On Veterans Day my heart ached for the sacrifices that have been laid at freedom’s altar. Was this Nov. 11, facing a Donald Trump regime, what the veterans had in mind for future generations of Americans?

Above the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha beach in Normandy, France, a memorial stands with the inscription “These endured all and gave all that justice among nations might prevail and that mankind might enjoy freedom and inherit peace.’’

Did our brave generations of veterans die so that a new president does not have to pay taxes, does not know the value of a Purple Heart, and is allowed to harass a Gold Star family?

Did Americans die so that they could come home and bully females, Latinos, African-Americans, and disabled people? Were Stars of David and crosses laid on foreign shores so that we could now abandon our allies?

The veterans wanted us to “inherit peace.’’ Peace starts in our own backyard, on our own street, in our own ZIP code, and in our own hearts. How are we expected to give the next generation peace when our supposed leader spouts such poisonous monologues?

I, for one, apologize, with tears in my eyes, to all the veterans who have done their duty with honor and sacrifice for the mess we have made out of their unselfish commitment to freedom.

Mary E. Laubenstein, South Boston