[Trump:] And I appreciate very much. And General, your reputation is an incredible one. Thank you very much for doing the job. I'll see you back when you're in the United States or maybe I'll even see you over there. You never know what's going to happen.
[Cabrera:] You never know what's going to happen. President Trump hinting on that call with U.S. troops he may take a trip to see them in Afghanistan. Now two years into his term, he's faced mounting criticism for having yet to visit a combat zone. The "Washington Post" reporting the president told advisors he doesn't want to associate himself with wars he views as failures. Defense Secretary James Mattis revealing he, at times, has advised the president not to go to certain places, saying, quote, "The president is the commander-in-chief and he decides where he needs to go. There are times I don't want him in certain locations, to be frank with you, for his security and the troops' security. So don't worry about that." Joining me now, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, former Army commanding general in Europe and the 7th Army, and a CNN military analyst. General, always good to see you. You've said you're fine with the fact the president has not visited a war zone. Why?
[Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, Cnn Military Analyst:] I'm fine with it now, Ana. Good afternoon. The reason I said that is because if it takes this amount of pressure to go, it's probably not best to go in the first place. Like you said, you know, this is part of his responsibility, to understand that as the commander-in-chief, with that title, he is responsible for all of those serving in deployed locations and in combat zones. And it would seem that someone that's responsible for that kind of requirement would go visit. He hasn't done so yet. And it seems now he's only reacting to pressure from the press or his opposition that's saying, gee, he hasn't been there in over two years, why hasn't he visited, for him go. That's not the kind of requirement that should force the president to go to a war zone. Not only that, but in all of the engagements with military forces, both on these conference calls, like occurred on Thursday or several other engagements, he seems to have politicized or attempted to politicize the military, asking them questions that they know they should not answer. They're not his
[Cabrera:] Hold your thought for just a second, though, because I would like to play some more sound from that call and then you can continue with your assessment.
[Trump:] So, Colonel, how many people are you commanding right now, would you say?
[Unidentified U.s. Military Commander:] About 10,000.
[Trump:] Wow. That's a lot of people. And what do you see in the region? What's going on in the region? How are they feeling about things? How are they feeling about trade? You know trade for me is a very big subject all over. We've been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals. We don't have any good trade deals. How are you finding things in the region, Nick?
[Unidentified U.s. Military Commander:] Mr. President, from our perspective out on the water, sir, we're seeing there's an abundance of trade happening in the region.
[Trump:] Tell me about the catapult system. So on the "Gerald Ford" they don't use steam, which is the first one I ever heard of that doesn't use steam. I know they have some difficulties which I'm not happy about.
[Cabrera:] So, General, you talk about the political tone being part of these phone calls. As somebody who has spent years in combat and commanded tens of thousands of troops what would you have liked to hear the president say instead?
[Hertling:] Those were just a few very many cringe-worthy moments on that telephone call. I would have wanted him to ask, what's the morale of the soldiers, how's the mission being accomplished over there, what kind of support do you want from the American people, what things should we next look at in terms of your operation, or just making sure the soldiers and the various military forces know that their family members are being taken care of and that they are appreciated. Those are the two number-one things that deployed soldiers want to hear from politicians is they are supported and their mission is important and they are taking care of their family members back home. To go off on all kinds of questions about readiness statures and number of soldiers and whether or not they agree or not with court decisions or even comparing a combat mission with what's going on with the southern border and his approach to that is just the wrong thing to bring up when you talk about an apolitical military.
[Cabrera:] We're also hearing from Cindy McCain speaking out publicly for the first time this week since her husband's. Here's what she had to say about President Trump suggesting John McCain wasn't a war hero because he was captured.
[Unidentified Correspondent:] We you hurt when the president said he wasn't a war hero?
[Cindy Mccain, Wife Of Deceased Senator John Mccain:] Yes, I was. I thought it was inappropriate and wrong. I really did. It hurt the family, too. You know, and he hurt the other men that served with John, that were in prison as well. It wasn't just about John. It was all about the other people. So I think that was a wrong thing to say. And, you know, I don't know if I'll ever get over it, I'll be honest. I'm the wife, that's my prerogative, I don't have to.
[Cabrera:] General, quickly, if you will, what's your reaction?
[Hertling:] Same as hers. Anybody who has been captured and served time as a prisoner of war understands the challenges associated with it. I think every single military person that had heard him make that comment about Senator McCain you don't have to agree with McCain's ideology, many of us did not, but you have to honor the kind of suffering he went through over five years, two years in solitary confinement being tortured. It's incredible. He gave a lot in service to the country. That's what's so denigrating about what the president said about Senator McCain.
[Cabrera:] Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, thank you very much for being here. So good to see you.
[Hertling:] Thank you, Ana.
[Cabrera:] No one knows exactly how they would handle sudden live- altering adversity, but we can all hope it's something like this 2018 top-10 "CNN Hero." Amanda Boxtel was an athlete, dancer and an avid skier. That changed in a blink of an eye. She then turned her pain into purpose.
[Amanda Boxtel, Cnn Hero:] Twenty-six years ago I went out skiing and I remember I somersaulted and I landed on my back and I knew in an instant I was paralyzed. But I was determined to show I wasn't going to give up so easily. I was inspired to create a program that could gift mobility to anyone that has a neurological impairment.
[Cabrera:] Go to CNNheroes.com to vote for her for "CNN Hero" of the year or any of your top-10 "CNN Heroes." We'll be right back.