LETTER: The damage that Pete Hegseth has wrought

“The Army is a dangerous instrument to play with,” George Washington once cautioned those who wanted to use the army for political purposes. Our current secretary of defense should heed the words of our country’s first great general — though he probably would have fired him.

Something happened to the former major that fuels his retiring/firing the best of the best. Why his disdain for women and non-white service members, particularly officers?

To date Pete Hegseth has eliminated more than two dozen senior military leaders for reasons that have not been articulated beyond the obligatory, “Thank you for your service.” Most recently these purges of talent included the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, a soldier of immense skill and bravery with battle streamers across near 40 years of service. An officer of integrity and gravity. An officer you could trust your sons and daughters with in time of war. With him went the commanding general, Army transformation and training command, and the senior Army chaplain, who is Black. In addition, Mr. Hegseth removed four colonels from the Army brigadier general promotion list — two were Black, two were women. See the pattern?

At some point Mr. Hegseth will be fired. Few will care. Many will rejoice. Unfortunately, the malodorous stain he has wrought to a great department will linger for quite some time.