Andrew Marckesano issued their statement two days after Mr. Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee.
A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation.
Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.
Sergeant Marckesano died on July 7, 2020, after moving to Washington to begin a job at the Pentagon.
He had three children, and friends said he had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in combat.
His gravesite is adjacent to that of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who was killed in the 2021 bombing at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
The Hoover family granted permission to the Trump team to film and take photographs at the gravesite; the Marckesano family did not, and filming and photographing at the gravesite for political purposes is a violation of federal law, according to cemetery officials.
Yet Sergeant Marckesano’s grave was shown in photos from the visit that were published online.
A video was posted to Mr. Trump’s TikTok account featuring footage from the Section 60 visit and the gravestones from behind, with narration criticizing the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
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An Arlington National Cemetery resident’s family, who lost their loved one to suicide on Wednesday, expressed concern that Donald J. Because Mr. Trump was in an area prohibited from being used for campaign photography, his gravesite was filmed by the Trump campaign without authorization.
Family members of Master Sgt. Two days following Mr. Trump’s visit, which featured an altercation between Trump campaign members and an Arlington employee, Andrew Marckesano released their statement. Section 60 of the cemetery is a severely restricted area that is primarily used for the interment of fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This is where the former president’s campaign took video.
An altercation occurred, and a woman who works at the cemetery reported it to the military authorities. The unnamed official, however, later decided not to pursue legal action. According to military officials, she was afraid that Mr. Trump’s supporters would seek revenge.
On July 7, 2020, Sergeant Marckesano passed away following his relocation to Washington, D.C., for a position at the Pentagon. Friends claimed that he suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his combat experience, and he had three children. Silver and Bronze Stars were awarded to him for his service. He rests beside the grave of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine killed in the bombing of Abbey Gate, outside the Afghan airport, in 2021.
The Marckesano family did not give permission for the Trump team to film and take pictures at the gravesite; the Hoover family did. According to cemetery officials, it is illegal for anyone to film or take pictures at the gravesite for political reasons. Nevertheless, images from the visit that were posted online showed Sergeant Marckesano’s grave. A video with narration criticizing the way the U.S. government handled the Section 60 visit and footage of the gravestones from behind was uploaded to Mr. Trump’s TikTok account. s. 2021 sees the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Sergeant Marckesano’s sister, Michele, provided a statement from his family following contact with The New York Times. She stated, “We fully support Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover’s family and the other families in their quest for answers and accountability regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”. “.
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