Trump called POWs losers and dodged Vietnam. On Memorial Day, I honor someone who didn't

Former Labor Secretary Recalls College Friend Lost in Vietnam on Memorial Day

President Donald J. Trump visited approximately 200 National Guard troops on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, at Cougar Stadium in Lake Charles, La., during his visit to view damage caused by Hurricane Laura. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Robert Reich, emeritus professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and former secretary of labor, has described a personal friendship formed in 1964 with a classmate he identified as Robbie. In a Memorial Day reflection, Reich recounted meeting Robbie on the first day of college when Robbie assisted with luggage and later invited him to dinner. Reich stated that Robbie demonstrated consistent helpfulness toward dormitory residents and classmates during their undergraduate years.

Reich reported that Robbie was listed as missing in action in Vietnam on October 12, 1972, and that his remains have not been recovered. Reich noted that he thinks of Robbie and other service members on Memorial Day. He also stated his opposition to the Vietnam War at the time, citing participation in demonstrations and objections to the conflict's conduct. Official U.S. government figures record more than 58,000 American deaths in the war, with estimates of Vietnamese deaths in the millions.

Reich described Robbie's actions as reflecting a sense of duty. He contrasted this recollection with statements made by President Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign regarding Senator John McCain. In those remarks, Trump stated that McCain was "not a war hero" because he was captured, adding, "I like people that weren’t captured, OK?" McCain's aircraft was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. He was held as a prisoner of war and declined an early release offer tied to his father's position as commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, remaining in captivity for nearly five additional years under conditions that included solitary confinement and reported torture, consistent with the military Code of Conduct on release order.

Trump received a medical deferment from military service during the Vietnam era, citing a bone spur. In 2019 testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Michael Cohen, who served as Trump's personal attorney, stated that Trump provided no medical records or evidence of surgery and instructed Cohen to respond to inquiries by confirming only the deferment. Cohen quoted Trump as saying he was not going to Vietnam.

The Trump Organization has announced plans for a $1.5 billion golf complex near Hanoi and a skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, representing the family's initial development projects in Vietnam. These initiatives form part of the organization's international business activities.

Reich characterized his own view of societal obligations as centered on mutual duty rather than transactional exchanges. He presented Robbie's service as an example of the former. Reich's account appears in a personal essay published on his Substack platform. His memoir, "Coming Up Short," is available through standard retail channels.