By Buck Torske, retired Navy Chief Petty Officer

It’s obvious “mainstream” press and media can’t stop beating up all things Trump, and I don’t know about you, but it’s gotten beyond tiresome to me.

Being an old, retired Navy chief, I particularly take issue with the unceasing smackdown of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. I read his book “The War on Warriors,” and I’m certain Trump did, too, and influenced him to bring the former Army major, combat vet and Fox News personality to his current job.

Here’s a synopsis of Secretary Pete’s views:

He argues progressive ideologies, social justice initiatives inside our military have eroded its warrior ethos, undermined its core mission and confused its principles.

Hegseth believes a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory have nearly destroyed military readiness, unit and inter-service cohesion, pride of service, and replaced meritocracy.

He believes the DOD has devolved into prioritizing political correctness and pushing social change has drastically threatened combat effectiveness.

Hegseth believes the infiltration of “wokeism” has compromised every aspect of our armed forces, from recruiting to training standards, performance evaluations to career advancements, to unit solidarity and to battlefield rules of engagement. It’s eliminated the historic a-political nature of our military.

Hegseth contends these imperil the armed forces’ ability to protect us against enemies by weakening its most necessary purpose — war fighting.

I think everyone should read Hegseth’s book. It’ll give insight into what the secretary’s about and what he’s up against inside our Defense Department.

Hegseth’s all about reshaping our armed forces into a task-focused, efficiently lethal, war-fighting machine. Personally, I believe it must be if we’re going to win wars.

My opinion’s he’s the right man, in the right place, right time; and in fact, just in the nick of time.

You’d think, if you’ve seen the reporting, the man’s destroying our war-fighting capability. Unbelievably, outside of rare-as-hens’-teeth conservative coverage, 100 percent about him is been negative.

A Media Research Center study found a unified media assault on the secretary, including every major broadcast network since his nomination, confirmation hearing, right up to now. There were about 900 hit pieces across evening “alphabet” newscasts alone through April 9, and there’s been more since.

I was looking at Google News on my handy-dandy Leftist propaganda device and found this:

A civilian professor at West Point resigned. Professor of Philosophy Graham Parsons, who taught at the academy for 13 years and quit, cited his opinion that the academy’s shifting from what he thinks are “core educational principles” because of Trump and Hegseth. He published his reasons in the New York Times, writing, “ West Point’s” … failing to provide an adequate education for the cadets,” adding, “I cannot tolerate these changes, which prevent me from doing my job responsibly.”

Then he continued, “I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form.”

He’s butt-hurt at curriculum changes prohibiting “un-American” theories, radical gender ideology and lessons promoting “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist.”

Curious, I read up on the professor. Here are a few links to his views:

• “Masculinity and Humanitarianism,” https://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2019/05/20/,
• “How the Pentagon Made Transgender Rights Disappear,” https://www.justsecurity.org/63594/, and
• “Patriarchal War,” http://stockholmcentre.org/patriarchal-war-2

Find some time, access his stuff. You’ll come to your own conclusions about why he’s unhappy. You’ll understand better why Hegseth’s getting heat, and has a helluva job on his hands, but also why he’s doing it.

Professor Parson’s only the tip of one iceberg — our national security’s been the Titanic.

Our nation has four other schools to grow military and naval leaders. Hegseth’s addressing each of them: Annapolis, for the Navy and Marine Corps founded in 1845; the Coast Guard Academy in 1876; the Merchant Marine got one in 1943; and the Air Force in 1954.

But West Point was first, and since 1817 set the standard with its traditions of patriotism, academic and military excellence. The others accepted that mantle.

Cadets and midshipmen since have been guided by the most demanding standards for academic achievement, but more importantly, moral and ethical conduct, character, honor and courage in defense of our nation’s values and peoples.

Being an “E-Dog” from the deck plates, my enlisted Navy shipmates and I’d sometimes poke fun at Annapolis officers. We’d call them “ring knockers” (for the class rings they received at graduation).

Most of the “zeros” were college ROTC commissions and had their share of jokes about academy graduates too, calling them the “canoe club.”

But the truth is those academy officers — from all the services — are the very beating heart of our ability to stay a free nation.

If our armed forces are to win wars, it takes professional, laser-focused war-fighting officers to plan, prepare, lead and inspire our warriors to do it.

My opinion is those institutions must be the absolute best, be the most focused on their purpose and ought to be — and remain — the master link of an unbreakable chain.

Smart-ass aside, to be a graduate of any of them is something I’d hope any young American should aspire to.

Parsons, after reading what you think is “core,” you couldn’t leave soon enough for me.

But Parsons and his ilk, civilians and many generals and admirals, have made a lot of progress rotting the core of our services.

The academies are only one example. If the core’s rotten, so’s the fruit. What’s taught there goes to the field and the fleet.

In Hegseth’s book, he drills down into what he sees.

First, he believes fundamental values inside the armed forces have been going through changes brought on by political pressure aimed at compromising its traditional political neutrality and sole function to protect and defend the Constitution, and all of us; to instead forward Leftist social justice ideology and degrade — and erode — principles of the warrior ethos required to win.

This isn’t new, folks; the military’s been used as lab rats for a while. I think most of us will acknowledge recent history tells us victory seems to be only a concept more than the goal anymore. We’ve wasted a lot of hard-earned treasure and irreplaceable blood to no good result.

Hegseth writes that the military is under assault from within by advocates of radical progressivism blowing unity out of the water through conspicuous virtue signaling, replacing merit with identity, and forcing political correctness, sacrificing combat effectiveness. This has been taking the core principles out of the essence of the military’s warrior ethos.

He came to office intent on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory that have been introduced to the armed forces, prioritizing those over effectiveness.

Like me, friends, Hegseth believes those are designed not to promote justice and fairness but to transform the armed forces into a conduit to bring “wokeness”.

After all, not every kid goes off to some lefty university; and where better to indoctrinate otherwise patriotic young folks than an institution where resistance has serious negative consequences? Ask those that got trashed for refusing the vax. He cites instances, including that, and compulsory instruction on extreme beliefs instituted following the pandemic and George Floyd rioting.

He contends those were unjustifiable and designed to purge patriots, Trump supporters, and traditional conservative Christians from the armed forces.

He also doesn’t agree with meeting specific racial or gender demographic targets during recruitment, for retention, and advancement quotas.

He’s installing values of merit-based accession and career progression. In other words, seeking out, attracting, and placing, and keeping the best and brightest where they can do their utmost for the mission.

Moreover, Hegseth emphasizes the ridiculousness of reducing the benchmarks for physical fitness, personal appearance, and academic prerequisites to promote a more “welcoming” military.

I’m with him. And I think parents of young folks we need to serve ought to be with him too.

Lefties hate him for the same things they hate Trump for: love of country, vision, guts and leadership.

• Robin “Buck” Torske of Jones County is a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and conservative activist, currently pursued by the Thought Police. Email him at [email protected].

First published on the Laurel Leader Call

The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free

https://starrs.us/pete-hegseths-the-war-on-warriors-examines-how-the-military-was-manipulated-into-going-woke-by-the-left/

https://starrs.us/how-a-woke-military-has-created-a-recruiting-crisis-and-put-americans-in-danger/

https://starrs.us/if-the-military-goes-woke-its-less-equipped-to-fight-wars-pete-hegseth/