The Pentagon is coming down hard on a suicidal sailor and an airman who protested the Iran war — even as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth keeps rescuing troops he finds entertaining from discipline, a new report reveals.
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A 19-year-old sailor who jumped overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln on August 3, after enduring a record-long deployment and repeated denials of paternity leave, now faces two Uniform Code of Military Justice charges: malingering and unauthorized absence.
His wife says he wasn’t contacted for four days and received minimal psychiatric care despite being hospitalized.
“I think they’re insane for doing this to people who need mental help,” the wife told MS NOW.
MS NOW’s Jen Psaki called the case “the latest, most egregious sign that the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump’s leadership, has pushed U.S. servicemembers to the absolute limit.”
He’s not alone. Air Force Maj. Jason Watson, arrested after holding a Capitol protest sign demanding Trump and Vice President JD Vance be impeached and removed over the unauthorized war with Iran, faces three charges, including the rarely used Article 88, “contempt toward officials,” and remains in pretrial confinement.
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According to MS NOW’s Steve Benen, the treatment of the two offers a sharp contrast to how Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, views service members who have put themselves and others in danger while hotdogging.
Benen wrote, “Last month, for example, helicopter pilots from the South Carolina National Guard flew at surprisingly low altitudes over a July 4 beach gathering, and after they landed, officers were immediately notified of their suspensions, pending an investigation into possible safety violations. Hegseth soon after personally intervened, derailed the investigation and reversed the suspension.”
The analyst noted, “The juxtaposition is striking,” suggesting a “desperate sailor in the midst of severe mental health distress jumps overboard” stands to be punished while service members who ignore safety protocols get a pass if Hegseth enjoys their antics.
Citing The Atlantic’s Brynn Tannehill writing, “As long as what you do looks cool and puts on a show for the public, you can break flight rules without consequences,” Benen suggested that is a “dangerous message” emanating from Hegseth’s Pentagon.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, please call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.
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