Sarah Palin’s son, Track Palin, is not a very popular figure on social media right now. Recently, Track was arrested by police for drunken domestic violence because he punched his 22-year-old girlfriend in the face and kicked her in the knee after discovering she had communicated with an ex-boyfriend. The girlfriend fought back, delivering an elbow to one eye, but Track responded by threatening her with an unloaded AR-15. Police found Track’s girlfriend cowering under a bed after he turned the gun on himself, cocked it, and threatened to commit suicide.
How can Track Palin (or anyone) kick and punch his girlfriend, leaving her w a swollen eye, wield an AR-15 and be charged w a misdemeanor?
— Mike Pesca (@pescami) January 21, 2016
Track Palin’s combat record includes serving in Iraq during George W. Bush’s presidency back in 2008 with the Alaska-based 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. According to the Palin family, Track apparently had a noticeable change in behavior once he came back from this tour of duty. When Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump, she implied that Track’s PTSD and President Obama’s lack of respect for military veterans was a factor in Track’s behavior.
“I guess it’s kind of the elephant in the room — because my own family, going through what we’re going through today with my son, a combat vet having served in a Stryker brigade fighting for you all, America, in the war zone. It’s a shame that our military personnel even have to question, have to wonder if they’re respected anymore. It starts from the top … the question, though, that comes from our own president where they have to look at him and wonder, ‘Do you know what we go through? Do you know what we’re trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us?’”
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Track Palin’s Combat Record Debated
On social media, some are claiming that Sarah Palin is lying about Track’s service record since a document purportedly shows that Palin did not qualify for the combat service medal during his tour of duty in Iraq.
Report: Track Palin saw no combat. Questions arise about PTSD https://t.co/JH4uS3kouV #p2
— Alan Colmes (@AlanColmes) January 24, 2016
@jaykirell Was he in combat? This says he wasnt pic.twitter.com/z4CSviJ4ij
— Elsa Lion (@ElsaLion2) January 21, 2016
Writer Jason Kirell is an Afghanistan combat veteran whose tour was in 2010 and 2011. On Twitter, Kirell claims that he lived in the same barracks as Track at one point in time, although he has not given any further details.
“Speaking as a combat vet who literally slept in the same barracks as Track Palin, his mother is wrong and her son is not a victim,” he claimed. “All I’ll say in fairness to him is that his mother claimed he was a combat vet, not him.”
Two days later, Kirell also complained on Twitter how Sarah had started a “debate over PTSD.”
“It’s a shame that this debate over PTSD had to get started by Sarah Palin. Nothing good has ever come from paying attention to her,” he wrote. “I would be more upset if someone respected said something like that. With Palin it’s like….’yeah, but we all know she’s crazy.’”
The Anthony Hill Shooting Case
Since Sarah has claimed that Track Palin’s PTSD was a major factor, some on social media have compared the situation to the death of Anthony Hill , a U.S. Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by a Georgia police officer while Hill was suffering from a terrible medical episode. Witnesses say the black man was seen making unintelligible noises, jumping off apartment balconies repeatedly, knocking on doors, and stripping naked in the parking lot. The Black Lives Matter movement followed the case closely since Hill had suffered from PTSD and bipolar disorder.
Police respond to violent, drunk, armed man who just assaulted a woman. Could have been bad if guy was black. #TrackPalin #PalinSpawn
— Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) January 20, 2016
Anthony and Track probably agreed on certain political issues. Hill had hoped to become a police officer, and may have disagreed with the Black Lives Matter movement to a certain degree since he defended law enforcement officers after the Michael Brown shooting. He also made references to the All Lives Matter counter-movement, saying, “The key think to remember is, #blacklivesmatter, ABSOLUTELY, but not moreso than any other life.”
Some believe the two make a good comparison based upon suffering from PTSD. Hill’s friends said the veteran suffered from nightmares, while Sarah claims Track’s violent action can be traced back to his tour of duty.
Others are also making the comparison based upon race. In a political cartoon, Pat Bagley of the Salt Lake Tribune asked if Hill would be “dead if he’d been white,” and whether Track would have survived his arrest if he had been black.
Thoughts on Track Palin. #PTSD #BLM #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/a3tqGW2W68
— Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) January 23, 2016
What do you think about Track Palin and Sarah’s explanation for his recent behavior?
Hearing about Track Palin’s issues makes me think he needs serious counseling. But, that need doesn’t forgive his act of domestic violence.
— Nate Bethea (@inthesedeserts) January 21, 2016
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)