President Donald Trump calls soldiers who fight and die for America losers and suckers. I don't believe his denials, because he has said many of the same things in the past.

My dad fought in the Pacific during World War II. My great-uncle died in action in northern France during World War I. They were both patriots — Americans who loved our country and what it stands for, and who were willing to die for it.

A few weeks before Nov. 11, 2018, the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, I showed my documentary about my great uncle, Walter Sigurd Lindahl, at the Hennepin Library branch near Victory Memorial Drive, where Walter is commemorated along with other American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for America during the Great War. Walter, the son of Swedish immigrants from Minneapolis, did not want to go to war, but he was drafted and he did his duty to his country that he loved; he was not a "loser" or a "sucker."

On Oct. 7, 1918, Walter's regiment was ordered to attack the Germans. They knew it would be a suicide mission, because German machine-gunners surrounded them on the front and on the side. Walter's captain had attempted to have the attack called off. Walter and his fellow soldiers went over the top at 6 a.m., and German machine guns mowed them down.

Here's what Walter's buddy said about Walter's death in a letter he wrote to the family: "Our company went over the top that fatal morning and Walter was hit by machine bullets in his leg and stomach about 6:30 a.m. and died sometime that night. And the sorrowful part of it was that it was impossible for stretcher bearers to get to the wounded men that day, so they had to lay on the field of battle." Another buddy wrote this: "We were ordered to go over the top and Walter was as jolly as ever. He and I were side by side doing our best until Walter got shot. He did not die right away. He was not unconscious until the last moment of his death. These were Walter's last words: 'I know I am going to die. I am ready to die. I am not afraid to die.' "

In what we think is Walter's last letter to his parents, he wrote: "I was walking down the road this evening, and saw an old man plowing in a field; it was getting late and I felt sorry for this old man. I never want to see old people work. If I ever get back, I will do all I can to help them. My being in the army has made a thinking man of me. It has awakened the finer senses in me instead of hardening me as it does some men. I like to do good things for my fellow man. It hurts me when I cannot help them."

The news of their son's death destroyed his parents' lives. Walter was considered the "bright light" of the family. And the family had just endured another tragedy: Walter's older sister died two days before him — of the Spanish Flu.

President Trump has no honor, and no love for his country.

Emily E. Haddad, of Stillwater, is a filmmaker and writer.