On Sunday morning, I stood along with hundreds of other people near Court Square in Springfield for the city’s Veterans’ Day observation. I was there to take photos, but being the son of a man who was in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, it had personal significance for me.

It was a cold, windy day, but people came.

It’s a shame the president of the United States could not show a similar interest in the nation’s vets.

By now I’m sure you’ve heard President Donald Trump decided to skip a memorial service at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Paris, France, over the weekend. According to an official statement, the cancellation was “due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather.”

Chief of Staff John Kelly, retired general, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford went in the president’s absence.

The rain may have kept Trump away but not Emmanuel Macron of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Justin Trudeau of Canada. Somehow these world leaders managed to get there despite some rain.

To be clear, The Independent pointed out the cemetery is an hour’s drive from Paris. The rain prevented Trump from arriving via helicopter.

This weekend marked the 100th anniversary of WWI and the cemetery is the resting area for more than 2,000 American troops.

Granted, there are no more American veterans of WWI still alive. The last one in this country, Frank Buckles, passed in 2011.

When President Barack Obama visited the same place in 2009 it was raining. Obama walked through the cemetery in the rain. It didn’t seem to bother him.

I get it. There is little political capital to be acquired involving yourself in a memorial for a war where everyone who has fought in it is now dead. Trump didn’t see the point of going through the motions. What would he gain?

Trump showed that he has little respect for prisoners of war through his remarks about the late Sen. John McCain and now he has shown he has even less respect for the people who gave their lives in this nation’s service.

And yet his most staunch supporters come up with excuses, such as he didn’t have access to an armored limo. This is wrong, as there is an armored limo that accompanies every president.

There was no explanation for Trump not to go other than he didn’t want to go.

Will this latest action affect anything? It will give those of us who question the president’s actions and policies more reason to wonder just what he is thinking.

I doubt, though, it will give his supporters any pause. My friends on Facebook who are among his supporters chose to ignore commenting about it, except for one who elected to leave the conversation when it was clear she was factually wrong.

For any other elected official this would have been the kiss of death.

I never thought I’d live to see the day when a sitting president would show so little concern for the sacrifices made by the country’s armed forces. While I miss my dad, I’m glad he didn’t live long enough to see this kind of disrespect.

Mr. Chairman

This is a new era in Massachusetts politics and I’m eager to see how it plays out.

Congressman Richard Neal will soon be the chair of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee. Neal should be congratulated to be in such an influential position, which makes considerable impact on tax and budget policy.

I think it fair to say that Neal has not courted the national spotlight in Congress, instead focusing on matters that affect his district.

It’s a fair bet he will be sought after as a guest on the Sunday morning talking head shows. I hope those hosts are prepared for often-lengthy detailed answers to questions than soundbites. Personally I like them, but then I’m a print guy.

I know I’ll be watching what happens next.