On Oct. 4, Myeshia Johnson lost her husband, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, during an ambush in Niger. What followed was an act intended to be honorable that turned sour. President Donald Trump called the widow, doing something considered admirable and respectful, until it was not. The call became a national controversy. According to Johnson, the president said her husband “knew what he signed up for.” Johnson also noted that Trump could not recall her husband’s name.

Trump’s remark was both insensitive and ungrounded. Veteran Brandon Friedman, who served two tours in combat as an infantry officer, stated that he “never met a soldier who thought to die was a reasonable result of his or her service.” People enlist in the U.S. military every day, but they may not continue if their president says dying is a part of the job. The country’s defense is not built upon people signing up with the expectation they will not return home to their loved ones. Additionally, Trump’s comment was appallingly insensitive. Johnson told “Good Morning America” in an interview that she was angered by Trump’s tone and the way he referred to her husband as “your guy.” Johnson, rightfully upset, has now been thrown into a bickering match with Trump, on top of dealing with a devastating loss.

Trump retaliated on Twitter, saying that he “had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from the beginning, without hesitation!” Trump’s idea of a respectable conversation is skewed. The president faced criticism recently from one of the country’s most widely known military veterans, Republican Sen. John McCain. McCain directed remarks at Trump by mentioning Americans who avoided the Vietnam War, “We drafted the lowest income level of America, and the highest income level found a doctor that would say they had a bone spur. That is wrong. That is wrong. If we are going to ask every American to serve, every American should serve.” This was a jab at Trump, who received five deferments from service during Vietnam.

Most importantly, Trump has avoided talking about the actual attack that occurred in West Africa over two weeks ago. Johnson reported that she has no idea where or how her husband died, and the rest of the American people have also been left in the dark.

The attack in Niger was undoubtedly a tragedy in itself. Trump attempted to do something useful but ended up taking one step forward and several steps back.

Photo: The White House via flickr