Vietnam veterans oppose Trump-backed Arlington arch project, say it ‘disrespects’ fallen soldiers

WASHINGTON, DC: A group of Vietnam veterans is publicly opposing a large triumphal arch project supported by President Donald Trump near Arlington National Cemetery.

They argue that the monument would disrespect fallen service members and turn sacred military ground into what they see as a political symbol linked to Trump.

According to CBS News, retired veterans Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gundersen are among the plaintiffs suing to halt construction of the proposed 250-foot arch planned for a traffic circle between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

Veterans challenge Trump’s Arlington triumphal arch

The veterans involved in the lawsuit argued that the project appears less focused on America’s 250th anniversary and more centered around Trump personally.

Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gundersen have served multiple presidents throughout their decades in the military and State Department. Now, as retirees, they are taking on the commander-in-chief in court. 

In February, Gundersen and Byrnes, alongside another Vietnam veteran and a historian, sued to stop construction of the 250-foot arch set to be built in a currently empty traffic circle between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

They argue that the project has been rushed and that the administration has not received proper congressional approval.

The arch, they say, would disrupt the symbolic connection between the Lincoln Memorial and the Robert E Lee Memorial, a carefully considered sightline meant to convey unity after the Civil War.

According to recent renderings, the arch would be more than double the height of the Lincoln Memorial.

Gundersen and Byrnes say their lawsuit challenging President Trump's triumphal arch at the entrance to Arlington Cemetery is not a partisan effort.

Veterans say Arlington arch disrespects fallen soldiers

"I think what we're doing is being loyal to the country. And loyalty can be measured in different ways," Gundersen, a retired Army Special Forces officer, told CBS News in an interview.

Byrnes said he joined the suit, which is led by the Public Citizen Litigation Group, out of respect for fallen soldiers buried in Arlington.

"It's more about the duty I feel towards my colleagues and friends who did not come home to stand up against this project, regardless of who's in charge," Byrnes, a Navy veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, said.

"I think it's just disrespectful to those that I served with who didn't come back, and then, of course, to all those who are lying in Arlington National Cemetery."

The Justice Department has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that the group does not have proper standing to sue. Although Congress has not held a formal vote on the matter, administration officials have indicated that Congress has already approved the project.

They referred to a plan established more than 100 years ago that called for the construction of two stately columns, each 166 feet tall, symbolizing the North and South.

Last year, Trump showed off a model of the development project, which resembles the Parisian Arc de Triomphe, telling a group of reporters in the Oval Office that the structure is "going to be fantastic."