LETTER | Tough talk from secretary shakes military audience

Letter to the Editor by Brian Bengs, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and Senate candidate

After 26 years of service as a Navy sailor and Air Force officer, I was curious about the message all general officers were required to hear in person from the secretary of defense on September 30th. I anticipated a momentous announcement to justify the substantial travel expense of summoning hundreds of personnel from across the globe.

Instead, it was televised political theater with Secretary Hegseth (a retired Army National Guard major) portraying a Hollywood tough guy declaring, “You kill people and break things for a living.” He then lambasted the audience of far more accomplished and dedicated patriots as obese, denounced female and minority officers as unqualified, and urged resignation for anyone reluctant to compromise the core values of military service and the warrior ethos for a partisan cause.

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