War Secretary Pete Hegseth Celebrates Thanksgiving with U.S. Navy Sailors in Latin America

WASHINGTON — War Secretary Pete Hegseth spent Thanksgiving Day with U.S. Navy sailors deployed in Latin America, serving holiday meals and expressing gratitude for their service, officials said.

Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, visited the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, both involved in Southern Spear, a mission aimed at disrupting narco-terror networks across the region. The couple personally served Thanksgiving plates to the sailors, sharing a message of appreciation for their dedication during the holiday.

In a video posted to the social media platform X, Hegseth reflected on his own deployments, noting the sacrifices service members make by being away from their families during holidays. “I was deployed three times — was always thinking about my family and hoped they were gathering with food and football and all those things,” he said. “These folks won’t be. We’re going to bring them maybe a turkey and a little bit of cheer.”

During his visit aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, Hegseth delivered a Thanksgiving address to the crew, extending greetings from himself, the President of the United States, and the nation. He also acknowledged a recent attack on two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., offering prayers for the victims and their families. “Our minds are also in Washington, D.C., with the two great Americans who were ambushed and targeted,” he said. “And we’re prayerful for them, for all those around them, for their families.”

Hegseth emphasized the bravery and selflessness of service members, whether patrolling the nation’s capital or conducting operations at sea. “Whether it’s in our nation’s capital, walking patrol, or whether it’s in our nation’s hemisphere, out at sea, interdicting cartels, defending the American people — we are grateful for you,” he said.

The visit highlighted the War Secretary’s commitment to supporting troops deployed abroad during significant holidays and underscored the ongoing efforts of the U.S. military in combating narcotics trafficking and related threats in Latin America.

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Alison Grant

Alison Grant writes about jobs, inflation, corporate power and household finances. She focuses on how economic trends show up in paychecks, bills and everyday decisions for workers, families and small business owners.

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