It's time again to change history

In 1940, my beloved parents were full of new love, dreams and possibilities.

During WWII, my Dad fought in Africa and Europe. He finally met my sister when she was 3 years old.

Rather than dying on Omaha Beach, my dad died a much slower death from PTSD, medicated with vodka. By the time I was 31, both my parents had died. Each day I watch the joy of my own children and grandson, yearning for my mom and dad.

I have always believed my parents were heroes. They conquered the Third Reich and created NATO. The United States became the leader of the Free World; the Nation that all others looked to for moral integrity and leadership.

My feelings for Donald Trump have very little to do with politics, and everything to do with the fact that he has made a sham out of the moral integrity of the presidency, our nation’s leadership, my own parent’s fight for a world free for democracy, and our own children’s future. By legitimizing carrying symbols of the Third Reich, he has energized a group of hate mongers who now are emboldened to wreak havoc on our American cities.

We have the power to bend history away from the chaos Trump has created. Sitting idly by and watching everything we hold dear as Americans be diminished will only make it worse. Each of us, no matter our politics, needs to speak up. A republic is as good as the sum of its parts.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 4:43 PM with the headline "It's time again to change history."