Hawley To General On Pronouns: 'I'm Curious As Heck How Not Using He/She Can Help With Lethality'

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley spoke about military recruitment.

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[savagesweetheart]

If you can't handle someone calling you the "wrong pronoun" maybe the military isn't the best career option for you.

[jscottupton]

I retired from the Army. The higher the rank the more politics starts taking over. So at the very top it is all political.

[carolannmiller]

Sen. Josh Hawley is so respectful. He doesn't fluff his questions, nor does he let folks on the other side gaslight, lie or bs when answering questions!

[Navitown]

My wife and I use to live in military housing and we would constantly get sick at least once a month and when we put in a maintenance ticket to get the house checked a guy came over looked at the interior then left and that was it. My wife and I moved out and got our own place, and we haven't gotten sick since.

[marianneweeks]

Aren’t these the same people in military leadership who told servicemembers to apply for welfare etc. if they couldn’t afford food? How disrespectful can they be to those willing to stand in defense of the American People? These people should hang their heads in shame.

[xXPremiumBeefXx]

As a veteran he lied right off the bat when he said the army takes the care of its individuals seriously

[marshahovenesian]

Can you imagine what would happen if a high-ranking officer called a subordinate the wrong pro-noun and the subordinate complained.

[gaspergerm]

So let me get this straight: An instructor yelling in your face that you're a maggot and ain't worth crap while you're giving him 120 pushups is acceptable. Showing highest levels of discipline and obeying every word they say isn't an issue, but calling you a woman/man is crossing the line... and yet the same people are pushing the US army into every possible battlefield they create themselves

[beowulf]

This is why the military is facing a recruiting crisis. Who on earth would want to join when THIS is how their leadership acts?!

[Wypipo]

These people NEVER ANSWER QUESTIONS.
It’s infuriating. It’s always the same -dribble- drivel.

[pennyscott]

Senator Hawley makes me proud to be a Missourian! 😊❤

[dianelemay]

Sens Hawley THANK YOU!!! your are restoring my faith in the system, your are courageous and honest in your approach, my sincere gratitude to speaking out 👍👍

[waynewilliams]

When I was in the Army, I got called a lot worse things than "he, young, or man."

[oneanddonetzone]

23 years of military I am so embarrassed for these people I’m embarrassed for the soldiers and the subordinates how can you respect leadership when they do this to you? How can you have any faith that these people will take care of you?

[philipseger]

As a veteran I can speak from experience that within our military there are warrior officers and political officers. Depending on the administration which group rises to command positions. We clearly see the political officers are now running things. To the detriment of our military readiness.

[kookycat]

"The army takes the care & quality of life of all our service members & their families very seriously" ...direct quote! ...

Then why are there so many service members (ex & current) with serious disabilities & mental health problems, caused by things that have happened to them while serving, hat are now living on the streets, that are addicts/alcoholics (due to self medicating) & so so many of these selfless service members, that take their own lives, trying to stop the pain they feel, both physically & mentally.

They end up have crippling healthcare fees & long wait times, for any operations they might need to help fix an injury, or for the physiotherapy they might need, or the psychology & psychiatry therapies they need. I understand that in UK we have our NHS & in the US, there is the V.A., but these services are so overwhelmed, here are enormous backlogs. In the US, it can take 2+yrs to get a decision on a claim for disability or help of any kind.

How would those 'in power' feel, if they had to wait for a decision, to see whether are not they are eligible for help, FROM THEIR EMPLOYERS, to get those prosthetic limbs & the physio to help them use the prosthetics and/or gain the ability to walk again, after they had their limbs blown off by a landine, whilst they were on duty, serving the army & country, to help keep it safe! I bet they dont have to wait any length of time, to even have a tooth filled!

Also HOW can u justify that around 30% of veterans claims for this help are DENIED?! If someone has been posted to 'the frontlines' & more than likely completed multiple tours of duty, how can you deny them help?! All service members, in all types of the military, that have been to a warfront, will AT LEAST need some form of mental health care, regardless of any physical issues they have!

There needs to be more done for all service members, all veterans, to make sure they get whatever they need. That help needs to be lined up & in place, BEFORE they are discharged from duty. That way, no one falls through the cracks or gets lost in the system.

These selfless souls have sacrificed their very own wellbeing & lives, to help complete strangers to be safe from attacks by foreign forces, they MORE THAN deserve our respect & given the dignity to hold their heads up & feel useful to society & their own communities!

Its disgusting & disgraceful! I'm not just talking about US military, I'm talking about all militaries, right across the world! No, im not an ex-service member either, I'm just a person that feels it should be a normal, everyday thing to treat everyone around us, with dignity, respect & empathy. Veterans across the world, are not given the respect, nor treated with the dignity, they so truly deserve!

[queazy]

It's about power. Control the language and you can control what people think & do

[robertjordan]

Pretty sad when this government is taking better care of these people crossing the border than they are our military service members - especially homeless vets.

[johnw]

I am growing tired of being an American that supports our troups, as well as members of my community who are spouses of military spouses, while many of the supports these people have been promised by those in charge have been neglected.
No American family should be treated like they are invisable. Have a heart!

[jasonmariani]

Good on you Forbes for covering this. This means something to us. I love our service members