Matthew Cheney

They’re really going there. While Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth works to reverse recruiting shortfalls and sharpen the military’s focus on actual combat effectiveness, one congressman keeps circling back to a single detail from more than twenty years ago: the fact that Hegseth never earned a Ranger tab as a young National Guard officer. It’s a curious line of attack from a fellow veteran. In this new piece, we step back and examine the full context of wartime service, the real-world barriers Guardsmen faced, and exactly why this criticism collapses under scrutiny. A straightforward 6-minute read.

Buddy Check. Sound off…

It’s official. I’m retired! 34 years, what a ride it’s been.

we need more data centers in NH

@Fat_Electrician I think about that way too much 😂

I like “tacticool” looking backpacks. Every manufacturer of said product: “AND HERES 7 SECRET POCKETS FOR YOUR GUN!” I don’t want a secret pocket for my gun. I just want a fucking backpack. My gun is gunna stay in my waist band pointed at my dick like a normal person.

I'm a Ramadi infantry veteran. I served with the 1-503rd in 04-05 and after the unit reflagged to 1-9inf, we were broken off from our BCT at the request of the Marine Corps for the surge in 06-07. It gets better, keep moving forward. You're right, you will never be the same. YOU have something very few people will ever understand. If I didn't keep moving it I wouldn't be looking at being offered an IT Architect role at a Fortune 100 company within the next 6 months.

🚨The REALITY of deployments. “…We don’t get PTSD but Ramadi changed everyone, and if can’t heal it gets worse…” We are mission oriented and we never leave anyone behind but we ALL leave something behind—GET HELP and Semper Fi 🦅🌎⚓️

“If Vladimir Putin is truly some existential threat and the next Hitler that's gonna roll through Europe, you would think... they (European allies) would step up. $30 billion for bureaucrats in Ukraine - That's where American tax dollars were going” - Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) SEN. ERIC SCHMITT (R-MO): I actually think it's interesting that Ukraine just came up because we've heard, from my colleagues on the other side, discussion about the cost of what the ongoing American effort. There was never a, never a discussion about the $200 billion we were sending to a foreign country that's not even in NATO. Never. In fact, when amendments were offered for independent audits of how that money was spent, there was bipartisan opposition to that kind of oversight. So I find it really rich now that there's a complaint that we're not spending money on Ukraine, and by the way, $30 billion for salaries for bureaucrats, pensions, and social safety net programs, and government operations to keep the state functioning during wartime. That's where American tax dollars were going, $30 billion for bureaucrats in Ukraine, and we just heard a speech for more money for Ukraine, yet the $1.5 trillion for this country is being balked at. I've seen Ukraine flags all over this capital for three years. At the same time, the same people call the President of the United States of this country a Nazi. So, Forgive me if I feel like we've lost our bearings a little bit. So, I'm all for the America first agenda. I'm all for us realigning our priorities. I'm all for the national defense strategies that says our core strategic interests are the homeland, the Western Hemisphere, and the rising threat in China, and that means our European allies should step up. If Vladimir Putin is truly some existential threat and the next Hitler that's gonna roll through Europe, you would think... By the way, he can't take Kyiv, so you can't have it both ways. He hasn't made it to Kyiv, but they would step up. And we better start demanding that, 'cause if we wanna meet the challenges of the 21st century and China, our priorities, our focus has to be somewhere else. It doesn't mean abandonment. It just means a true partnership with our European allies, who for very, very long time have not stepped up. PETER HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, thank you, Senator. First of all, I wanna fully associate myself with the first two and a half minutes of your comments, and I appreciate that perspective very much so. I would note $30 billion for bureaucrats in Ukraine is more than the bill that we've talked about today, for a existential and critically important war to ensure that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. That's worth noting.

🚨 SgtMaj Wesley Howard, Marine Corps Installations East, on the new barracks. Out with the old. In with the new. This is a game changer. What do you think?

@BernieSanders My watching a kooky commie endorsing a dude who literally had a Nazi death's head tattoo until the public shaming caused him to cover it up. What a time to be alive!

Congrats to Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. He's surging by taking on the billionaire class and fighting for working families. Americans are tired of status quo politics. They want REAL change and that's what Graham will deliver.

Not a single person crying about how the Supreme Court has made it impossible for black people to get elected supported Winsom Sears over the affluent white lady. Not one.

.@PeteHegseth is my spirit animal. Fellow vets, where has this been?! 🇺🇸💪

@GarbageDumpM81 Core memories unlocked, 😄. 11B, Ramadi 04-05, 06-07.

He was stacking body’s in the GWOT ☝️🤓

when I think "what will stop Pakistani men from tribal areas that we import from raping American girls and women?" I always end up at the same answer "we need to recognize April as a special rape-is-bad awareness month" Doing a HELL of a job, Jeanne. Just killing it. Keep it up

The Supreme Court’s just said that you can’t gerrymander by race and all the people who claim not to be racist are really angry that they can’t be racist.

Must be exhausting to be for gerrymandering one week and against it the next.

The EOD tech, lying on the ground, is a friend of mine and is still serving. He is one of only a handful of EOD technicians who has ever removed a live piece of Ordnance where the victim survived.

@CaptMarkKelly Could it be... Hear me out, it's a wild take... That Arizona shares a border with Mexico and there was recently just an invasion of illegal immigration and a large percentage of those people were defrauding SNAP? Or is it Republicans are just meany faces and hate the poor?

No state has seen a greater percentage of families kicked off food assistance than Arizona, and it's the direct result of Trump and Republicans gutting SNAP while Americans struggle to get by. I won't stop fighting to fix this so Arizona kids don’t go hungry.