Donald Trump’s selection for defense secretary once made a cross-country road trip that stopped at the homes of many families of fallen servicemembers. Read more from ABC News on General James Mattis’s trip, which he took shortly after he retired from the Marine Corps after 41 years of service:
“The route he chose was dictated by the Gold Star Mothers he had to visit along the way,” says his longtime friend, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Michael Ennis, who first met Mattis in 1972, when they were both new officers. “He spent almost two weeks on that cross-country drive, zig-zagging to get to as many as he could to personally talk to them.” “He personally wrote hand-written notes to every parent whose son or daughter was killed under his command,” said Ennis. “He cares deeply. He also works very hard to keep his Marines from being killed unnecessarily.”
The Hoover Institution, where Mattis is currently a scholar, has issued a statement in light of Trump’s Thursday announcement. “There’s no one better suited to guide our military and nation in these consequential times,” said Hoover’s director, Tom Gilligan, on Thursday evening. “We wish General Mattis the best of luck in his new endeavor and commend President Elect Trump on choosing one of the smartest minds and strategic thinkers of our time.”
