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July 4, 2024 • 29 mins

Pete Hegseth, Host of Fox and Friends, and author of the new book, The War on Warriors, Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free joins us to discuss his new book, the war on our military and the Biden admin sending troops to the front lines of the Russia Ukraine conflict.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, round up and information overload. Our eight hundred
nine one seawn is our number if you want to
be a part of the program. Here we are eighty
years ago. D Day Invasion June sixth, nineteen forty four.
Maybe maybe a day that just does not get the

(00:21):
full appreciation and understanding of the American people. I mean,
you got to understand something. He had over one hundred
and sixty thousand soldiers landing on the beaches, slamming the
beaches of Normandy to break Hitler's hold on Western Europe
back by even immorse sailors and crews and you know,

(00:42):
nearly twelve thousand aircraft. And they succeeded, and history in
the world was saved and changed because of their heroism
and their country. And as they landed on the beaches
of Normandy, you know, above them were the Nazis. Just
basically they're wide open as they hit the beaches and

(01:05):
they're like sitting ducks, and the water is filled with
blood and of dead soldiers, Americans, just filled with blood.
And then as you are approaching that beach and you
see the carnage and you see the death, and you
see you're pending death. You know, you know, right before

(01:26):
your very eyes. Just just try and put yourself for
a second in the position of all of those people.
You know, I know, there's been a lot written in
movies about it. Probably the most famous, I guess is
Saving Private Ryan. However, but you know, if you you know,
look at the people that went in their early frogmen
were in their first clearing obstacles for the landing ships

(01:49):
and paratroopers dropping behind the lines to seeze you know,
key points, rangers climbing the cliffs, you know, to take
crucial German artillery out. But it was the people that
slam those beaches, you know, the greatest generation, we call them.
My father was part of this generation. He served four
years in the Pacific. And you know, if you if

(02:12):
you haven't watched Saving Private Ryan or watched it recently,
go back and watch it because it's worth it. And
if you have a heart and a soul and an
appreciation for freedom and liberty, it will only inspire you further.
And you know, on this eightieth anniversary, and maybe maybe

(02:33):
maybe it's a distant memory, maybe we just forget, but
you've got to understand something. The cause of liberty and
freedom was saved that day because of those people that
slam those beaches, that risk their lives, those that gave
their lives for the for the cause of liberty and

(02:53):
freedom against depression. When I wrote the book years ago,
Deliver Us from Evil, I talked about the last century
now one hundred million human souls all told between Mao
and China and Stalin and Russia and Hitler and Germany
and Mussolini and fascism and Tojo in Japan and the

(03:15):
killing fields in Cambodia and Paul Pott, you know, one
hundred million dead human beings anyway, joining us to you know,
remember this and talk more about it and about where
we are in terms of you know, America abdicating its
role on the world stage as the leader in the
cause of liberty and freedom and surrendering in the against

(03:36):
radical Islamic terrorists, which is insane. Is my friend and
colleague Pete Hegseth. He's the host of Fox and Friends
Weekends and author of the new book The War on Warriors,
Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.
And it's a great book. I've read a cover to cover.
You're going to love to get your copy. We have

(03:57):
a link on Hannity dot com. Amazon dot com has it,
and bookstores now across the country. Pete Hegseth, Sir, you're
a great American. We'll talk about your service as well
in a minute. But these guys, this generation, what they did.
Could you imagine if you were, you know, approaching the
beaches of Normandy and you saw the carnage you're about

(04:18):
to face. What goes through the mind of a young
American soldier. You know, you see a life flashing before
your eyes. You know your odds are low that you're
going to survive this.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
I can't imagine, Sean, And you laid it out so beautifully.
You laid it out with the spirit of someone who
wants to live it out. And that's what we have
to do. These were ordinary men that did extraordinary things
that we can't even fathom. And it's our job to
take our kids and make sure it embedded on their soul,

(04:51):
an understanding of the depth of sacrifice that went into
a moment like the day, and all of World War
II and all of the conflicts we face. The reason
I said I can't imagine is because I've seen a
glimpse of the type of psychology that comes with a
moment like that in combat. I've been a part of
pre mission briefings where we were told the enemy had

(05:12):
a foothold, we were told the enemy was in a
strategic location. We were told there was going to be casualties.
We were told it was going to be difficult. And
the psychology of going into a neighborhood or into a house,
or around a corner when you think you could be
meeting your death or previously wounded or your comrades could

(05:32):
be it takes a special amount of training, a brotherhood
of unity to be willing to do that. Imagine the
briefings that these young men got of of what they
were about to face. And yet they got off the
back of the boat and they trudged through the water
and up the beaches and up the cliffs, and they

