What Pete Hegseth REALLY Did in the Military

Transcript

00:00I received my commission from Princeton University in 2003 and have since served

00:04two tours in the United States Army, the first in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,

00:07and the second in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division.

00:10Upon graduating from Princeton in 2003 with a degree in politics, Pete Hegseth's decision to

00:16enter the military set him on a path distinct from the typical career trajectory of Ivy League

00:22graduates. Rather than pursuing a high-profile corporate career, he chose to commission as an

00:27infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard, entering a world that would bring him

00:32face-to-face with the complexities of global conflict and counterterrorism.

00:37His decision was deeply personal, rooted in a strong sense of patriotism,

00:41and an understanding of the sacrifices required to protect American ideals.

00:46In 2004, Hegseth was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, where he served as a platoon leader during one of

00:52the most volatile periods in U.S. counterterrorism history. Guantanamo Bay, or Gitmo, was infamous for

00:59detaining high-profile terrorism suspects, many of whom were captured in the wake of the 9-11

01:04attacks. His role at Guantanamo Bay placed him in the midst of a critical and controversial mission.

01:10As a platoon leader, Hegseth was tasked with maintaining security within the facility,

01:15interacting with detainees held for their alleged connections to terrorist organizations.

01:20The role was not only physically demanding, but also fraught with moral and ethical dilemmas

01:24as Hegseth and his team navigated the tensions between securing America's safety

01:30and upholding military codes of conduct regarding detainee treatment.

01:34The experience at Guantanamo left an indelible mark on Hegseth, embedding in him a steadfast

01:40belief in the necessity of a strong and resilient national defense. It also exposed

01:45him to the often harsh realities of counterterrorism work, including the complex

01:50web of moral issues surrounding the treatment of detainees. His early exposure to the demands

01:55of counterterrorism helped shape his later positions on military policy and informed

02:00his critical stance on the need for effective security measures, even in controversial settings.

02:06For Hegseth, the deployment to Guantanamo Bay wasn't just an assignment,

02:10it was an initiation into the high-stakes environment of America's war on terror.