Whether elected or not, the reckless rhetoric of Donald Trump is a threat to my son (an infantry officer), his fellow soldiers and all those who have volunteered to serve our military. I listen with disgust and fear as candidate Trump speaks in support of torture and going to war with the same level of concern most of us allot a decision regarding which dessert to choose — a choice with no real consequences.

In reality, though, my disgust rests not with this one man but with the crowd of supporters who stand by as he calls for "renewed waterboarding," speaks positively about alleged war crimes committed in the past, implies support for Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons, mocks disabled people, belittles the contributions of our NATO allies and casually speaks of sending our young men and women to war.

Mr. Trump is powerless without supporters. Though we've all witnessed truly disturbing things from his most rabid supporters at rallies — a call for the hanging of his opponent, espousing the superiority of "the white race" and assaulting minorities — it's not those events that disturb me as much as our elected officials and leaders of the Republican Party who stand by refusing to say anything on record openly critical of Mr. Trump's policies or his unfitness for any political office, much less the presidency of the United States.

I ask these leaders: Does torture lead to good intelligence or does it lead to the increased likelihood of your own son or daughter being tortured if captured as a prisoner of war? Does praising war crimes lead to success on the battlefield or does it increase mistrust by our allies and lead to further acts of gruesome violence by our enemies? Does banning the immigration of a targeted religious group make our country safer or does it add to the growing divide between the United States and our Muslim allies, allies whose cooperation is critical to American soldiers serving abroad?

I fail to understand why Alaska's Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are not asking themselves these same questions as they persist in supporting Mr. Trump. Instead of a serious discussion of the issues, Mr. Trump continues to serve up one-liners that undermine his supposed respect for our men and women in uniform and underscore how ill-equipped he is to serve as their commander-in-chief. Does our congressional delegation not see this?

Sen. Sullivan is both a politician and someone who has served in the military, so I'm particularly puzzled by his support of a Trump presidency. The senator must know that careless words at a rally or press conference may have serious consequences at home and overseas. Consider the task of dismantling ISIS and al-Qaida or stemming the tide of recruits, some from our own country, joining in their terrorist pursuits. Analysts of all persuasions agree that success requires a coalition of nations working together to fight a war of ideas, to gather intelligence and to conduct surgical strikes. Why are our elected senators willing to risk so much in support of a candidate who recklessly endangers these efforts through his rhetoric?

For my son's sake and that of his fellow soldiers, I pray that leaders throughout the nation, and specifically our own Alaska senators, find the courage to put politics aside and openly acknowledge to themselves and to the American public what they know to be true: Donald Trump makes a dangerous mockery of American ideals both at home and abroad. If elected, his misguided rhetoric, his lack of foreign policy experience and his ill-considered policy decisions will have profound, real-world consequences for our men and women in uniform.

If our elected leaders persist in support of a Trump presidency, and this travesty comes to pass, then I'll modify that prayer to include the rest of us: "God help us all."

Pat Hayward, a member of St. Anthony Catholic Parish in Anchorage, has worked as a wildlife biologist and horse trainer and says she aims to make the world a better place, one small act at a time.