I’ve written before about the arrested adolescence of Team Trump. It should be ironic given that its dear leader is  80 years old, but it is not. The Kaiser of Chaos remains at heart a spoiled child prone to tantrums and wild mood swings. The leader of any group or organization sets the tone and the tone set by Trump is petulant selfishness.

The most immature bro in an administration full of them is Pete Hegseth. I seem to be mocking defense secretaries this week. Hegseth, of course, makes Wes Streeting look like a solid and sober adult.

At the DOD, Hegseth has encouraged wild and immature behavior, particularly among pilots. Make that white male pilots, they’re the only kind Hegseth thinks should be in the military. His purges of officers of color and women are the stuff of legend as is what happened recently at Pensacola Beach:

“Last Wednesday, a member of the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight-demonstration team, buzzed Pensacola Beach at extremely low altitude and a high angle of bank, close to throngs of spectators. Captain Adam Bryan, the Blue Angels’ team leader, conceded on camera that the aviator in the video had put himself and the crowd in an unsafe situation. The aviator admitted that he’d miscalculated a turn. He was apparently taken off the flight schedule.

Hegseth, however, posted on X before the facts had come in that “the flyovers will continue ​until morale improves.” His statement seemingly implied that even if the stunt was intentional, all was forgiven because it looked awesome. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said that a “flight debrief” had been conducted and there would be no investigation.”

Hegseth’s message to the miscreants was, Carry On, Patriots. I fail to see what’s patriotic about a bunch of knucklehead pilots flying low enough to blow over beach umbrellas. People go to the beach to relax, not to be thrilled; a word I use sarcastically. Who wants sand blown in their mouth by stunt pilots? I for one do not.

This isn’t the first time Hegseth has broken the chain of command by protecting some bros from punishment by their superior officers.

“In March, two pilots pulled off an unauthorized low-altitude flyover near the singer Kid Rock’s estate in Tennessee. The Army suspended the airmen and launched a formal safety investigation—but the Pentagon overrode Army leadership, immediately lifting the suspension and terminating the safety review. Hegseth declared on X, “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”

Kid Rock is a bro so I’m sure he dug this act of boyish bravado. Army helicopter pilots are supposed to be grown ass men, not boys out to amuse a famous MAGA maggot. Rogue pilots now know that the pretend secretary of war has their backs. He’s supposed to have the backs of their commanders.

Repeat after me: Carry On, Patriots?

Hegseth seems to spend most of his time on culture war issues, not doing the job he was appointed and confirmed to do. There’s a shooting war going on but Hegseth hasn’t briefed the press since May. He appeared on Capitol Hill to lie about how much money has been spent on the Iran War, then demand more money as he snarled his way through a hearing on war funding.

Can you imagine former Armed Services chairman John McCain allowing a defense secretary to attack and demean his colleagues? It was fine with Runaround Sue Collins who didn’t even express her customary concern over Hegseth’s childish belligerence.

Let’s flip the post title on its head and remove the question mark: Carry on patriots, vote Susan Collins out of office

Hegseth’s Pentagon is also playing games with Iran War casualty numbers. The DOD web site lists 14 Americans as dying in Operation Epic Fury, but the four deaths after the cease fired collapsed are counted separately. The actual total is 18 dead Americans but Hegseth is playing games as part of his ongoing effort to placate President Pennywise and make his war more palatable to the people. It’s not working: this is the least popular war since the dawn of polling.

Carry on patriots, demand an end to the casualty count coverup.

I haven’t seen Top Gun: Maverick; high-T action movies starring Scientologists aren’t my jam. But there’s an excellent article in the Atlantic by Missy Ryan that draws parallels between Tom Cruise’s character in the movie and Pete Hegseth:

“Maverick is a seasoned military man who resolutely refuses to grow up. He remains stuck in the same rank he has occupied for years, attached to the same mentality, concerns, and priorities. Although three decades have passed, he hasn’t progressed, instead spending his time on rebellious flying, seaside sports, and drinking in dive bars. His is an arrested development. The most unrealistic aspect of this portrayal is that, in 2026, that profile would make Mav not a superannuated flight instructor, but secretary of defense.

At 46 years old, Pete Hegseth is considerably younger than Maverick. Yet since he became Pentagon chief 18 months ago, I’ve repeatedly heard from military officials that Hegseth appears frozen in the mindset of a person in a much more junior station than he now occupies.”

That’s who Donald Trump considers fit to lead our armed forces: an arrested adolescent who’s stuck in the past. It’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Trumpy.

What this country needs is civilian control of the military by grown-ups. Instead, we have an immature defense secretary who rants about maximum lethality, low testosterone, and pull ups. It’s what happens when a president appoints someone who came to his attention by defending accused war criminals. Oy, just oy.

I posted a Pete Hegseth Top Ten List in 2024, not long after the appointment was announced. It may be time for a Pete Hegseth Pop Quiz. Stay tuned.

Carry on patriots, resist MAGA.

The last word goes to Crosby, Stills & Nash: