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See all articlesDNC Pulls Memorial Day Post After Rebuke From Party Combat Veterans
A Memorial Day social media post from the Democratic National Committee, which called to remember the 13 soldiers killed in the U.S.-Iran military conflict and blamed President Donald Trump for their deaths, was pulled down after two lawmakers from their own party, both combat veterans, said the graphic politicized their deaths.
"It is incredibly distasteful to use our heroic dead for a political attack on Memorial Day," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on X while sharing a link to the post. "I'm a Democrat, and I condemn this post by the DNC."
The DNC's graphic included photographs of the killed military personnel, and said that "Today, we honor the American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in Trump's war with Iran."
Duckworth, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot during the Iraq War, was shot down in 2004 by Iraqi insurgents, suffering wounds that resulted in the loss of both of her legs and an injury to her right arm.
She served in the Army from 1992 to 2014, including service in the Army Reserve from 1992 to 1996 before transferring to the Army National Guard in 1996.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served as an Army Ranger, including three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, also posted on X to criticize the post.
"If we want the moral high ground, we have to be better," Crow said. "I fought for our country and served with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It's wrong to politicize this day. I won't hesitate to call out my own team when we fall short."
The DNC post went live at about 11 a.m. Friday, with Duckworth speaking out against it at about 6:25 p.m. and Crow's post following shortly thereafter, at 6:38 p.m.
The DNC deleted its graphic at some point after the lawmakers' posts.
Meanwhile, earlier on Memorial Day, Crow and Duckworth posted social media messages recognizing the sacrifices of fallen soldiers in our nation's history.
"On this Memorial Day, we remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," Crow said in his video, which was recorded near the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.