Family of Bethel Marine captain killed in August did not get call or letter from Trump

[jpak]

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2017/10/19/family-maine-marine-captain-killed-august-did-not-get-call-or-letter-trump/2219936#comments

The brother of a U.S. Marine captain from Bethel who died during a training exercise in August said his family never received a phone call or a letter from the White House, another claim that undercuts President Trump’s assertion that he has reached out to all the families of fallen soldiers.

Benjamin Cross, a 2009 graduate of Telstar Regional High School, was one of three Americans killed when a military aircraft crashed into the sea off the east coast of Australia. Also killed were Cpl. Nathaniel Ordway, 21, of Sedgwick, Kansas, and Pfc. Ruben Velasco, 19, of Los Angeles.

Cross’ older brother, Ryan Cross, who is also a veteran, said he was offended by the president’s assertion this week that he has “called every family of somebody that’s died, and it’s the hardest call to make.”

“I find it sickening that he is using fallen service members to score political points, especially when his claims of reaching out to every Gold Star family are completely false,” the older Cross said in a text message Thursday after the Portland Press Herald sought information about whether his family was called.

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