Raleigh – North Carolina veterans and military family members across the state have hammered Donald Trump in recent days over his reported comments calling American war dead and wounded veterans “losers” and “suckers.”

At a virtual press conference on Friday ahead of Trump’s rally in Fayetteville, military family members joined veteran Rep. Grier Martin in discussing those comments and Trump’s broken promises to U.S. service members.

Fayetteville Observer: Biden says Trump’s comments, response to COVID-19 make him unfit to be commander in chief

• On Friday, a state representative who is a veteran and two military spouses also talked to reporters about their support for the former vice president.
• State Rep. Grier Martin, a veteran who served in Afghanistan, said he was stunned by the comments Trump is reported to have said.
• Toni Morris, a military spouse from Fayetteville, said Trump has failed to protect troops from COVID-19. She said Biden will make sure soldiers and veterans have the health care they need. “I’m looking forward to having confidence in our national leadership,” Morris said.
• Margo Drakos, the spouse of an Army officer in special operations, said Trump’s chaotic leadership adds to stress on military families. She said the president neither understands nor respects the values of honor, duty and country that the military follows.

CBS17

• On a conference call with Democrats Friday, members of military families spoke about the impact of reading that report. “There’s a lot of hurt here because that’s not what a commander-in-chief does,” said Toni Morris.
• Margo Drakos added, “He neither understands nor respects the idea of duty, honor, country.”

Fayetteville Observer: Military spouse: Trump disrespects military sacrifices, service; Biden will honor them

• As a military spouse, I’m not the one heading into combat. But I can’t stay silent while our Commander-in-Chief continues to disrespect the sacrifices made by members of our all-voluntary United States military.
• While we take pride in our loved one’s commitment to serve and protect the mission set of our nation, we pray for their safe return home. Yet we are confronted by our President mocking our loved ones and us as “losers” and “suckers” who have served, “for nothing.”
• The president refuses to act when bounties are placed on the heads of our U.S. troops. He dismisses traumatic brain injuries caused by ballistic missile attacks as “headaches.” When he threatens invasion via tweet, our loved ones are the service members that have to act on a moment’s notice because of the President’s latest Twitter spat.

News & Record: Hardly ‘a loser’

• My brother, 1st. Lt. John Preston Karr, First Platoon, D Company, Second Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, was killed in action in Vietnam on May 25, 1969.
• He was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star for Heroism in Ground Combat, a Bronze Star First Oak Leaf Cluster for Meritorious Achievement in Ground Operations Against Hostile Forces and the Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement While Participating in Aerial Flight.
• He was doing his job to protect his troops and is a hero. He was not a loser, he was not a sucker, as Donald Trump has labelled such brave men.