,000 men who initially came in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served. Earning the 442nd 18,143 decorations, including 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Stars (28 with Oak-leaf clusters), 22 Legions of Merit, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 12 Croix de Guerre, 9,486 Purple Hearts and 22 Congressional Medals of Honor. In addition to being awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations (5 earned in one month).
How the hell does that compare to vile terrorist filth that rape, rob and murder decent Americans in the name of their god. Screaming Allahu Akbar ( translated as “God is Great” or more accurately “Allah Is Greater Than Your God or Government”) as they slaughter unsuspecting “Infidels” (meaning American citizens who are not a muslim), that would be you, me and most everyone we know or will ever know. Have you ever read the Koran, Hadith or Sunnah? Of course not, yet you insult our honor defending something you know nothing about.
Wow. you have laid the foundation for your own lasting embarrassment by exposing as the thing that most republicans try to hide. Your racism and bigotry. Don’t give me any of the tired lines you guys use trying to act like your not when it’s clear as day that you are. You don’t seem to realize how revealing your letter was. Nor do you realize that trumps time in the spotlight will come to an end in nov. He will not be president because he is a disgusting human being. The only thing he stands for his hate. his policies are a joke (not that you care about policies which obviously you don’t or you wouldn’t support trump) he still plans on having trade deals with china only less regulation for corporate America to send jobs over there for cheap labor. Like his make America great again hats or his ties at JCPenney’s. He wants to get rid of the minimum wage because he feels that Americans don’t deserve that much money. He wants to cut federal funding for schools and let the states do as they see fit which is fine if you live in a blue state but all the red states which already have the least educated people the highest hight school drop out rates the least amount of college students and the lowest test scores in the nation. he wants to raise taxes on the middle class to off set his huge tax breaks for people who make over 1,000,000 a year and he’s going to get rid of the taxes he personally thinks he shouldn’t have to pay. but beside his uncanny ability to make forrest gump look smart. but the only thing that matters is he’s afarid of people who look different just like you are but he likes to be vocal about it and your support for him by attacking mr khan is so low and disgusting and yet your own party is on here cheering you on . and you still don’t realize that trump will not win because america hates him. but trump will fade real fast and he”l be back at Trump tower but you won’t be. You don’t make enough money for him to give two shits about you. But everyone else will know that deep in your heart you are a bigot. you have forever tarnished your own reputation and credibility by writing this ridiculous letter to a man you have never met and know nothing about’ this will stick with you for no true republican wants trump. no bush , no chenny, no morer, no mcconnel, no rand no paul you know why? because they were smarter than you. They understood this would stick with them. remember when you said “Your comment stating that Mr. Trump “…has sacrifice no one” is alarming.” why was that alarming? tell me who trump has sacrificed then ? and then there’s my favourite line of your article (Your own hypocrisy in not denouncing these acts and instead using the DNC as a platform to make a political point is disgraceful) this one statement sums up the republican party mindset. how dare the DC a (political party) try to make a political point at their own convention WOW what is wrong with you people? have you no didnity man?
I don’t know with ‘didnity’ is..but you are probably right…I have laid the foundation for my own embarrassment…really? I disagree with you or someone else and I am suddenly a ‘racist’? Grow up. Are you a ‘true republican’? Have you read my other publications? Go home.
Chris – pay no attention to Kyle. He obviously is only good at spouting the party line and has no real grasp of reality. For the most part I agree with your writings. Our difference I believe lie in a matter of opinion and we are all entitled to our own opinion. Even Kyle here is entitled to his opinion, he just needs to educate himself on the realities of the world and learn to think for himself instead of spewing what amounts to the party line and propaganda. Keep on writing. Semper Fi Brother.
You have no idea what the hell you are talking about. It clear that you are a mindless Democratic Liberal. I love the part when you sais Americans don’t need that much money. Clearly you live off the government, other peoples money. How much money do the clintons have? 100’s of millions, bill gets over 100,000 a speech. But most of their money was given to them by foreign billionaires. Thry kid makes a million dollars a year writing 1o article’s a year. She lives in a 10,000,000 dollar apartment. If Democrats want to give there own money fine. I want to keep mine. I earned it. But Democrats like you don’t give any of your own money. In 20 years of military service I never met 1 Democrat, not 1. Why because Democrats are selfish people, unless they have taken someone else’s money. Sad fact is Liberal Democrats have destroyed our country. Created generations of lazy people who demand hand outs and live off other peoples work. How many Democrat’s voted to end slavery? None zero that’s how many look it up. LBJ said if he gets civil rights passed he’ll have a generation living off and voting Democratic because they will be dependent.
