"What's the deal with Pete Hegseth? Am I the only veteran that recognizes this guy's personality?" [View all]

Found this thread title/by chance at Reddit this morning ... seemed deserving of sharing here at DU, especially in light of it being posted in "Military - The largest military subreddit on reddit".
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Can we have a candid discussion on the type of guy SECDEF Hegseth appears to be? Specifically, I’d like to lead off the conversation around his high bar being mediocrity.

Let’s start with his military career. He was an infantry platoon leader for a time. Then it appears he was tasked at the S-9 (Civil Affairs). Then it appears he volunteered to teach COIN in Kabul. Then IRR. Then ARNG in DC.

Let’s unpack this. He’s an infantry officer. But he didn’t complete Ranger School, Airborne School, or Air Assault School – and he was assigned to the 101st. Why not? I spent the vast majority of my time in the Army in the heavy side of things (1AD/1CD/18ABN), and as a medical service officer, I completed both Airborne and Air Assault. I struggled to think of a single infantry officer who I’ve met that hasn’t completed at least one of the three – and I could only think of one.

Any junior officer that’s ever served in a BCT can tell you the #1 captain, if not in command, is the AS3. The lower performing folks are put in charge of made up shops – Civil Affairs being an ‘imaginary’ shop in most battalions. Our battalion’s S-9 was staffed by a never-going-to-get-promoted fat Captain and a SFC with DUI and EO problems. Speaking to former peers, that’s the general consensus – the folks in the ‘made up’ shops are the lowest performers. Why was LT/CPT Hegseth put in that position?

Then it appears that CPT Hegseth volunteered to be an instructor of some sort at the COIN academy in Kabul where he taught one class. Again, these classes are typically taught by post-command Captains/early Majors and Master Sergeants. Why would someone with no real experience in COIN be teaching COIN at a theater level? Why would a Captain be working at theater-level if not to keep him out of trouble or because no one would pick him for their team?

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It's an 8 month old thread, but I found the thread reassuring re: how the Napolean wannabe is perceived among many in the military ranks. Truth be known, he's comparable only to the satirically defined Napolean, not the man Napolean Bonaparte actually was.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/1jljfk2/whats_the_deal_with_pete_hegseth_am_i_the_only/