The woman said her son serves in the US Air Force. She asked Pence Monday during a town hall at Carson City Casino in Nevada about Trump's treatment of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son, a decorated Army veteran, was killed in Iraq in 2004.

WASHINGTON — Mike Pence quieted a campaign rally crowd that booed a woman who had asked how he can tolerate what she said was Donald Trump's disrespect of American servicemen.

Pence, who is Trump's vice presidential running mate, asked the crowd to quiet down, then said about the questioner: ''That's what freedom looks like. That's what freedom sounds like.''


He continued: ''Captain Khan is an American hero. We honor him and his family. . . we cherish his family.''

Pence added that he's never spent time around someone who is ''more devoted'' to military and to veterans.

Trump spoke for nearly an hour Monday in Columbus, Ohio but did not mention his criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Muslims whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004.

The Khans spoke out against Trump and questioned his familiarity with the Constitution last week at the Democratic National Convention. Trump struck back by questioning whether Ghazala Khan had been allowed to speak. She said she is still too grief-stricken by her son's death.

Trump criticized the family in an interview Sunday and again in a pair of tweets Monday morning.

Trump has faced widespread condemnation for criticizing the parents of Khan, who was killed in Iraq.

Senator Chuck Grassley said that Trump's comments "are not in line with my own beliefs about how the members of the military and their families should be treated.''

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina said Captain Khan "is an American hero in every sense of the term and the Khans deserve our sincerest gratitude.''


And Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, who in June withdrew his endorsement of Trump, says: ''To Mr. Trump, I would simply say hands off Gold Star families.'' Gold Star families are those that have lost a close relative in military service.