My CMS The View from a New City

Pete Hegseth said this about the motive for renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War: “We are going to go on offense, not just on defense; maximum lethality, not tepid legality; violent effect, not politically correct; we’re going to raise up warriors, not just defenders.” (August 6, 2025)

I served in the Vietnam War as an infantry lieutenant, advising the Vietnamese Regional Force, Popular Force units in 1970-71. One day, my sergeant and I were called to a village in our district. As we approached the village in our Jeep, we saw a Huey helicopter idling on the road next to the village. Just as we arrived, we saw a captain, with his wide-brimmed hat (which you would recognize if you ever saw the movie Apocalypse Now), running out of the village with both hands outstretched carrying a limp, bloodied and battered baby, tears streaming down his face. He jumped into the Huey and they took off.

An operation had been under way to attack a suspected Viet Cong site along a stream running next to the village. A helicopter gunship had been called to shoot grenades into the suspected location. As the gunship passed over the village, a grenade round fell short, landing in one of the huts and exploding. I never learned whether the captain succeeded in getting the child to the hospital in time to save its life, but I am proud to say I served with him and other soldiers I knew who served with care and humanity.

War policy should not be set by those whose concept of war comes only from their experience in the media. American policy should not be set by people with no humanity.