(05:53):
jumped out of the airplanes with the paratroopers. And they
did it for generations of Americans they would never know.
And they did it because of an institution at that
time in the military that was focused on waging and
winning our wars, and our nation mobilized to do that.
And the question of our moment is could we mobilize
to do that today and is our Pentagon laser focused

(06:16):
on winning wars or has it betracted as a social justice,
politically correct patriote that couldn't repeat the day if it
needed to. And that's the type of thing you know,
with microphones and with leaders in Washington need to be
thinking about because we're we still live in a very dangerous.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
Worldshop now, by the way, I don't think a lot
of people know your background on history. And we've been
friends for a long time, and colleagues love your family
and love your life story. I mean, after nine to
eleven you signed up to serve in the military. You're
a veteran, by the way, you served in Iraq, Afghanistan.
You are a GITMO for a while. You earned two

(06:55):
Bronze Stars by the way, and Combat Infant Tree Badge
for your time overseas. Pretty impressive. You now have seven children,
a wonderful wife, and you know you are teaching your
kids these values. But it's rare pete, it's not you know,

(07:16):
these values and not being reinforced. You know, my daughter
was born only a couple of weeks before nine to
eleven oh one, and I had to make sure because
her the schools she went to. Were not educating her
about what happened just a couple of weeks after she
was born. I had to tell her about nine to eleven,
make sure she understood what nine to eleven was, And

(07:36):
that to me is mind numbing. Never mind knowing about
D Day and what happened that.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Day, no doubt, Sean. That is our responsibility. Sorry, you know,
our first responsibilities parents is to introduce our kids to
the Lord. After that, it's introduced them to this exceptional
experiment that is America and the men and women who
got it, who unleashed it for us, and those that
kept it free for us. And it's why in my

(08:01):
book you mentioned it. Thank you for mentioning the war
on warriors. I ended it with a letter to my
five sons, and I would include my two daughters. But
let's be real here, there weren't There weren't daughters on
the beaches of Normandy. There were young men on the
beaches of normally, and most of the people who serve
our military over two hundred and fifty fifty years have
been young men. There are wonderful women that have done
great contributions, that's true and still to this day.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
But by the way. If it wasn't for the women
of the United States behind the scenes and building the
tanks and the munitions for World War Two, we never
would have succeeded it. Ever. I mean that contribution you
probably goes you know, Peo, people don't talk about it enough.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
It was critical, probably goes underrecognized. You're exactly right, and
maybe that might be my next book is recognizing that
because it's so fundamentally important. But I wrote the last
chapter of the book, which I waited to write until
the very end, was a letter to my sons about
whether I would want them to serve in the military today.
And I didn't know what I would write because I
wanted to finish my research. I interviewed dozens hundreds of

(09:04):
vets and actively serving members of their experience. There's a
lot of pessimism out out there, Sean, and a lot
of it is first of all, you've got to inside
the institution of the military. But then, as you said,
we have it in our schools where kids are being
taught in America is a bad country. We're in unchartered
waters when we're trying to keep a country and simultaneously
tell our young people that that country is a bad country.

(09:27):
You can't do that, let alone get people willing to serve.
So ultimately, in the book, I mean, I lay out
how I was called an extremist sewn in the book.
We talked about this on your program. The military itself
dubbed me my unit as an extremist, and that's why
I left. It's why a lot of guys have frustrations
about whether they want their kids to serve. I answer

(09:48):
those questions in the book, and we're going to need
a military. We're going to need the capability to wage wars,
especially if we want peace. The stronger your military is,
the more likely you have peace. Donald Trump understands that
Biden does not, and that's why we need a Pentagon
that focuses back on war fighting in school to teach
kids that America is good and free. And I would

(10:09):
be willing to join that military in the future.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
I appreciate it. Pete Hegseth, host of Fox and Friends Weekends,
often fill in host on Fox and Friends Weekdays. His
new book to War on Warriors, Behind the Betrayal of
the Men Who Keep Us Freehannity dot Com, Amazon dot com,
bookstores around the country. Pete Appreciate your service, appreciate your friendship,
Appreciate the good work you do as my friend and

(10:33):
colleague on Fox. Thank you, sir.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
Likewise, Shawn always, thank you for leaving the way.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
All Right, let's hit our busy busy phones. Janet in
the very important state of Pennsylvania. Janet, thanks for calling.
Glad you're out there. What's on your mind today?

