Lynn Schmidt
Uprightness means more than just standing straight. It can also refer to a person’s strong moral integrity and honesty.
On June 17, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri retweeted a false report claiming that President Joe Biden’s campaign was trying to renegotiate the rules of last week’s presidential debate to allow Biden to participate in the debate.
Hawley retweeted X, commenting: “He (Biden) can’t stand for 90 minutes but is 100% capable of being president? Have fun explaining that.”
Hawley seemed to forget about Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd and longest serving president of the United States, who had polio and used a wheelchair.
Roosevelt led the country through the Great Depression and World War II, and assuming the history books are correct, he successfully led the American people through those crises.
Anyone else reading this…
To be clear, Hawley retweeted false information, and his offensive comments have little to no bearing on whether the president can’t do his job without standing for 90 minutes.
No, he toned down. As a parent of a child with a disability and as a voter in Mr Hawley’s district, I found this deeply unpleasant.
As part of this effort to change direction and move toward a higher path, let me introduce you to three outstanding people whose actions, in spite of obstacles, are building society rather than tearing it down.
On September 16, 2008, U.S. Army Warrant Officer Romulo “Romy” Camargo was deployed to Afghanistan. While on a humanitarian mission, Camargo’s unit was brutally ambushed. He was shot in the back of the neck, severely wounded, and paralyzed from the neck down.
Camargo’s fellow soldiers repelled the attack, and a medic from his team rushed to his aid and performed an emergency tracheotomy. They saved him and transported him to Germany, then to Walter Reed Hospital, where he recovered two hours from his home in Orlando, Florida.
In 2015, Romy and his wife Gaby opened the Stay in Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center in their hometown of Tampa with the goal of “changing lives one step at a time.” The goal of the Stay in Step center is to provide a rehabilitation facility for those suffering from paralysis due to spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, strokes and other neurological conditions, as well as provide tools, resources and support for their caregivers.
By all accounts, Camargo was lucky to survive, and thanks to his tenacity, he is now helping other people and their families learn to live again.
Chuck Aoki, 33, has been in a wheelchair most of his life because of a genetic disorder called Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type II, which has caused him to lose feeling in his knees and below his elbows.
Aoki is a Paralympic medalist who has won two silver medals and one bronze medal in wheelchair rugby.
Aoki told NBC Sports that while she didn’t have any role models growing up, she has worked hard to voice her opinion and highlight the importance of adaptive sports for people with disabilities.
“The reality is, what happened to you happened, and you can’t control it,” he said, “but what you can control is what you do next, what you do next, what you do next to make your life a little better.”
Aoki is so willing to share his accomplishments and positive attitude that children with disabilities have a mentor and someone to look up to.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is an Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient and one of the first few female Army aviators to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Duckworth was a Blackhawk helicopter pilot with the Illinois Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq. On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by a RPG, leaving her with both legs and partial use of her right arm. She recuperated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a year.
Following her recovery, Duckworth became an advocate for her fellow soldiers and later served as Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner, where she helped create a tax credit for employers who hire veterans, established the nation’s first 24/7 veterans crisis hotline and developed innovative programs to improve veterans’ access to housing and health care.
Duckworth served as Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 and the U.S. Senate in 2016.
Not only was Duckworth a hero on the battlefield, she continues to advocate for the rights of veterans and their families.
Senator Hawley could certainly learn something from Camago, Aoki and Duckworth, whose willingness to share their talents while helping others.
Schmidt is a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at the Post-Dispatch. [email protected]. X @SchmidtOpinions.
Check out the latest opinions
Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials delivered straight to your inbox every week.