Vienna, Austria—The below opinion piece is authored by George Bottorff, Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, retired. After nine months of the second Trump Administration, the author discusses his reasons why Secretary Kennedy should immediately resign or be fired. George is a California UOCAVA voter, resident of Austria, and a Member of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus.
Hope.
What does this word mean? How does it connect with us today?
I would like to share a brief reminder of the story of Maria Theresa, one of the past rulers of the Habsburg Empire (present-day Austria). But before doing so, please allow me to share my views on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and how Mr. Kennedy failed to learn the important lessons of Maria Theresa from three centuries earlier.
Mr. Kennedy was narrowly confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 52-48 despite having absolutely no medical qualifications whatsoever. The Republican-majority Senate – remarkably – thought that Kennedy’s ability to do a dozen push-ups was wholly sufficient for this Cabinet-level role, which equates to twelfth in line in the order of presidential succession.
Since his confirmation in February, Secretary Kennedy has done far more damage to America’s public health than all other HHS Secretaries in decades past. Under his “leadership,” there is now an increased risk to food safety with a reduction in the monitoring of infections. Under his watch, government support for vaccinations has been decimated – despite the world’s leading medical experts being at odds with all of the anti-vax decision-making. Because of Secretary Kennedy’s reckless guidance, America’s brightest medical minds in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been pushed out the door. With no medical evidence whatsoever, the federal government is pushing out misinformation on autism in children and pregnant women. Resources for state and local entities, ongoing scientific research, infection tracking, and surveillance – all of these have been unnecessarily axed under the guise of “Make America Healthy Again” propaganda.
Now, let us take a look at the health of our military personnel, veterans, and their family members. The HHS Department, through its medical experts, is the primary entity that sets the basis of what military doctors follow as guidance for keeping all of us healthy. These decisions affect all military personnel and their families. This would also include all government workers who work in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. military community relies on sound science and peer-reviewed research, backed by clear evidence in data, when making formal medical recommendations. As all veterans know, when one first enters recruit training, it is mandatory to receive multiple vaccinations for medical purposes. This is not for political reasons but rather because our nation chooses to protect our service members to maintain their health and prepare them for combat.
When I entered Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot San Diego (MCRD) for thirteen weeks of fine food and drink, we were thankfully given a rack (bed) to rest and heal after a full day of fun and games on the Drill Field. This is true for both “Hollywood Marines” (those at MCRD San Diego, California) and “Paradise Island Marines” (those recruits at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina). Oorah! During my first week there, we were required to complete necessary administrative tasks in addition to receiving vaccinations, which protected us against various viruses. It was made clear to us that we needed these shots because of all the different environments we would find ourselves working in, which increased the chance of survivability in such environments.
In June, Secretary Kennedy requested $96 billion in funding from Congress. In his testimony, he stated that Medicaid is “a cornerstone of my agenda to improve outcomes for our seniors and children.” Two weeks later – and with the Secretary’s support – the “One Big Ugly Bill” was signed into law, which included nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid. Let that sink in. The health care of America’s children, veterans, current Active Duty, and military families – all put on the chopping block.
Sadly, it is not a stretch to say that without Congress exercising its constitutional checks and balances authority over the Executive Branch, history indeed may repeat itself. Meaning, patterns we are seeing today are along the same path of the horrific actions the world witnessed during World War II. The HHS Secretary has managed to eliminate proven science and the advisors who would inform the public about what is real and what is not. It is indeed disappointing that HHS has now adopted an “Abby Normal” style of medicine, reminiscent of Mel Brooks’s fictional “Young Frankenstein” story. Let us not forget it was only a generation ago that Nazi doctors rounded up children with disabilities to experiment on them intentionally. Those parents never saw their children again, and if Mr. Kennedy and this Administration continue on the current path of misinformation and censorship, we will likely see this again in our lifetime.