Speaker 4 (10:49):
I just wanted to say I don't want the Republicans
to do to the Democrats what they're doing to President Chop,
but I do want them to prosecute the Democrats who
actually commit crimes, like real crimes, not the made up
ones that Trump accused of. And some strange reason, Republicans
are scared at the fall.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Through, and I tend to agree with you. We had
a caller yesterday and I said I don't want what
they've done to Donald Trump done to any Democrat. And
people took that well, hannedy, you don't know how to fight.
I'm like, yeah, yeah, I do, because let me explain
in very specific detail. If there's wrongdoing by Democrats, they

(11:31):
must be held accountable, because you know, part of equal
justice and application of our laws is enforcing them equally,
and that means following through when people are involved in serious,
significant wrongdoing. There shouldn't be two justice systems. Oh Mara
a Lago gets raided but rated, but not Joe's for
locations where top secret classified information is stored, or that

(11:53):
Hillary Clinton, I want to talk about miss applying an
expense as a legal ev Look at the dirty dossier
and the way the money was funneled through a law firm,
through an op research firm to hire an MI six
agent that gave us Russian disinformation that was later used
as a dirty dossier to spy on Carter Page and

(12:14):
Donald Trump. So give me a break. I mean these
you know. And for those of you that didn't understand
what I was saying, I'm saying, no, you don't charge
a Biden for something that nobody else in the world
will get charged with, which is what happened to Donald
Trump in New York. And for people of those of
you that can't make that distinction, I can't help you

(12:34):
because I believe in the rule of law in our constitution.
But that means, yes, holding people accountable for their wrongdoing
when they are wrong. And I have a lot of
issues with the bidens as it relates to the money
that family took in with no experience and the actions
in the lives of Joe Biden.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, and I disagree with President Trump saying you didn't
want to pursue Hillary Clinton because it wouldn't be good
for the country to put a president's wife in jail. No, no, no,
don't call her just the president's wife. She was a
secretary of State, a senator, and a presidential candidate. I mean,
she's like a vicious political animal. And don't just call

(13:14):
her the president's wife and make her look weak. She's
not weak. She's far from weak, and she deserves to
be punished for the things that she's got. And if
Trump gets back in the White House, he needs to
start with a janitor and work his way up getting
rid of anyone who doesn't support his agenda, because that's
the only way and it's the only way it's going
to work. And it has to go with all the

(13:34):
agencies at the I C, I, A, I R. S.
I don't care whatever it is. He needs to go
in and just clean house big time.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yeah, I completely agree. I think the whole deep state
needs to go. And you know what, we What I'm
really saying is, to be very very clear, is restoring
constitutional order right now. As Levin Is famously said, it's
a post constitution America. And part of that is equal justice,

(14:04):
equal application. That means following our laws. You know, you
don't go after somebody for an eight year old one
hundred and thirty thousand dollars legal non disclosure agreement the
way they did, Donald Trump, that's law fair. That's the
weaponization of justice. That's the difference. Anyway, appreciate the call,
got a roll. We'll get to more of your calls

(14:25):
coming up later. When we come back, we'll check in
with Congressman Dan Bishop and Keith Sherman, and we'll talk
about resolution what's called eleven eighty eight expressing support of
the Month of May has Fallen Heroes, Memorial Month, and
much more as we continue. So here we are, eighty

(14:54):
years later. Let's go back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and
his D Day prayer. When you think of those who's
we really stand on their shoulders, these young brave American
men slamming the beaches of Normandy as they did, and
these men knowing that the odds of them coming home,

(15:17):
are pretty low blood all over the waters that they're
entering as they approached the beach and seeing nothing but
carnage on the beach and they themselves, you know, basically
wide open targets. His video of it, you can see
it like on the History Channel. I've seen it. It's unreal,
and you can watch movies like Saving Private Ryan. I
think it captured it pretty well. Here's FDR.

Speaker 5 (15:41):
My fellow Americans, last night, when I spoke with you
about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment
that troops of the United States and our allies were
crossing the channel in another and greater operation. It has
come to pass with success thus far. And so in

(16:02):
this poignant hour, I ask ye to join with me
in prayer, Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation,
this day of set upon the Mighty endeavor a struggle
to preserve our public, our religion, and our civilization, and

(16:23):
to set free a suffering humanity. For these men are
lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not
for the lust of conquest. They fight to end the conquest.
They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise,
and torrance and good will among all thy people. They

(16:47):
yearn but for the end of battle, for their return
to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace
these father and receive leave them thy heroic servants, into
thy kingdom, and for us at home.

Speaker 3 (17:07):
Give us strength.

