This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
With ever-increasing reports that America’s military readiness is degrading at an alarming rate, thanks to leftist ideologues imposing wokeism, radical diversity and sensitivity training up and down the ranks, one decorated Navy veteran and congressional candidate is loudly sounding the alarm.
Jerrod Sessler, candidate for the Republican seat in central Washington’s 4th congressional district – endorsed by President Donald Trump, Gen. Michael Flynn, the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives – spoke to WND candidly about his concerns.
Considering himself a constitutionalist, Sessler unapologetically affirms that "America is inspired by God, and when you look at our Constitution, it would not exist without our God-given natural rights."
Having served in a high-paced environment aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, Sessler is concerned, like many current and former service members, about the alarming state of the nation’s military readiness.
Completing his tour of duty in 1989, which included both a Western Pacific (WestPAC) cruise and a Northern Pacific (NorthPAC) cruise, the former petty officer describes today's military as a "mystery." Indeed, Sessler tells WND, interactions with service members, veterans and others have convinced him that "the military is weaker than it's ever been."
The increasingly troubled state of America’s armed forces, Sessler said, is directly connected to "military leaders' acceptance of woke ideology and 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' policy." A recent example he cited was the LGBTQ+ community promoting "sensitivity training"\ within the Air Force. And recently, WND published photographic proof of "gender neutral restrooms" in U.S. military academies.
"What does this do for the American people, and how does this help us be safer?" he asked.
"I can't imagine the military spending time – or wasting time – on such a topic," Sessler lamented. For him, "the military is not a place for weakness, whether it be physical or mental."
In fact, he said, physical and mental toughness are absolutely required for the military.
"In boot camp, more people fail mentally than physically," he pointed out. "You have to be mentally tough to be an asset to our military." He questioned the mental state of some service members, pointing out that "you have open mental illness [in the military] with people parading around in drag clothes." For Sessler, "that’s absolutely unacceptable and only weakens the state of our military."
Likewise, he noted, mental weakness is also pervasive in leadership, for a variety of reasons. Indeed, much of today’s military ":leadership is cowering to wokeism at the cost of American security."
"The Army," Sessler told WND, "has lost a third of its doctors and is mothballing a tenth of the workhorse Blackhawk helicopters." While press releases suggested "it is a planned obsolescence," he said, "the truth is, we do not have the personnel."
"Ineffective leaders kick the can down the road by accepting the woke ideology, but that form of weakness," the congressional candidate warned, "comes at the cost of our military readiness – and that leaves the American people unsafe during a time when we really need to know we are secure."
To that end, WND reported in March that many service members believed America could not win a war against a near-peer threat like China, Iran, North Korea or Russia. Most suggested their units were neither sufficiently equipped nor trained for combat deployment.
Sessler can’t understand why senior military leadership has ignored the decline in military strength and not taken a stand against woke ideology and DEI training. He suggested, "It has to do with mental toughness, as weak leaders are afraid to do what's morally right if they have to risk their career." While he respects military chain of command, he said that when it comes to following orders related to adopting woke ideology, "boldness will yield heightened security for the American people and it should be pursued, even if it means challenging the chain of command and risking your career."
According to Sessler, the troubling current state of America – and America's military – boils down to two things: "ignorance and apathy." People need to be aware that this nation and its military are "weaker than ever," he told WND. And it's equally important for political and military leaders to show some heightened concern about the current state of affairs – even if they must risk their career to do the right thing.
Jerrod Sessler’s official congressional campaign website is JerrodForCongress.com.
