Secretary Hegseth with his soldiers at Texas (U.S. War Department)
Afrasianet - U.S. Secretary of War Pete Higgseth's remarks during a speech to soldiers in Texas sparked a wave of criticism on social media after he invoked a passage from the book of Isaiah (one of the books of the Old Testament) to talk about war and military service, and called for readiness to face what he described as threats to the United States.
Higgseth's remarks came during a tour he called "Send Me" after a military exercise with soldiers, and he began by referring to the name of the tour, before quoting the book of Isaiah, saying that the Lord asked "Who sent?" and Isaiah replied, "Behold, send me."
"Send me"
Hegseth said that men and women in the United States, over the course of 250 years of the country's history, have raised their right hands and said, "Send me," evoking moments from the history of American wars.
"Send me to fight the Red Vests," he said, referring to British troops during the American War of Independence, then said, "Send me to fight the Communists, send me to fight the Islamists," before addressing the soldiers, saying that today they say "send me" to confront any threats that the United States may face.
He added that the presence of Texas soldiers on the front lines is essential to the survival of the Republic, calling on the nation to raise its right hand, say "send me" and serve what is "greater than self."
Hegseth stressed that it is not a matter of a political party, a point of view or an ideology, but about the Declaration of Independence, the constitution and the principles they represent, stressing that soldiers are sworn to defend it and the homeland.
Criticisms of the use of the Bible
Hageth's comments drew criticism from U.S. activists and bloggers on social media platforms, in part of which focused on evoking a religious text in the context of talking about war and fighting.
Activist Jared Schulte said the use of the Bible to justify war was "outrageous", while other activists derided the phrase "send me" to sending soldiers to war and death.
One blogger wrote "Send me to The Hague," referring to international judicial institutions, while others saw the speech as employing religious vocabulary to call for what they described as a "holy war" and linked it to the idea of the apocalypse and the second coming of Christ.
"We will not die for Israel"
Criticism of the speech's relationship to U.S. policy toward Israel has spilled over into Israel, with activists writing "We will not die for Israel and we will not fight for it" while others have called Israel an enemy of the United States.
One commentator said he was ready to stand on the front lines instead of Hegseth, but refused to "throw children into the Holocaust of death for Israel."
Activists also questioned why billionaires were not sent to the front lines instead of soldiers, in comments that mocked Hageth's call for sacrifice and military service.
In the context of the criticism, bloggers recirculated previous statements by Hageth dating back to 2024, in which he said "no new wars" and warned at the time that the Democrats would send Americans' children to war.
They compared his previous statements to his current speech, in which he called for readiness to face any threats that the United States may face.
While Hegseth presented his speech as a call to serve and defend the Constitution and the homeland, his critics focused on invoking a religious text in his talk of war and combat, some of which linked it to the U.S. position on Israel and the nature of U.S. military rhetoric.
The controversy over the US Secretary of War's speech comes amid a wider debate on social media about the use of religious symbols and texts in military discourse, particularly when it comes to war, sacrifice and military service.
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