You say Republicans are racist, not so. Democrats have to have division among our society. They have to create racism to keep there failed programs going. And supporting BLM thats fucking racist as hell. Here is another fact, cops kill more white people than black people. Look it up it comes from the FBI. Why don’t they do something for the inner city and drugs. Over 85% of black murders and shootings are black on black.
I really respect the opinions of veterans because they have been fully earned. I think Chris Mark’s open letter was a good one, and that had Mr. Khan followed politics well, he would have known that the Democrats famously supported the Iraq war until the going got tough, then decided to leave President Bush holding the bag and left our troops while they accomplished so much with the surge, only to elect President Obama who had no interest in preserving the gains that had been purchased with the blood of Mr. Khan’s son and so many others. Mr. Khan was at the wrong convention if he wanted to honor the party that honors veterans.
As for Mr. Trump, he argues for freedo, for smart trade deals that support American workers, wages that go up because of demand and less regulation rather than artificial supports that always fail in the long run, an immigration policy that follows rather than flouts our laws, thus respecting Muslim Americans, Irish Americans and every other American who followed the law. As for education, I live in a red state that gobbles up sixty percent of its budget for education, and still can’t do the job. That’s because most of the money goes to administrators. So basically all of us – rich and poor, pay sales taxes and income taxes and every other kind of tax to send to the federal government, which then pays a bunch of bureaucrats to treat the veterans poorly and trickle some of the money back down to the states and threaten to withhold our own money from us if we don’t do what the Feds want. If you don’t like it, you can write to your Congressman and get back a non responsive form letter. Then every two or three years scandals are exposed and a new “czar” gets appointed who does nothing. The V. A. is a great example. So if you like things as is, vote for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Trump was not my first choice, and his blowhard style and crude remarks are just wrong. But Mrs. Clinton is corrupt, untruthful, sinister and lacks any respect for us or our military. She patronizes people and assumes if you are a woman or a member of a certain ethnic group, she has your vote. You decide.
You are very misinformed. Trumpty Dumpty is the most unqualified nominee in the last 100 or so years. Think about this, if John Kasich were the nominee he would win hands down. The Alt-Right created Donald Trump and the Republican Party better get their act together after his humiliating loss.
Well said.
Well said
Chris,
Thank you for frankly pointing out the deceit and obfuscation that these people have attempted to lay on the American people.
-g
From the comments, I can tell that you are a strong proponent of the 2nd amendment. That is great. But, you forget the 1st amendment – freedom of religion and freedom of speech (freedom of the press). Are we to choose and pick only the amendments that we like and disregard the other amendments that our racist/bigot minds disagree with. Also, to say that nobody was forced to die for our country is a little short sighted. You forget that over 50,000 soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War when we had a military draft. Do those soldiers not count?
Wow! Did you glean that from my post in which I review the Ruger RPR and discuss being a Sniper? Your powers of observation are amazing. I can, in turn, tell you have not read nor understood my post. Given that I posted an ‘open letter’ I response to Mr. Khan, this should suggest I am not only familiar with the 1st Amendment but an advocate. Tell me where in my post I said Mr. Khan did not have the right to free speech? That’s right…you can’t. Your arguments are facile and you resort to ad hominem attacks for lack of being able to make a coherent argument. Here is a ‘pro tip’. Disagreement with someone who does not look like you does not are one a ‘bigot or racist’. Please put down the “Far Left Playbook” and learn to think for yourself. A ‘right to free speech’ cuts both ways. Mr. Khan gave his comments and I responded….just like you responded. Nifty way that works, right?
Gene, the two million plus Vietnamese that we forced to die for their Country actually died for the principles espoused by Bernie Sanders. The 55,000 plus of our soldiers who died in Vietnam could have gone to their commanding officer and given him a kiss, then got a free ride back home (or never gone there in the first place). Most of the Vietnamese that died did not have any choices. Freedom to have a religion that kills homosexuals and makes momen uneducated slaves is not consistent with SCOTUS view of our Constitution.
Chris, while I can understand your post, what I can’t understand is that you served your term to support the constitution, and yet it appears that you support a person who hasn’t read the constitution, and does not understand it, and wants to become the next Commander in Chief.
I took my oath on June 24th, 1965 at the USAF Academy, and have lived that oath for over 52 years.
What Khan was trying to do was to point out that support for Violations of the First Amendment, and Violations of the 6th Amendment, and the 14th Amendment were not compatible with what his son was defending when he died.
