Biden slammed for ‘disrespect’ after leaving warfare hero alone on stage at ceremony
President Joe Biden has discovered himself within the eye of a storm after unexpectedly exiting a Medal of Honour ceremony held on the White House, leaving an esteemed warfare hero standing awkwardly alone on the stage.
The US chief, 80, wasted no time in departing the East Room after bestowing the nation’s highest army honour upon 81-year-old Larry Taylor, a retired Army Captain celebrated for his valor in the course of the Vietnam War.
As the medal was pinned to Mr Taylor’s lapel, he could not maintain again his tears, however Mr Biden appeared much less emotional because it has been reported that he was already making his technique to the door earlier than the closing benediction was learn.
While many have been fast to voice their fury, some speculated that the Commander-in-Chief’s swift departure might need been an try to shine the highlight on the veteran.
But even so, the President’s swift departure inadvertently led to an uncomfortable second the place the aged vet was left alone on stage.
This incident adopted earlier criticism of Mr Biden for briefly eradicating his masks simply moments earlier than greeting Mr Taylor, regardless of First Lady Jill Biden having examined constructive for Covid-19 the day gone by.
The President’s hasty exit is simply the newest in a sequence of incidents which have brought about many to label him as disrespectful in the direction of the troops.
Notably, there was a infamous second when he repeatedly checked his watch throughout a ceremony honoring troopers killed in an ISIS-Ok suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, again in 2021.
Mr Taylor, the retired Army Captain, was being honored for his bravery in the course of the Vietnam War.
In June 1968, he put his life on the road to rescue a squadron surrounded by enemy forces and as a helicopter pilot, he courageously flew by way of a hail of gunfire whereas strafing floor troops for almost an hour.
When he began operating low on ammunition, Mr Taylor descended into the battlefield and efficiently extracted the foot troopers, saving them from sure dying.
Yet, whereas the Vietnam vet was understandably overwhelmed with emotion because the medal was pinned to his lapel, Mr Biden’s demeanor appeared far much less affected by the second.
Military veterans who attended the ceremony have been fast to sentence Mr Biden’s abrupt exit, arguing that it displayed a brazen lack of respect for the veteran.
Former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan minced no phrases, exclaiming: “Pardon my French… But what a f***ing idiot. The continuous lack of respect Biden has for anyone is appalling.”
Online, one daughter of a deceased colonel interred at Arlington Cemetery condemned Biden for “leaving (Taylor) alone on the stage”.
She concluded: “He hates our military.”
“What is it with Biden? He keeps on showing disrespect to our men and women in uniform,” one other shocked observer wrote, including: “Here, he left a Medal of Honor recipient alone on the stage as he made a beeline for the exit. There’s nothing honorable about this President.”
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