KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is appalled over the recent treatment of a combat-wounded student veteran by Columbia University students during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on the campus, calling their actions “banal and juvenile” following their recent verbal harassment of Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant. Maschek was awarded the Purple Heart after being shot multiple times during a firefight in Iraq in 2008.
“The disrespect and shoddy treatment of an American hero by the students is a direct insult to not only the veteran community but also to all members of the nation’s armed forces,” said Richard L. Eubank, national commander of the VFW, the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans.
“Their recent actions are representative of the University’s overall long-standing anti-military environment that fosters contempt and condescension for the military services. It is, in fact, a question of leadership and governing that allows this type of childish behavior and is far removed from the ethics and values of the American mainstream. Lifting the ban on ROTC at Columbia is a decision that should be made by University leadership and not left to the whim of students.”
“The faculty and the parents of the students who participated in the harassment of Mr. Maschek, need to be reminded that all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans have been earned by generations of patriots such as Anthony who were willing to fight to protect the liberties we, as Americans, enjoy. This is particularly true when considering the current war on terrorism is a direct result of the devastating attacks that occurred ten years ago in Columbia’s neighborhood.