By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
As of this print date, fireworks erupted on The Hill with regard to the portending confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of defense. The volleys during the hearing fell along predictable lines, and “Coach” Tommy Tuberville, the senior U.S. senator from Alabama was one of many who were, and are, in Pete’s corner. I did not watch all four hours of it, but got a pretty good idea of the who, what, when, where, and most importantly, why of the various “inquisitors.” Of particular interest to me was the excellent exchange between Mr. Hegseth and Senator Joni Ernst, who, like Hegseth, is from Iowa. She also served in the military for 23 years.
Senator Ernst was not one who originally planned on confirming Hegseth, but according to her own testimony while questioning him on Monday, said that they had engaged in several conversations, and the subjects had been tough ones. She was satisfied with his responses, and several have said that her affirmation will seal the deal. Her official statement was, “Our next commander-in-chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for secretary of defense.” The hearings were interrupted several times by hecklers who had to be removed. Later, the surprise came, and it had to do with Pete’s plan to “make whole” the more than 8,000 service members who lost their careers because they refused to take the hastily developed and virtually untested COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.
“Tens of thousands of service members were kicked out because of an experimental vaccine,” Hegseth said. “They will be apologized to. They will be reinstated, reinstituted with pay and rank.”
I know that there are those that will object to such a move because, technically, the 8,000 violated a direct order. However, several members of the military sued over the action, including Navy SEALS, and last summer the Navy settled the suit, which included clearing their records. The suit settlement affected 4,300 Navy service members, fully half of those who chose to lose their rank and career based on principle.
While it won’t be cost prohibitive to apologize, we are looking at hundreds of millions of dollars to recompense our warfighters for what was forced upon them. Some have settled in to the private sector and have no intention of returning to service, and some have aged out. However, those who took the risk and stood for their religious freedoms fought a different type of battle with a different type of adversary. I hope that Pete Hegseth is confirmed as secretary of defense, and I hope that he will be able to do what he has promised in the midst of a hearing that at the very least was grueling. I find it fascinating that he broached the subject. This discussion was not a part of what was on the table for the confirmation itself, and it could have opened him right back up to more criticism. But, to me, taking a stand like this when he didn’t have to is exactly why I hope he gets confirmed.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
January 3, 2025
