Jaclyn Schmitz, a Gold Star mother, has denounced the Biden-Harris administration for rejecting her and other Gold Star parents' request to hold a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their fallen children. Schmitz criticized the administration's actions as a "spit in the face" and a "slap in the face."
Jaclyn Schmitz, whose son Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz was among the 13 service members killed in the August 26, 2021 terrorist attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, expressed her outrage and frustration over the administration's refusal to acknowledge her and other Gold Star parents' request for a memorial service.
Gold Star Mom Rebukes Biden-Harris Administration for Refusing Memorial Invitation
"It's just another spit in the face," Schmitz said in an interview with Fox News. "Another slap in the face. I'm absolutely so frustrated with this administration. First, they don't even acknowledge that our kids even died on their watch. Then to spit in our face and say that Donald Trump was politicizing this when it was us, the families, that had invited him."
Trump visited Arlington Cemetery last week to honor the fallen service members, despite the Biden-Harris administration's refusal to invite Gold Star parents to participate in the event. After Trump's visit, the media reported that a Trump campaign photographer had recorded footage in a restricted area, prompting the U.S. Army to issue a statement condemning the incident.
Gold Star Mom Rebukes Biden-Harris Administration for Refusing Memorial Invitation
Schmitz dismissed the controversy surrounding Trump's visit as a distraction from the administration's failure to support Gold Star families. "We were all absolutely just pissed off," she said.
"In fact, the White House and Biden and Harris were invited as well, they just chose not to be there," she added.
Gold Star Mom Rebukes Biden-Harris Administration for Refusing Memorial Invitation
Schmitz revealed that neither Biden nor Harris had reached out to her or other Gold Star parents since assuming office. "We have never heard from either one of them," she said. "Ever. In the entire three years since our kids were killed by their administration."
She also condemned President Biden's false claim during the presidential debates that "no one has died from COVID in my administration."
"That nobody, that no service member had died during his presidency," she recalled Biden saying. "That was even more of a gut punch."
The Harris campaign declined to comment on Schmitz's remarks.
Schmitz's criticism adds to the growing chorus of Gold Star families who have expressed disappointment and anger over the Biden-Harris administration's treatment of them. Their voices underscore the administration's failure to prioritize the needs of the families who have sacrificed their loved ones in service to the nation.
