U.S. News
Is the Army’s Motto Too Narrow Today?
Clear Facts:
- MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell criticized War Secretary Pete Hegseth for using the phrase “we leave no man behind.”
- O’Donnell said the motto feels outdated because women now serve in combat roles in the U.S. military.
- He also cited historical POWs and past political remarks to argue the military’s rescue principle has limits.
MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell recently took aim at War Secretary Pete Hegseth during his program, calling the traditional military phrase “we leave no man behind” an old-school idea. O’Donnell suggested the language does not reflect modern military dynamics.
He said women now play essential combat roles and should be included in how the mission is described.
“That is, of course, the old school version of the idea back when only men flew American military planes,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell argued that General Dan Kaine’s more inclusive framing of military rescue better fits today’s armed forces. He said the language should reflect that any rescued service member could be a woman.
“The general knows, unlike Pete Hegseth, that that could have been a woman they were trying to rescue,” O’Donnell said. “It might be a woman the next time.”
He also pointed to historical examples, including prisoners held during World War II and the Vietnam War, to question whether the military always lives up to its rescue creed.
“In Vietnam, we left John McCain behind,” O’Donnell said while recounting the late senator’s five-year capture.
O’Donnell then tied the discussion to past comments by Donald Trump about captured war heroes. He said the scale of modern rescue missions would have been unimaginable in earlier wars.
“When reminded that John McCain was a war hero, Donald Trump said he’s not a war hero,” O’Donnell said. “’I like people who weren’t captured.’”
The host concluded that the phrase “we leave no man behind” ignores historical reality and does not account for how service has evolved. Critics say that view can undercut traditional military values.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