Tell me, why didn’t you criticize the woman who’s son died at Benghazi for her rant at the Republican Convention. Are your political biases too much for you to be honest with yourself. She went further than Trump. She blamed Hilary Clinton for Benghazi, when it was actually the Republican Congress who cut Embassy Security Funds in 2010 and 2011 from the Budget, and set the stage for a U.S. Mission to be underdefended in Benghazi.
Not a word about that in your letter.
And as far as Trump supporting Veterans…. They haven’t received his donations yet, and many of the Veterans’ Organiszation have refused them.
He wants to completely privatize the VA.
Get ready to pony up a 20% copay on all services, and have a system that lacks a care team, where every doctor who treats you knows everything about you.
It took me six months to get that system together on my own for my wife’s cancer treatment in the private medical practices. When she was diagnosed, they gave her six months…. Four year’s later, she is in remission, and has the “same” CARE TEAM, that the VA has.. but I HAD TO SET IT UP.
I seriously think you have some more thinking to do in your support of Donald Trump.
He is a Huckster, and a Monster being played by the FSB, which is why Putin supports him. He’s got Trump in his hip pocket.
Carmine Pitaniello
USAFA 1969
USAF 1965 – 1977
[…] served in a Marine Corps elite Force Reconnaissance unit, agreed with O’Neill. He wrote in an “Open Letter To Khizr Khan“ over the weekend: “I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than […]
Chris, count me in as another USMC combat vet who supports your position and is disgusted by the way Khans/DNC exploited the tragic death of Capt. Humayun Khan in Iraq. I published my thoughts on my blog, LogoPhere.com. They are not as polite or as well put as yours, but they echo many of your points. My bet is that a lot of combat vets feel the same way we do. Dissident Voice picked my piece up on Aug03.
Chris I had to come back here and tell you what sabotaged your letter for me.( I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than contempt for the US Service Member to parade you into the DNC to denounce Donald Trump.”) That is such total BS about the Democrat Party! I voted Republican most of my life but after I voted for GW and he lied to us and 4,494 soldiers are KIA in Iraq I swore the party off. And how they have obstructed Obama for 7 years. And the shear ignorance of all the people who actually think we elected a non citizen to be POTUS. Don’t be so blindingly bias and your credibility will appeal to all. Semper Fi 68/69 RVN
A number of people have made that comment and I can see the point. Thanks for commenting professionally and on point.
Les49er, it’s interesting you believe GW lied about Iraq but didn’t mention how Obama lied about healthcare saying we can keep our doctor if we like our doctor and that we would save $2,500 per year in premiums. Or the lie about the red line in Syria and then he let the terrorist take over Lybia and Syria. What about all of the innocent Muslims that died because he didn’t do anything to back up his red line. Or the people in Croatia where he allowed Russia a free path to take over that country. And don’t get me started on the many ways Hillary has lied and put this country at risk. The Democrats are very good at obstructing, look what they did to Bernie Sanders.
And I won’t ever start on the mainstream media but this country can’t withstand more Liberal Progressive social engineering or the entrie country will be one big Detroit.
I have to laugh every time I hear someone say, ‘Bush lied and people died’. It’s totally 1000% hindsight and HOGWASH!!! GW Bush was no messiah in shining armor, but neither was he an evil person! Just think of the alternative if Albert Gore had been elected instead of George W. Bush. I can’t tell (from your wording) whether or not you’re a ‘never Trumper’, but I assure you that Hillary will totally annihilate all recollection of the Home of the Free and the Brave–THAT’S TOTALLY A GIVEN!!!!
This might be a good place to mention that Mr. Khan received a check for $350,000 plus from the DNC/Clinton Campaign days after his speech. That put’s things in a different light for me.
Ya’ know what, Michael Schmidtman? That $350,000 payment story is almost certainly bullspit. Here’s Snopes on it:
http://www.snopes.com/khizr-khan-375000-clinton-foundation/
So I guess things are no longer in a different light for you, eh?
I am with the Bin Laden Terminator. The only reason Khan appeared was for the money and the audience. I still love Chris’ letter.
[…] served in a Marine Corps elite Force Reconnaissance unit, agreed with O’Neill. He wrote in an “Open Letter To Khizr Khan“ over the weekend: “I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than […]
[…] served in a Marine Corps elite Force Reconnaissance unit, agreed with O’Neill. He wrote in an “Open Letter To Khizr Khan“ over the weekend: “I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than […]
Anyone that does not vote is being un-american and stubborn. I do not mean that disrespectfully to any hero. Please vote for the person that you think can lead this country out of this mess Obama put us in and make it better for all of us.
the bushes put us in this war when the elder pulled gen.schwartzcoff out instead of letting him finish the job!!!!