Speaker 5 (17:08):
To strengthen our daily tasks. To redouble the contributions we
make in the physical and the material support of our
armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait
out the long travel, to bear sorrows that may come

(17:29):
to impart our courage. Unto our sons, whoresoever they may be.
Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances.
Lead us to the saving of our country, and with
our sister nations, into a world unity that will spell

(17:52):
a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of
an unworthy man. And the peace will let all men
live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest trial.

(18:13):
They will be done, Almighty God. Amen.

Speaker 1 (18:20):
By the way, here's Dwight Eisenhower. He gave a D
Day speech June sixth, nineteen forty four. As well. Let's
listen to him.

Speaker 6 (18:27):
Soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force. You
are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which
we have striven these many months. The eyes of the
world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty
loving people everywhere march with you, in company with our

(18:47):
brave allies and brothers in arms on other fronts. You
will bring about the destruction of the German war machine,
the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe,
and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task
will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained,
well equipped, and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But

(19:10):
this is the year nineteen forty four. Much has happened
since the Nazi triumphs of nineteen forty forty one. The
United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans' great defeats in
open battle Man de Man. Our air offensive has seriously
reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to

(19:30):
wage war on the ground.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
Our home fronts.

Speaker 6 (19:33):
Have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions
of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of
trained fighting men. The tide has turned. The freemen of
the world are marching together to victory. I have full
confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and scale in battle.

(19:55):
We will accept nothing less than full victory, good luck,
and let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God
upon this great and noble undertaking.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
On the seventy fifth anniversary of D Day, Donald Trump
he spoke directly to World War II vets that you
are the pride of our nation. You are the glory
of our republic. Here's what he said.

Speaker 7 (20:18):
We are gathered here on Freedom's altar, on these shores,
on these bluffs, on this day, seventy five years ago,
ten thousand men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their
lives for their brothers, for their countries, and for the

(20:42):
survival of liberty. Today we remember those who fell, and
we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They
won back this ground for civilization. To more than one
one hundred and seventy veterans of the Second World War

(21:06):
who join us today, you are among the very greatest
Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of
our nation. You are the glory of our republic, and
we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Speaker 1 (21:26):
And then there's Joe Biden today, not sure if he
really knows the significance considering his speech wandered off into
not helping Ukraine means forgetting what happened on D Day,
you know, won't bow down to dictators. Well what did
he do with Israel and their war on radical Islamic terrorism. Well,
we're not going to help you defend yourself and you

(21:48):
need to stand down, and you need to go to
a ceasefire. And rather than win the war, really, why
so they can come back better armed another day. How
stupid is that? Here's what Joe Biden said earlier today.

Speaker 8 (22:02):
Because if we do, you can, Craine will be subjugated
and will not end there. Ukraine's neighbors will be threatened,
all of Europe will be threatened. And make no mistake,
the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see
what happens in Ukraine, to see if we let this
illegal aggression go and check it. We cannot let that happen.

(22:26):
To surrender the bullies, to bow down the dictators is
simply unthinkable. Were we to do that, it means we'll
be forgetting what happened here in these hollow beaches. Make
no mistake, we will not bow down. We will not
forget it. Now the question for us is in.

Speaker 5 (22:48):
Are our trial?

Speaker 4 (22:49):
Where we do ours?

Speaker 8 (22:51):
We're living in a time when democracy and more risk
across the world than a point since the end of
the World War two, since these beaches were stormed in
nineteen forty four. Now we have to ask ourselves. Will
we stand against tyranny, against evil, against crushing brutality of
the iron fist? Will we stand for freedom? Will we

(23:14):
defend democracy? We stand together? My answer is yes, and
all we can be yes?

Speaker 1 (23:21):
All right. Anyway, I want to welcome to the program
Congressman Dan Bishop of North Carolina Keith Sherman, president of
the gold Star Dirt Organization, and they're here to discuss
the resolution in Congress Resolution eleven eighty eight, which expresses
support for the month of May as Fallen Heroes Memorial Month.
And anyway, I gotta give kudos to both of them,

(23:43):
and I just wanted to give you a rundown of
what it is that they're proposing. So maybe you can
call your congressman or woman and get them to support it,
and your senators as well. Anyway, Congressman Bishop, by the way,
you had a great week with Merrick Garland. That's a
side note, but tell us about this resolution.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
Thank you, Sean. In the European comments. My dad also
was in the Pacific Theater, was a top gunner on
a B twenty nine, and we all share this rich
heritage together. But you know, this piece of legislation, Sean,
is not my idea. It's the idea of my constituent,
mister Sherman. But it immediately took hold with the staff

