Star Wars actor Mark Hamill was one of many who criticized former President Donald Trump for giving a thumbs-up while posing at the grave sites of fallen veterans.
Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021. Around 170 Afghans were killed in the attack.
He met with families of the deceased service members who died when a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. They were assisting Afghans attempting to flee the country following the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan and the Taliban taking back control.
But in some photos, including at the graves of U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Leeann Gee and Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, Trump posed with their families while smiling and giving a thumbs-up.
Many people were unhappy with his visit to the cemetery and his choice of pose, including Hamill.
"Nothing to see here. Just the tone-deaf draft dodger gleefully giving a thumbs-up at the graves of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. #WeirdandSAD," Hamill wrote Monday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamill was referring to criticism Trump has faced for allegedly avoiding the draft in the Vietnam War by saying he had medical deferment due to bone spurs in his heels. However, the daughters of the podiatrist who diagnosed Trump at the time said their father had done so as a favor to Trump's father, Fred Trump.
Newsweek reached out to the families of Gee and Hoover via their respective foundation websites for comment.
Trump's campaign team shared several photos from his Arlington Cemetery visit to X, including the photo by Hoover's grave. Gee's sister-in-law, Misty Herrera Fuoco, also shared pictures of the family posing with Trump at the memorial service on her personal Instagram page.
The former president's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, responded to the backlash in a statement to Newsweek.
"President Trump was invited by the family members to visit with them at Arlington Cemetery and honor the sacrifice service members made on the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack. Where was Kamala?" Cheung said.
Reactions to Hamill's opinion included Trump's estranged niece, Mary Trump.
"He desecrates everything," she replied to Hamill's post.
"It's beyond gross," podcast host Rachel Vindman posted in response to Hamill.
Others disagreed with Hamill, including a MAGA supporter who wrote, "Trump showed up today to honor those who lost their lives at the Abbey Gate through Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's terrible withdrawal. Where were they today?"
Gee was 23 years old when she died during the Afghanistan mission, which was a humanitarian one to evacuate refugees fleeing the country. She helped more than 100,000 people escape, according to her foundation's website. She received service medals, including the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Medal, among others.
Hoover, from Utah, joined the Marine Corps in 2010 and was 31 years old when he died in Kabul. During his time in the Marines, he was deployed overseas five times. His service medals included the Purple Heart, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal, among others.
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