Ron DeSantis reflects on Navy career, warns military is ‘different’ from when he served

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emphasized the pressing request to "rejuvenate morale" successful the U.S. military arsenic leftist policies and ideologies are opening to instrumentality hold.

DeSantis joined ‘Fox & Friends’ connected Memorial Day to explicate his program to instrumentality alteration if helium is palmy successful his combat for the Oval Office successful 2024. He argued the subject is not the aforesaid arsenic erstwhile helium served. 

"I spot a batch of accent present connected governmental ideologies, things similar sex pronouns. I spot a batch astir things similar [diversity, equity and inclusion]. And I deliberation that that's caused recruiting to plummet," helium explained. "I deliberation it's driven disconnected a batch of warriors, and I deliberation morale is low."

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DeSantis joined the United States Navy successful 2004 and earned a promotion to lieutenant. After being stationed successful Guantanamo and Iraq, helium served arsenic a peculiar adjunct U.S. lawyer successful Florida until 2010. He past served successful the U.S. Navy Reserve until 2019.

"The subject I spot is antithetic from the subject I served in," helium explained. 

DeSantis said helium plans to rotation retired a programme to antagonistic China but maintained the astir contiguous request is to boost recruitment and reinstate religion successful the institution. 

A U.S equipped forces recruiting presumption successful pictured successful Times Square, New York City. The subject has been struggling to find caller recruits amongst today's youth.  (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"Why would you person wanted to articulation the Marine Corps backmost successful the day? Why did everybody other who joined the Army?" helium asked. "I retrieve being successful Iraq, and we were successful Fallujah, and it was not going well. And yet radical were inactive consenting to motion up knowing they’d get sent to Iraq due to the fact that they believed that this was thing special."

"I deliberation we’ve mislaid that a small bit." 

The 2024 hopeful promised "big changes" connected time 1 if helium gets elected. 

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Over the weekend, DeSantis met with families impacted by 9/11. He said they voiced continued frustrations and a tendency to question justness much than 20 years aft the attacks. 

"They've been made promises successful the past astir getting help, and past fundamentally immoderate of our elected leaders person reneged connected those promises. And truthful I deliberation that they've been punched successful the gut a fig of times," helium said. 

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And though helium was successful Florida with nary transportation to New York City, DeSantis’ ain subject vocation was inspired by the attacks connected 9/11.

"It had a profound effect connected our country," helium said. "Obviously, to spot that close there, the earthy emotions from radical that were straight impacted was very, precise powerful. And it moved my woman and I precise much."