Local veterans react to Pete Hegseth’s comments about women in combat

By Evan Dawson,

Published December 11, 2024 at 3:04 PM EST

Four smiling people wearing headphones sit around a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left is bald and has a grey mustache and beard and is wearing a dark blue blazer, blue button-down shirt, and grey pants; a woman back left has long red hair and is wearing a maroon sweater; a woman back center has short grey hair and is wearing glasses and a yellow button-down shirt; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a white hoodie and jeans — (foreground) Andraé Evans, (background) Tracy LoTemple, and Katherine Quinones on Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, December 11, 2024

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

The nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense said a few weeks ago that women should no longer be allowed to serve in combat.

Pete Hegseth said, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.” Now he’s walking back those comments, as his nomination is questioned.

Our panelists discuss the contributions of women in the armed services, and the challenge of recruiting more women to serve.

Our guests:

Tracy LoTemple, U.S. Navy veteran and director of programs at Compeer Rochester
Katherine Quinones, retired staff sergeant for the United States Army
Jennifer Ocque, specialist who served in Afghanistan
Andraé Evans, Irondequoit Town Supervisor and decorated combat veteran