Mr. Kennedy’s claims on linking autism to this and that are thin at best. What we are seeing now from this Administration is straight out of the fascist playbook: for example, making federal grants available to universities at the same time as making a public statement on false findings. Moreover, the Secretary is responsible for the deaths of at least 83 individuals, 80% of whom were children under the age of 5. He has also managed to convince many parents not to vaccinate their children, irresponsibly leaving other families at risk of contracting viruses and other diseases due to the unvaccinated families. What this pattern means is a likelihood of succeeding in making the military one of the sickest in the world, and disabling national security readiness to stand and deliver without vaccinations, the professional medical community has deemed both safe and effective.
It should also be noted that Secretary Kennedy’s vision of an America without vaccinations is outright racist. It is no secret that our military community broadly includes individuals from low-income communities and communities of color. Thus, government sanctioning of misinformation and discouraging the use of vaccinations in these communities means the incoming crop of military recruits, transitioning service members, veterans, and family members are all at a significant health risk.
To make matters worse, the Secretary appears ready to establish an “autism registry,” which will include patient data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) who donated blood or provided DNA samples to VA’s Million Veteran Program – despite HHS not having gained the necessary consent from veterans.
Fortunately, voters are absolutely paying attention. To be clear, I believe that Secretary Kennedy needs to be removed from his post at HHS before he spreads even more “Abby Normal”-like dangerous medical advice, which will undoubtedly cause even more deaths to our children and our nation as a whole.
And now, let us circle back to Maria Theresa. History tells us she was a young girl who inherited an empire. Born in 1717, she ascended to power at the age of 23 in 1740 and held that power until her death in 1780. However, the monarchy she inherited was bankrupt due to her father’s business practices. The Habsburg Army was in poor health and challenged by low morale. Education for the military officers was nonexistent, and the land itself was in poor condition for sustainable farming uses.
Her father taught her to trust her advisors, and for the most part, she did. Once, while inspecting her Army, she found that leadership, morale, and health among the ranks were all severely lacking. She asked one of the senior doctors why this was, and he pointed out the deplorable conditions the Army had to live in, including poor hygiene and unhealthy sanitation; furthermore, the soldiers were never taught how to be effective leaders because their own leaders had not been taught such skills. This doctor was then put in charge of the nation’s health.
Maria Theresa subsequently established an academy specifically for young officers in 1751, which remains in operation to this day. She started schools for children between the ages of 6 and 12. The curriculum focused on social responsibility, social discipline, work ethic, and the use of reason rather than mere rote learning. This is something we still encounter today in almost every country.
The Empress survived a bout with smallpox in 1767, and soon afterwards started inoculating other family members for smallpox. This medical practice led to the development of effective vaccines and continues to have a significant impact on the world today. The hygiene and sanitation practices that began in the Habsburg Army are the foundation for what we have today in militaries around the globe. To add to her remarkable achievements, she implemented significant reforms in commercial, agricultural, institutional, financial, medical, and educational sectors. In short, Maria Theresa was always looking after the health and well-being of her nation and the people who served her. She knew that to improve her nation, she needed to provide them with sufficient education, food, training, and so on. By doing this, she improved her nation’s standing and had better representation on the world stage because the most valuable asset a country has is its people.
As a U.S. teacher and military veteran, I have stood at the base of the Statue of Maria Theresa, looking at the Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt with my cadets, and asked them what they saw when looking at the Academy. Some would say doors, windows, or perhaps they could see their room. Then I would give them my answer. Hope! Because I believed that is what she saw: Hope.
Highlighting Maria Theresa’s story is relevant because her military and health accomplishments are so noble that historians still study them nearly three centuries later. Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy are promoting an anti-science political agenda, preventing America from experiencing its next period of renaissance. In three centuries from now, the current evidence tells us that Secretary Kennedy will be the last person associated with the topic of America having quality public health.
Because of Secretary Kennedy’s complete and total incompetence, I align myself with Democrats Abroad’s statement and the Democrats Abroad Global VMF Caucus’s position in calling for his immediate resignation.
U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The Global VMF Caucus, proudly consisting of veterans, military family members, Department of War (DoW) (formerly Department of Defense, or DoD) civilians, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes, has a membership of over 1,400 members located in dozens of countries.
For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to