Who the Hell Does This Drunken Womanizer Think He Is?

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

The very mention of his name makes me cringe. When I read that Trump had nominated Pete Hegseth for his Secretary of Defense, I began a background check of my own. I consider this the most important position in a president’s cabinet.

He did fit the very minimum qualification: he served in the military, more accurately in the National Guard. Sadly, that was it, Trump’s only justifiable reason for nominating Hegseth.

He had recently been employed as a Fox News, part-time, personality. He previously led a military charity, but was forced to resign when he was accused of embezzling funds from the organization. He was and is a known alcoholic. On more than one occasion, he was “thrown out” from a strip club for being “drunk and disorderly.” His own mother described him as a ‘misogynistic sexual predator.’

THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS

In his position, Hegseth is more powerful than the generals and admirals spending their days in the Pentagon.

I admit that I am no fan of our military.

I enlisted in the USAF after graduating from high school in 1964. I walked into an Air Force recruiting office one day to learn what my options might be. I had the grades, but not the money to attend a college or university. I was given a test covering four areas.

When the test was scored, my highest two scores were in Electronics and Administration. All four scores were in the 90's, but I received a 95 percent score in the two I found most interesting.

I was promised training which would provide me with opportunities in civilian life after completing four years of service. With the airline industry growing rapidly, I chose Electronics. I could be an airline mechanic in just over four years.

I had informed the recruiter that I had severe migraine headaches, and after my physical was completed, I was told that I was color blind and could not be trained in Electronics: wires are color-coded. I was transferred to “Administration.” I was sent to Mississippi for training as a “Non-Morse Intercept Operator. I have no idea what that was supposed to imply. I would be listening to top secret messages sent in morse code every day. There were no jobs which required my skills in civilian life.

Long story made short, I was discharged after five months and 29 days. The recruiter failed to place my problem with migraines on my permanent record.

Why five months and 29 days? One more day and I could have received Veteran’s Administration healthcare and other benefits. I learned later that this action was intentional. I was being punished for my recruiter’s lie of omission.

However, my distrust and lack of respect for our military leaders is based on far more important facts.

First, by necessity, all military organizations are fascist. Privileges and power are distributed according to rank. The highest ranking general is omnipotent: in other words, a dictator.

More importantly, the men and women who work in the Pentagon are incompetent and waste billions of dollars each year. Although America’s military is the largest and most expensive in the world, they have lost every war since WWII¸and are losing Trump’s war against Iran.

However, their training, and years of service are far more critical than Hegseth’s desire to be all-powerful and relevant. Who the hell does this little pissant think he is? Donald Trump? At least Hegseth was not a draft dodger.

If Democrats regain control of the legislative branch on Tuesday, Hegseth and Trump will surely be impeached.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Source: cnbc.com: Hegseth reportedly fires U.S. top military planner as Trump downplays Iran peace talks