The Hegseth Hack
Project 2025's Trojan Horse to Destroy our Military
As an African American female Veteran, who grew up in the Christian faith, I am repulsed by the very nomination and confirmation of Pete Hegseth. It’s an arrow to my heart, not in the cupid sense but in the heart-piercing emotional painful cruel and intentional sense.
I am a veteran who volunteered to serve my country shortly after high school, no one twisted my arm. No recruiter came to me. I was moved in part because of my own family history of military service which fueled my sense of responsibility to serve a cause greater than myself. What greater cause than to fight for my country. That decision did not go well with all my family members, especially my father, also a veteran, but I did it anyway.
This was in the late 70s; I was one of the first co-ed basic training boot camps in the Army. The experience was rewarding but not without issues. I was at the forefront of groundbreaking changes in one of the oldest and largest organizations in our country and I knew it. There was the typical sexism and misogyny present in our society at large. I was determined to prove myself and that I belonged. I did a decent job; they selected me as the “Trainee of The Cycle” beating out all the men in military knowledge and physical skills, for which I received a certificate and trophy.
I served oversees in a Combat Support Hospital that was put on alert to respond to the Iran Hostage situation during President Carter’s Administration. Ultimately, we didn’t get deployed because, of course, it was resolved before it escalated. I won’t discuss the shady backdoor shadow diplomacy by the incoming Reagan Administration in January 1981 that politicized the freeing of the hostages.
The military has long been a vehicle for economic advancements for many Americans especially African Americans. As early as the 1st Continental Army, blacks enlisted in the military with the promise of more money, rights, and freedom. That is still true today, where it’s often used as a vehicle to higher education. Our military history is filled with the contributions of many diverse ethnicities and demographics to include great black men and women.
I was recently reminded of the rich proud history of a few of these American Heroes who have served our country on the “battlefield” and in some of the highest offices in the land from President Carter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chief of Staff, C.Q. Brown. I recently watched the nation’s long goodbye to President Carter through a series of carefully orchestrated military ceremonies with all the pomp and circumstance demanded of the moment. That was soon followed by the Department of Defense Farewell Ceremony for President Joe Biden honoring his many years of public service and his military family. Both ceremonies brought me to tears.
Then I watched a short video clip of Secretary Austin’s farewell to staff when I saw the brief embrace of him and Gen. Brown. I lost it. That historical moment was not lost on me as an African American veteran —seeing that two of the most important, powerful positions in our nation were for a moment in time, held by two black men of excellence.
During his 41-year career in the U.S. Army, Gen. Lloyd Austin served as director of the Joint Staff, was commanding general of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and headed U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). He was the first African American to serve as Defense Secretary.
During his 40-year military career, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the second Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the United States’ highest-ranking military officer and chief military adviser to the president.
I cried tears of joy. I felt the love, respect, and pride. I’m sure the ancestors smiled. The juxtaposition of these events with the nomination of Hegseth is like falling into an evil upside down world of opposites —pure madness. This is why we stay woke. We will not be lulled into complacency thinking we are past it —post racial. We have seen the systemic whitelash when we achieve advancement or power —moments like this!
I’m proud of my military service and that pride leads me to express my disgust and outrage that this administration would dare to put forth a nominee like Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense. His lack of qualifications along with his dubious moral character make a mockery of that position and those who serve.
Hegseth is the least experienced Defense Secretary in the history of the republic, going back to Henry Knox —the first secretary of war in Washington's army. Those who rise to this post often come from Capitol Hill, industry or the highest ranks of the officer corps. Beyond his lack of qualifications, his regressive views on woman in combat, diversity initiatives and plans to fire military leaders deemed too “woke,” pose an even greater threat.
This one statement sums up his ideology.
"The dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is 'our diversity is our strength,'" Hegseth said in a recent appearance on "the Shawn Ryan Show" podcast.
I believe Hegseth was chosen primarily for ideological reasons rather than qualifications and will focus on "de-woking" and Christianizing the military at the neglect of the pressing issues of his military mission and duties. This type of politicizing of our military will ultimately weaken our national security and make us more vulnerable to our adversaries and ripe for catastrophe.
Hegseth is an alleged rapist, alcoholic, and open misogynist. That alone makes him an unacceptable candidate for Secretary of Defense, or any leadership position in my opinion. Our military leaders are meant to be role models of integrity, leading by example. In other words, they set the standard. Hegseth’s problematic history is next level insanity as someone remotely suited for Secretary of Defense.
The stressfulness of this consequential job could trigger substance abuse in anyone. I forsee a more toxic environment for women and LGBTQ+ personnel (and let me say they have always been there). This will jeopardize any progress made towards justice for survivors, which could make an already pervasive culture of fear, sexism, and discrimination in the military much worse.
In 2023, Hegseth moved from New Jersey to Tennessee (near where I grew up) to join a congregation affiliated with Christ Church, a controversial congregation in Moscow, Idaho. Christ Church has become a leader in the movement to get more Christianity in the public sphere. In an appearance last year on the Christ Church-connected streaming show “Crosspolitic,” Hegseth talked about how building up fundamentalist Christian education systems is important in what he sees as a “spiritual battle” with the secular world. He sees Christian students as foot soldiers in that war and refers to Christian schools as “boot camp.”
His church, Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship and school community that arises from a 20th-century movement, called Christian Reconstruction is part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). It holds deeply conservative views about the family, roles for women, and how religion and politics are related. This denomination was co-founded by Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist who embraces a theocratic vision of Christian dominance of all institutions in society.
Wilson holds particularly rigid patriarchal views that slavery produced “a genuine affection between the races” and homosexuality should be a crime, asserting that giving women the right to vote was a mistake; that women holding political office “should be reckoned not as a blessing but as a curse;” and that women should not “be mustered for combat” (sound familiar?). Christian nationalists’ factions are now able to curry favor with Trump's inner circle
These Christian nationalists’ extremist views embolden other individuals with extremist views within the military and leading to less vigilance and fewer resources dedicated to identifying and addressing it within the ranks. A more laxed approach in turn leads to an increase in those activities. It would likely create clashes with current military leaders giving cause to get rid of them, part of Project 2025 plan to fire flag officers, potentially creating tension in the chain of command –not good for morale.
The combination of these things could lead to decreased job satisfaction, lower retention rates, and challenges in recruitment which is an opening for Project 2025’s grand goal to fill this void with loyalists. They plan to create recruiting drives at lawmakers’ townhalls. Imagine the people, their lawmakers will attract. This wll have a devastating impact on the overall cohesion and readiness of the U.S. military.
He was confirmed as I penned this essay. Hegseth wasted no time starting his mission to rid the military of wokeness and DEI. I grieve for my country!
Notes:
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/10-facts-black-patriots-american-revolution
https://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10826056/reagan-iran-hostage-negotiation
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Q-Brown-Jr
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lloyd-Austin
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/nx-s1-5191941/pete-hegseth-defense-department-dei
https://www.jezebel.com/pete-hegseth-confirmation-hearings-preview