Veteran endures criticism for upholding oath

Vietnam War veteran Gerry Fonseca stood out in the cold and rain at Basin Park on Veterans Day holding a protest sign calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump. One man commented, “I can’t believe you are a veteran and holding a sign like that.”

Fonseca’s answer was, “I took a military oath when I joined the Army to protect and defend the Constitution and this nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This imposter is domestic enemy number one, and he needs to removed from office as soon as possible. He is a danger to this country. He is a loose cannon. The guy really needs to go.”

Fonseca was a helicopter pilot for the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division. He was in the Army four years, spending 12 months in Vietnam from 1969-1970 where he was a scout pilot doing tree level recon. Fonseca resents that Trump evaded service by having his dad, Fred, get doctors who rented from him to write that Donald had bone spurs on his heels.

“It was a lie,” said Fonseca, who moved to Eureka Springs in 2005. “All during that time he was seen playing golf and tennis. The way I feel is that while he was having fun back in the states, my friends and fellow soldiers were being shot up, killed and maimed. Donald Trump jokes about this. He said his Vietnam was avoiding sexually transmitted diseases in Manhattan. That is a direct quote from Donald Trump in a 1993 Howard Stern interview. In the same interview, he said vaginas were like potential landmines and that having sex in Manhattan was just as dangerous as a tour in Vietnam. To me, he has been a total disgrace to his nation and the Armed Forces from that day forward.”

In addition to the man who asked how a veteran could hold a sign like that, others just gave him dirty looks. But the majority of people honked and waved, gave him a thumbs up, and told him they appreciated what he was doing.

“If I have to stand alone, I will, but I know there are like-minded people with me,” Fonseca said. “The right thing is to remove this very dangerous individual from the White House. I believe it will happen one way or another, either through the Senate or the next election. A person like that cannot last.”

Fonseca feels Trump has done great harm to the military by doing things like diverting money from the military to build a wall with Mexico and betraying Kurd allies in Syria.

“I know it to be true that he has harmed the military,” he said. “You don’t take money away from the military. They need it. It is unconscionable what he has done. He has put the military in jeopardy by turning his back on our allies, the Kurds, in northern Syria. The military is also in great jeopardy by Trump having his finger close to the nuclear button. He can order a nuclear war any day, anytime, anywhere.”

When U.S. forces recently killed a Taliban leader, Trump couldn’t resist bragging, and gave away sensitive details of the raid that some experts said compromised security. Trump taking personal credit for the killing is considered classic behavior for a narcissist.

“His entire being is a problem,” Fonseca said. “I don’t know how many prominent psychiatrists have come forth to say this is one disturbed individual. Everything he does is for himself and his ilk. He gave the tax breaks to wealthy millionaires and everyone else lost.”

Fonseca also labels Trump a fascist with the hatred he spews towards immigrants and people of color, his friendly regard for dictators, and support of totalitarian policies that benefit the very rich.

“Sometimes it feels like he is channeling Benito Mussolini,” he said. “Also, I feel it is ironic that Trump fits the profile of the Biblical anti-Christ controlling the thoughts and actions of his glazed-eye followers.”

Fonseca’s sign also labeled Trump a tax cheat.

“From the day he started running for president, he would not release his taxes,” Fonseca said. “Three years later he will not release his taxes. My question is, ‘What are you hiding?’”

Fonseca also held his protest sign Sunday, Nov. 10. That was a sunny and warm day. But Veterans Day Nov. 11 was cold and rainy. Fonseca said he didn’t mind.

“It was a good morning,” he said.