Marine Mom Speaks Out: What I Saw at Army Bootcamp — and Why Secretary Hegseth’s Words Matter

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/10/marine-mom-speaks-what-i-saw-army-bootcamp/ ^ | October 07, 2025 | Jim Hᴏft / & Guest Contributor

[Nervous Tick]

Wonderful testimony. Thanks for posting it!

[Night Hides Not]

Good thing she never set foot on an Air Force base…lol.

[whitney69]

Sounds like the son was a marine. The mother has no idea what a military member is and the pride we should all have of them. A commitment like he made is very special and it takes a lot of intestinal fortitude. Intestinal fortitude is a euphemistic term for courage, grit, and the strength of will to face adversity, pain, or unpleasantness and persevere through it. It implies resilience and the mental toughness to endure challenges, adapt to unforeseen obstacles, and remain resolute in difficult situations. Essentially, it’s having “guts” or the mental fortitude to see something difficult through to the end. His mom did not make that commitment. And that is what military members decide to do.

wy69

[Vermont Lt]

When I was a freshman in college I was in AFROTC. The ongoing joke was if you reported to the Colonel in the ArmyROTC and failed to salute, they would run you out of the office and make you do it ten times. If you did the same to the AFROTC Colonel…he’d would make a note of it.

That told us everything we needed to know, 45 year ago.

[ansel12]

My impression is that this woman is not a solid source, she seems a little overly dramatic with perhaps a touch of exaggeration, a tendency to make for a bolder, more dramatic tale of everything.

[rktman]

The thing that has dawned on me is that it appears most of PDJT staff don’t appear to talk down to people. Like you could sit and BS with them IF they had time. I don’t see any “Do you know who I am!” attitudes. I could be wrong but that is what I see. And Hegseth having a 3 star marine doing push ups with him while in his gabardines was awesome. His talk to the Navy team after the game was also awesome. OooooRaahhh!

W.I.N.N.I.N.G

[redfreedom]

Yes! Double LOL!!

We occasionally shop at a BX. The airmen are pathetic looking. Over weight and their uniforms look like they are the cleanest ones taken from the dirty clothes basket. Haircuts are also an issue.

And the officers are equally pathetic. I recall you could recognize an officer by his perfect uniform, posture and overall appearance. Today if all rank insignia were removed, you couldn’t tell one slob from another.

[Night Hides Not]

LOL. My first duty assignment was Hahn AB in Germany. There were a number of times AF NCOs would blow right by me without saluting. I had to correct them, if only because this usually occurred near our barracks. I also saw a snarky AF Colonel deride an Army Major on the street, “Major, you’re not wearing your hat, how am I supposed to tell you from my Air Force officers?”

His reply? “Two things: I have a military haircut and my boots are shined!” LOL

I swear I wore out the phrase, “You salute the rank, not the man.”

[Night Hides Not]

I loved nothing better than wearing freshly starched fatigues and jump boots. Never had a problem wearing them during PT, either. It wasn’t until 82-83 that running shoes were worn during PT.

I was considered a novelty during AF alerts. As a butterbar, I was the Army Liasion Officer. I would stay in the CP for the entirety of the alert, as I was one of two officers in my battery with a TS clearance. I usually took my shaving kit and 3 pairs of fatigues with me at the start of each alert. I found it humorous that the zoomies often complained about their 12 hour shifts.

[ebshumidors]

BCT Ft Knox 81. Flat feet. My knees are now shot. Sneakers helped a lot.

[wasmv80]

Excellent; and thanks.

[Joe 6-pack]

"My impression is that this woman is not a solid source, she seems a little overly dramatic with perhaps a touch of exaggeration, a tendency to make for a bolder, more dramatic tale of everything."

Betcha a dollar to a donut she had a "My son is an honor student at..." bumper sticker during the kid's high school years.

[jacknhoo]

It was a great story and I can certainly see the mother’s point of view, her being a mother and all.

there were a few places in the article that need correction, but I found this one a bit humorous:

“I wanted to cover him in bubble wrap. I am his mother, I bore him, I nutured him, it was my right to want him whole. Thankfully, the Marines wanted to prepare him for battle.”

Now, I know that’s not how neutered is spelled, but it reads the same. And it is also not how nurtured is spelled either, but it doesn’t read that way.

[Night Hides Not]

I understand, my experience was probably an anomaly. I stopped running the day I left the Army in 84. Still enjoy walking, though.

[ansel12]

Since I was transitioning from drifter and overly wild and independent type to soldier, I paid special attention to my appearance, I got a haircut every week, sent my uniforms to civilian cleaners so that I could get the lifer three creases in the back of the shirt and the best starch, had the lifer embroidered name and Army tags on all my shirts, and spent about two hours on my jump boots every night.

I was also afraid to take leave because in those days I was easily distracted and might forget to come back if I was having fun.

I was so strack that it got me out of many jams, whatever wild thing I was caught doing just didn’t match the appearance, and I would walk away.

[jagusafr]

Some of us did PT every day and maxed out every PT test. I did until my 30th and last annual PT test, where my knee was so shot I mechanically could not run. It killed me to do the walk instead, as I always said I’d never be “that Colonel” who browbeat his troops about fitness but didn’t do the hard stuff.

Colonel, USAF JAGC (Ret)

[Night Hides Not]

Great post! I found that buffing my boots with an OD wool sock maintained the shine, though I also spit shined the boots weekly.

[Night Hides Not]

I always appreciate your posts. My last assignment in the Army was as a HQs Battery Commander at Fort Bliss, I.e. cooks and clerks. My soldiers actually belonged to five directorates, to include JAG and CG’s staff. I led PT 5 days a week, consisting of 15-20 minutes of calisthenics and a 2 mile run in formation. Our pass rate on the PT test was over 98%. Those that did PT with me all passed with flying colors.

[ansel12]

What kind of floor wax did you use on them after the spit shining?