Thursday Afternoon, October 30, 2025

MRFF ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS AND

MIKEY WEINSTEIN PROMINENTLY FEATURED

BY MILITARY.COM IN TOUR DE FORCE ARTICLE

IN THE WAKE OF HEGSETH’S QUANTICO CONFAB

The gathering of the United States’ highest ranking generals and admirals at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 30 was the “most bizarre thing I’ve seen in my time on Earth,” said Larry Wilkerson, an ex-United States Army colonel and former chief of staff to past Secretary of State Colin Powell.

— MRFF Advisory Board Member Larry Wilkerson,

quoted by Military.com

Hegseth speaks to military top brass at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30.

(Photo credit dvidshub.net. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoW)

 visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.)

MILITARY.COM

COVERS MRFF

Military.com is the most-read military news and

information site globally with over 10 million members

‘Loyalty’ and the ‘Bizarre’:

Current, Former Military, Defense Officials Question US Leadership Post-Quantico

By: Nick Mordowanec

Thursday, October 30, 2025

From “You’ve got to be kidding me” to fears that “some admirals and generals would be forced to resign on [the] scene,” Military.com’s Nick Mordowanec masterfully captures the reactions of senior-level active and retired military, Defense Department officials, and others in the lead up to and aftermath of Hegseth’s September 30 gathering of 800 generals and admirals at Quantico.

Prominently featured voices in this tour de force article include MRFF’s Mikey Weinstein and four of MRFF’s esteemed Advisory Board members.

Select quotes from MRFF Advisory Board members:

“Certainly in my 40 years of government service for both the president and the secretary of war, it was just bizarre.”

“Hegseth essentially said, ‘I want you all to be killers, I want you to be killers for America. I want you to be killers for the flag. I want you to be killers under all circumstances where I give you orders to go to war or to do something that I’ve given you an executive order for. I want you to be that kind of person.’”

— MRFF Advisory Board Member Larry Wilkerson, retired U.S. Army colonel and chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell

“You don’t announce to the world, ‘Hey, I’m bringing all the senior leadership from all the services from across the world into one place, and I’m going to spend time with them in front of TV cameras. It’s just crazy.”

— MRFF Advisory Board Member and retired U.S. Air Force Major General Irv Halter

“When the head of the nation and the people he’s appointed to do the work around and maintain the institutions have become so mindlessly brutal and stupidly self-aggrandizing, it seems to me to be a totally different world that we’re creating, where we’re losing respect around the world.”

— MRFF Advisory Board Member and Marine Corps veteran Mike Farrell, known for his role as Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt on the TV series M*A*S*H

“I absolutely think that’s a wonderful idea." ... “I want everyone to see what a complete bumbling mess he is and to see how silly and unprofessional and incoherent the rantings of both of them were.

— MRFF Advisory Board Member and retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Marty France, commenting on Hegseth’s directing all 2.1 million currently serving members of the military watch or read the transcript of his Quantico speech

Military.com Deputy Editor Nick Mordowanec was previously a national news and investigative reporter for Newsweek, focusing on U.S. and international politics, immigration, crime, social issues and features over a four-year period. Other coverage has included education, economics, military/defense, and wars in Ukraine and Gaza. His reporting on the opioid epidemic garnered a statewide Michigan Press Association award.

Previous MRFF coverage of SECDEF Hegseth’s blatant Christian nationalist, misogynistic, and racist

quest for an all white, all male, all Christian military

“Thank you from a Jewish active-duty soldier”

From: (Active Duty Soldier’s email address withheld)

Date: October 30, 2025 at 10:19:29 AM MDT

To: mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org

Subject: Thank you from a Jewish active-duty soldier

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Mikey Weinstein and MRFF for their immediate and unwavering support. At a moment’s notice, he stepped in and ensured I was fully equipped to advocate for my religious rights and beliefs. As a Jewish active-duty soldier currently facing reprisal from my command team for standing by my faith, I can personally attest to his dedication and professionalism.

If you are a servicemember experiencing challenges related to your religious freedom or encountering indifference from your chain of command, know that Mikey and his team will stand by you. He will move swiftly, advocate firmly, and do everything possible to ensure your rights are protected.

“Thank You”

From: (name withheld)

Date: October 23, 2025 at 12:47:57 PM MDT

To: Mikey Weinstein

Subject: Thank You

Mikey Weinstein,

Thank you, Thank you for everything, Thank you for finding me, having my back even while i’m deployed in (Middle Eastern country withheld) for going above and beyond, and taking care of me even while you’re still in the hospital bed. Without you I wouldn’t have known I could deny an article 15, without you and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation I would’ve definitely been in a worse place than I am now. Thank you and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for all you do. And Thank you for supporting Army National Guard soldiers like me.



(name withheld)

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