To thunderous applause at the Democratic National Convention, the father of a Muslim American war hero who died in combat has told Donald Trump:
“You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”
Mr. Khizr Khan took to the stage with his Ghazala on Thursday night to pay tribute to his son Humayun Khan. A captain in the U.S. Army, Humayun was killed in Iraq in a suicide bomb attack on 2004.
He died heroically, telling his detachment of 10 troops to take cover while he stepped up to stop a car laden with explosives. The driver detonated them, killing Khan. Eye witnesses said the death toll could have been much higher without his intervention. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.
His father took the opportunity to vent his outrage at Trump’s constant goading of Muslim Americans, his calls for increased screening and a ban on Muslim immigration. Offering to lend Trump his copy of the U.S. Constitution and questioning whether he has ever read it, he went on to challenge him:
“Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending America – you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”
Mr. Khan’s eloquence and the evident courage and dignity that he and his wife showed moved several members of the audience to tears. Describing their move to the USA, he said:
“Like many immigrants, we came to this country empty-handed. We believed in American democracy — that with hard work and the goodness of this country, we could share in and contribute to its blessings.
We were blessed to raise our three sons in a nation where they were free to be themselves and follow their dreams…
…Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son “the best of America.” If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America.”
Since the speech, a website for servicemen who served and perished in Iraq has been filling up with equally moving tributes, many from people who knew Capt. Khan personally. One especially poignant post read:
“To the Family of Humayun Khan,
My name is Elizabeth, my husband and your son worked together on Warhorse in Iraq 2004. I will never forget the day you lost your son; and words cannot express how heavy my heart feels for your loss. You see, my husband Jeremy and Khan alternated shifts that day. It is because of your son’s sacrifice, that my husband is here to see our daughter turn 11. I cannot express my gratitude or my grief through words. But please know that my thoughts and my prayers are always with your family. “Never Forgotten”! With blessings of peace and love.”
– Elizabeth Groover of Fort Campbell, KY
Here is Khizr Khan’s address to the convention in full.
Featured image screengrab from video.
