Senior military call on Tucker Carlson for mocking women serving in the armed forces: his words ‘do not reflect our values’

by

Carlson, who is basically the face of Fox and hosts the top show on the right-wing channel, ridiculed President Joe Biden on Tuesday for saying that the US military had made uniforms to fit women properly, made maternity flight suits for pregnant women. and updated hairstyles requirements.

“So we’ve got new haircuts and maternity fly suits,” Carlson snapped. ‘Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the US military. ”

Carlson’s comments have sparked severe backlash from some of the top members of the US military who took to Twitter Wednesday and Thursday to call on Carlson for what they described as damaging and divisive rhetoric.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared the same “disgust” that many military leaders have expressed over the comments Carlson made.

Kirby said the military still had “a lot of work to do” to become “more inclusive and respectful of everyone – especially women.”

“We promise we’ll do better, and we will,” Kirby said. “What we will definitely not do is seek personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Maybe those people feel like they have something to prove. That’s up to them. ‘

Kirby’s sharp remarks came when a number of senior military leaders denounced Carlson for his rhetoric.

“Women lead our most lethal units with character. They will dominate ANY future battlefield we have to fight on,” tweeted the Army Sergeant Major, Michael A. Grinston. “@ TuckerCarlson’s words are divisive, do not reflect our values. We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile and strongest Petty Officer in the world.”
General Paul Funk, who, as Chief of Army Training and Doctrine Command, sets policy and directs future changes for troops, tweeted that “thousands of women serve honorably every day around the world.”

“They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong through determination and dedication,” added Funk. “We are lucky to have them serve with us.”

The senior enlisted leader in the US Space Command, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott H. Stalker, posted a video in which he called Carlson’s show “drama TV” and said he “wanted to remind everyone” that Carlson’s opinion was “based on basically zero days of service in the armed forces.”
Major General Patrick Donahoe posted a video of him “who led a re-entry for one of the tens of thousands of women serving in our military.”
“Just a reminder that @TuckerCarlson couldn’t be more wrong,” said Donahoe. Fort Hood Deputy Commanding General John B. Richardson IV tweeted“Uniformed mothers fight and win our nation’s wars. Uniformed fathers fight and win our nation’s wars. Soldier is not a gender-linked noun.”

Lieutenant General Theodore D. Martin shared a photo of his daughter, saying that “contrary to what you may hear” she and other women are “NOT” making fun “with our military.

“You wish your daughter was just as AMAZING as mine!” Martin added. “So go back.”

A Fox spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday morning.

Carlson regularly makes inflammatory comments about his primetime show. He was also called up by The New York Times this week for encouraging harassment of one of its journalists. And in the past, he’s seen widespread advertiser boycotts over comments about the Black Lives Matter movement and immigration.
Carlson’s top writer quit his job last year after a CNN report found that he had used a pseudonym for years to post racist and sexist comments on an online forum.

Programming on Fox has become increasingly extreme in recent years, and even more so after the November election, when competition from smaller channels made a bid for its conservative audience.

The days when Fox marketed itself as a “fair & balanced” news channel are long gone. Most of the channel’s programming is now filled with right-wing comments.

Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch even recently admitted that he views the network’s role in the Biden years as the “loyal opposition” to the White House.

Source