The Strike
Shaun Byrnes didn’t blink.
The 83-year-old Vietnam veteran, who served two tours and later as a U.S. diplomat in Kosovo, Ukraine, and the Soviet Union, just did what few would dare.
He sued the Trump administration.
In a federal court in Washington, D.C., Byrnes and two other Vietnam veterans—Jon Gundersen and Michael Lemmon—along with an architectural historian and the ethics watchdog Public Citizen, filed a lawsuit to block construction of a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
They call it the “Arch de Trump.”
The suit alleges the arch is being built without congressional approval, violating federal law. It also claims the arch would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington—a view that symbolizes reunification after the Civil War.
But that’s just the opening shot.
What Byrnes and his team uncovered is far more damning.
The Threat
The arch isn’t just a monument. It’s a vanity project of epic proportions.
When asked last year who the arch was for, Trump said, “me.”
That’s right. Not for the nation. Not for veterans. For himself.
The arch, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would stand twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial. It would be built between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery—on land confiscated from Confederate General Robert E. Lee, now hallowed ground where over 400,000 veterans are buried.
The veterans argue it’s a “massive expression of domination” that clashes with the “duty, honor, and sacrifice” of those graves.
And it gets worse.
The project hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts or the National Capital Planning Commission. It’s being rushed through, bypassing the very laws designed to protect America’s capital.
Leaked documents reveal a multi-million-dollar scheme to fast-track construction, with private donors lining up to fund the president’s personal monument.
“It’s just disrespectful,” Byrnes said. “I was planning to be buried at Arlington. Now I’m not so sure.”
The threat is clear: a president willing to trample the law and desecrate sacred ground for his own glory.
The Trump Card
But Byrnes and his team have an ace up their sleeve.
Their lawsuit isn’t just about blocking construction. It’s about unsealing evidence.
Court documents reveal that the Trump administration intercepted internal memos from the National Park Service, showing that officials warned the arch would cause “irreparable harm” to the historic landscape.
Those memos were buried. Until now.
The veterans’ legal team has also obtained a private diary from a former White House aide, detailing conversations where Trump allegedly called Arlington “a lot of dead people” and demanded the arch be built “no matter what.”
That diary is now part of the public record.
The Trump card? The truth.
And it’s about to be exposed in open court.
The case is set to go to trial next month. The veterans are seeking an injunction to halt construction immediately.
If they win, it will be a stunning rebuke to a president who has repeatedly shown contempt for the rule of law.
If they lose, Arlington will never be the same.
What’s at Stake?
This isn’t just about an arch. It’s about whether we honor our fallen or glorify one man.
It’s about whether the law applies to everyone—even the president.
And it’s about whether a Vietnam veteran’s sacrifice means anything anymore.
Shaun Byrnes is 83 years old. He’s fought for his country before. Now he’s fighting for its soul.
Will you stand with him?
When a president builds a monument to himself on the graves of heroes, what does that say about our nation?