This Great country is in one hell of a mess, Lies, lies and more lies from the people we trusted. May God bring his blessing back to America. Served USMC 1965-1969
No apologies to Mr Khizir Khan is necessary from DJT, even though he usually comes off as a gold-plated buffoon when not confined to the safety of his teleprompter! Mark was entirely correct in acknowledging Captain Khan’s proud service and supreme sacrifice as being his own personal decision that he made willingly. DJT’s mouth spews out a flood of self-damning flubs on a near-daily basis, but EVERYTHING pales in comparison to the bottomless well of lies flowing out of HRC!! The one that gets me most is the unencrypted email servers at her private home during her time serving as the U.S. Top Diplomat. Why on Earth would she ever have need for such a thing, when State already had an encrypted system available to her? Was it the vulnerability of the Freedom of Information Act? Can’t very well have any prying eyes looking at what you are doing while on the taxpayer’s payroll. FBI Director Comey clearly spoke of “Special Access Programs” material discovered on HRC’s unencrypted servers. This is BEYOND Top Secret; the black ops, covert operators, double agents, (unofficially) cooperative officials, etc where an extremely limited number of people will ever have access. It delves into the realm of “Need-to-Know” and ‘Eyes Only”; and if the details are leaked to “hostile actors”, then the lives of those identified (and their families) are forfeited (they get killed). Fast forward to Bubba & Janet’s cozy little Grandkids & Golf chat a few days before HRC’s “interview session” at FBI HQ quietly on the 4th of July weekend. Everything that was at stake, in terms of exposure of State Secrets, and national embarrassment was clearly laid out. (Remember, Gerald Ford did essentially the same thing with pardoning Nixon) That’s why Director Comey essentially declared HRC to be above the law, and that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring the case; it was an unofficial “pardon”. NONE of that material will EVER see the light of day, let alone a court of law! So, he tossed out an “extremely careless” bone for the right to frenzy-feed on until they could no longer stand the taste of a meatless dish in their mouths and moved on. Regardless of his assertions, HRC and her staff committed so many Title 18 violations, that if it involved me, or anyone reading this, I can assure you that we would find ourselves in gravely serious legal jeapordy. God Help us all!!
Carmine Pitaniello; Patricia Smith’s “rant” centered around having the US.Secretary of State look her straight in the eye and flat-out lie to her about her son’s death. Her focusing blame on HRC may indeed be inaccurate, but that doesn’t excuse an absolute face-to-face lie whilst in the throes of her grief.
To Chris Mark, I would like to thank you for your service to your country and to the world as a whole. Could you explain why you never stood up when Donald Trump said John McCain was not a war hero because he was captured . Did you speak when Donald Trump dissed US soldiers. Did you stand up any of the other numerous times when the US soldiers were taken advantage of by Trump university . John McCain could not get your attention when he was criticized by Donald Trump who did
his best not to be inlisted . WHY
#13 Leslie m Mccaffery, 9/7….I personally have a family member that “served” in the Laos’ “Hilton” for a number of years. He know what McCain did and didn’t do and you would be unhappy to know that the McCain he suffered with is not the one that ran for office. We all post as if we have personal, private knowledge rather than just our own points of view. But, in this instance, I know the truth. Trump was never “trained and schooled” by partisans in politics. So, he speaks often off the cuff and perhaps says what he believes or doesn’t…but, unlike the rest of the Progressives he has not been programmed on how to speak. FYI, George Soros, billionaire and American hater, funds Media Matters that for a number of years held classes to teach Dem politicians how to smile, look, dress, speak and how, by rote, say only what they were taught.
Well said! And to the point!
[…] too well with one veteran. Chris Mark, a retired Marine and Navy officer, penned an open letter on his blog calling out Mr. Khan’s […]
[…] One letter was sent by military veteran Chris Mark called him out after he openly trashed Trump, stating “Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? “ (via GlobalRiskInfo.com) […]
[…] One letter was sent by military veteran Chris Mark called him out after he openly trashed Trump, stating “Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? “ (via GlobalRiskInfo.com) […]
[…] One letter was sent by military veteran Chris Mark called him out after he openly trashed Trump, stating “Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? “ (via GlobalRiskInfo.com) […]
[…] One letter was sent by military veteran Chris Mark called him out after he openly trashed Trump, stating “Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? “ (via GlobalRiskInfo.com) […]
Chris, Parris Island honor grad? 1991? March. Tom Clancy? SEMPER Fi!
Holy cow? Yup! That is me. Forgive me if I don’t remember. I am going to check my grad pictures now!! What platoon were you in? 3028?
Yes the parents were hypocritical but so is this guy. The only thing worse than a liberal is a conservative.
wow…it only took you 2 years to comment! Bye Felicia!