The family of a Green Beret who died by suicide after completing eight combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald Trump’s campaign had photographed his gravesite without permission while Trump stood in an area where campaign photography is not allowed.
Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano made his statement two days after Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington staffer. The former president’s campaign videotaped the cemetery in a strictly restricted section of Section 60, largely reserved for fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A woman working at the cemetery reported the incident to the military authorities due to the dispute. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Army officials said he feared retaliation from Trump supporters.
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Marckesano died on July 7, 2020 after moving to Washington to start work at the Pentagon. He had three children and friends said he suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from the fighting. He earned silver and bronze during his service. His burial site is Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who died in the Abbey Gate bombing outside Kabul Airport in Afghanistan in 2021.
The Hoover family granted the Trump team permission to film and take photos at the grave site; Marckesano’s family did not, and filming and filming at the cemetery for political purposes is against federal law, according to cemetery officials. Still, Marckesano’s grave was visible in photos of the visit that were published online. A video was posted on Trump’s TikTok account that included footage of a Section 60 visit and tombstones from behind, with commentary criticizing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
In a statement provided by Marckesano’s relatives when contacted by The New York Times, his sister Michele said: “We fully support the family of Sergeant Darin Hoover and other families in their search for answers and accountability for the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”
“However,” he added, “in our discussions with Arlington National Cemetery, the Trump campaign staff did not adhere to the rules set forth for this visit to Sergeant Hoover’s grave site in section 60, which is directly above my brother’s grave.”
Sister Marckesano continued, “We hope that those who visit this sacred site will understand that they were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they will be honored and respected accordingly.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung did not comment on the Marckesano family’s statement, saying only that “the campaign continues to respect the wishes of the Gold Star family members who invited President Trump” when asked about the TikTok video.
Marckesano had served six tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne and others in combat overseas, according to news reports at the time of his death. Her family has reportedly sought privacy since her death.
After Monday’s controversy, the Army has dropped the case after an Arlington official declined to press charges. According to three US military officials, some members of the Trump campaign confronted and eventually pushed past a cemetery official when he tried to prevent them from taking photos in Section 60.
Two Trump campaign officials, Cheung and Chris LaCivita, had insulted the cemetery worker in public statements on Tuesday. Cheung claimed he was “suffering from a mental episode,” while LaCivita said he was a “despicable individual” who “doesn’t deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”
Military officials said the cemetery worker feared that pursuing the matter with officials at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could lead to retaliation by Trump supporters. Cheung said in a statement Wednesday that “it’s ridiculous and sounds like someone with Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump’s team had said it was ready to release video of the altercation, but never did.
Several military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential aspects of the case, tried Wednesday to keep the politically charged issue from escalating. But at the same time, they defended the cemetery official and fended off attacks from the Trump campaign, with one official saying the woman at the cemetery was just trying to do her job.
Since Monday, the former president’s visit to the cemetery has come under increasing scrutiny for its political nature.
He was present at a wreath-laying ceremony to honor 13 US soldiers killed in the Abbey Gate bombing as the US withdrew from Afghanistan three years ago. Trump has said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are responsible for the bombing and America’s chaotic withdrawal, repeating his attacks on the topic at campaign events after his visit to the cemetery.
Trump laid three wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday morning, the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing. Two of the wreaths were for fallen Marines: Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. The third was dedicated to all 13 fallen soldiers.
Trump was accompanied by family members of the two slain Marines and Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, two Marines injured in the Abbey Gate attack.
Trump then accompanied the families and Marine Corps veterans to Section 60. This part of Trump’s visit was private and closed to the press, leading to a confrontation. In a statement, the cemetery said federal law prohibited political campaigning or “election-related” activity at military cemeteries, including by photographers, and that the ban was “widely shared” with those attending the event.
For centuries, the United States has tried to keep military power and partisan politics separate to avoid allegiances to a political party or ideology. Because of this, members of the military are prohibited from engaging in partisan activities or supporting candidates while in uniform, and military bases are off limits for political campaigns.
On Wednesday, it was unclear whether the Ministry of Defense would file a lawsuit related to the episode.
At a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Trump running mate JD Vance, R-Ohio, blamed “some employee” at the cemetery for the incident and criticized the media for reporting it.
“Apparently someone at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member had a little disagreement with someone,” Vance said. “And they’ve flipped — the media has turned this into national news.”
Photos of Trump’s visit to Section 60 were later posted online. Trump was filmed giving a “thumbs up” to a camera standing behind Hoover’s grave, with Marckesano’s grave clearly visible a few feet away. On Tuesday, Trump posted a video on TikTok that also showed two tombstones from behind as Trump laid flowers.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who posted one photo of himself and Trump standing behind the graves on social media, apologized Wednesday for including other photos from some of the 60 visits in a campaign email asking for donations.
“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used for a campaign,” Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign is sending an apology.”
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