(24:21):
in my office, and when presented to me, I thought
it was a great idea. Tommy Tuver Bill and the Senate.
This I agreed to sponsored over there, and it just says,
we ought to ask the Prosident of the United States
to declare a Fallen Hero's Memorial month. We have so
many months to recognize that this group of accomplished Americans

(24:41):
or that group of accomplished Americans. Wouldn't it be great
and wouldn't it be fitting to have a month that
honors something that all Americans can participate and take pride
in in a unifying way, And that is the one
point three million veterans of US Armed forces who've given
their lives in service to the United States. That's mister

(25:04):
Sherman's idea. I immediately thought it was great. We've got
it filed a number of co sponsors, and I hope
we can pass it, and I hope the President will
do it.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
I hope people will call their representatives and urge them
to support this. It's a House Resolution eleven eighty eight. Now.
Keith Sherman is also with US combat vet, served twenty
six years in the Navy, retired and in honor of
his fallen brothers and sisters, after spending nearly two years
camping his way across the US, interviewing Gold Star families

(25:34):
and in every state. He has a video collection now
that resides in the Library of Congress National Archives, and
he's spearheading this along with Congressman Dan Bishop. Mister Sherman,
please tell us more.

Speaker 5 (25:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
First, I'd like to say thank you Sean Linda for
having me on the show. I really appreciate it. And
let's say actions, our language and your actions are clear
and have me on here when other outlets wouldn't do that,
and now I really appreciate that. I'd also like to
thank you know, Congressman Bishop, who, by the way, is
going to be the next Attorney General. In the great

(26:11):
state of North Carolina, and also Senator Tuberville for standing
behind this legislation. It's a testament to both putting Americans
first and those who gave everything to protect those freedoms
that we enjoy today. This this legislation, really it's I
hate to have to say this, but I received pushbacks

(26:33):
for years trying to get this in and from House
and Senate Democrats stating that it might water down the
true meaning of Memorial Day. And I say malarkey to that.
Memorial Day has, unfortunately has been turned into a commercialized
shopping holiday for many in this country. But there's a
lot of us, a lot of US patriots that don't
want that. You know, I could tell you what watering

(26:54):
down a holiday does look like. It could be, you know,
perhaps signing a proclamation on on Easter and slapping all
countries or all Christians in this country in the faith.
But I digress. I look, fallen war heroes are not
partisan issues at all. House and Senate Democrats to be
falling over each other to try to sign this and

(27:15):
put their name on this legislation, it's to me, it's
the most purposeful, easy button in the history of legislation.
These families want to have their loved ones honored and remembered.
They want to talk about their lost hero. For them,
it's part of their own healing process. And I want America,
the America that I love so much and gave the
best years of my life to to honor my brothers

(27:37):
and sisters who never had a chance to live their
best lives the life I'm living today to have a family.
Their stories need to be told and remembered. And I
hope to be there when this is voted on. I'll
bring gold Star families with me. And also whenever that
presidential proclamation is signed every year, I want to be
there with gold Star families standing next to me as well.

(28:00):
And then, you know, President Ronald Reagan once said about
our fallens in nineteen eighty six. He said, they have
a wild, wild courage of youth. They seize certainty from
the heart of ambivalent age. And they stood for something.
And we owe them something, those boys and girls. We
owe them first a promise that just as they did

(28:22):
not forget their missing comrades, neither ever will we. And
I think it's fitting on this eightieth anniversary or d
Day to say we have a duty to remember. Let's
honor our fallen heroes. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
I can't thank you enough for your service and for
your commitment to these brave men and women. Thank you
so much, Keith, and thank you Congressman Dan Bishop. Great
week for you. You made us proud against Merrior Garland
this week. Great job, sir.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Thank you Sean.

Speaker 5 (28:50):
Great to be with you.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
And nothing maasically proud like a great constituent like mister
Sherman himself, a hero of the country and footmen on
what we ought to do. So thanks Sean.

Speaker 1 (29:02):
I appreciate both of you. Thank you both. And that's
gonna wrap things up. But today part two, my interview
with Donald Trump and oh all the lies told about
the very real laptop from Hell. Oh it's rushing disinformation.
Fifty one former Intel people. Yeah, we've got all the
video evidence to show what liars people are well. Full

(29:24):
coverage Kelly Anne, Charlie hurb Pambondi, Miranda Devine in the
courtroom for Hunter Biden, a case coming to a quick close.
Senator Tim Scott, viveg Ramaswami nine Eastern say you DVR Hannity,
Fox News See you to night back Here tomorrow. Thank
you for making this show possible.

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