A local Air Force veteran is reacting to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments regarding what the country’s military should look like.
The comments came as President Donald Trump and Hegseth addressed the country’s top generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday.
Hegseth said he is now requiring “a male standard for every combat specialty.”
“At my direction, each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS [Military Occupational Specialty], for every designated combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only, because this job is life or death, standards must be met, and not just met — at every level, we should seek to exceed the standard, to push the envelope, to compete,” he said.
In response, Air Force veteran Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, of Hayward, says she is not surprised by his comments given Hegseth’s history.
“When you talk like that, he’s intentionally making it so women won’t want to serve. It’s an all volunteer force. They can just walk out. And that’s what they want is to purge people,” she said.
Sato was a flight navigator aboard a KC-135 refueling tanker over Iraq’s No Fly Zone in the 1990s. Her mission was to refuel American fighter jets mid-flight, while tracking Iraqi jets, which were constantly approaching her aircraft.
At the time, Sato says there was no time to be scared because the mission called for cool heads and steady hands.
On Tuesday, Hegseth outlined his vision of combat readiness going forward.
“No more beardos. The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. Simply put, if you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession,” he said.
Sato says Hegseth’s image of service members is not based in reality, particularly not when drones and new technology are doing most of the fighting now.
“Our cyber warriors, they’re warriors. They’re fighting, But they’re not in the mud with guns carrying 70-pound packs, which is the image he’s trying to put out there,” she said. “We’re fighting with our minds. We’re fighting with airplanes and cyber systems. That’s the very real fight that’s is happening right now.”
Sato is the author of bilingual children’s books, teaching young girls and boys about the pride of service to the country and showing them that they can be aviators one day, no matter their gender.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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