1967, Hagel received a draft order. At that time, many young people tried their best to avoid military service. The people in the conscription bureau told him that if he could go to college within six months, he could postpone the conscription. But Hagel said, "I want to join the army. When can I go? " After joining the army, he was sent to the American army in West Germany. This is a safe job that everyone wants, but he is determined to go to the front line in Vietnam. Two hours before the troops set out, Hagel walked into the command room of the military camp and said, "I'm going to Vietnam." There was silence in the command room. After a while, a captain, a priest and a psychological counselor came. People suspect that he is "insane, taking drugs or trying to escape."
After more than an hour of tossing, Hagel returned to the barracks. His companions all looked at him in surprise. Someone gave him a watch and said, "That's my brother's. He participated in the Vietnam War unscathed. " This watch blessed him. You can keep this watch. "Hagel still has this watch. 1967 65438+On February 4th, he went to Vietnam. In June of the following year, his younger brother Tom also came to Vietnam. Tom was trained as a cook after joining the army. He was originally sent to West Germany, but he volunteered to go to Vietnam at the last minute. Because both brothers went to war voluntarily, the troops were assigned to the same company as an exception. Hager later said that he couldn't figure out the Vietnam War policy, but "since he was in service and there was a war, he should go to the front." "
Reality soon taught Hagel the cruelty of the war. In the first battle he participated in, "almost all officers and veterans were either dead or injured." 1968 In March, the Hagel brothers were on a mission in the jungle. One of their companions stepped on a mine and three people were killed. Tom's neck and arm were injured by shrapnel, and Hagel's chest was injured. In April, when fighting in a small village, Tom was blown unconscious and Hagel was injured and bandaged for six weeks. In May, their battalion commander's helicopter was shot down and fell into the Saigon River. Tom jumped into the water to save the battalion commander, but was shot. The battalion commander drowned. By the end of the year, the two brothers withdrew from Vietnam and brought back five Purple Hearts-that is to say, they were injured five times. Hagel still has shrapnel left in his body. He later said: "This country has killed more than 1000 young people in one year. America is very confused. " "The night Tom and I were injured in that small village, I told myself: If I can leave here, I will influence the decision one day, and I will try my best to avoid unnecessary wars. I will never forget my oath. " . After returning to the United States, both brothers went to the University of Nebraska to study and work part-time. Tom is a postman and Hagel works in bars and radio stations. Tom graduated from law school and became a lawyer. Later, he taught at Temple University and Dayton University, and served as a judge in the local court. Hagel went to Washington after graduating from university. At that time, his only "acquaintance" was Nebraska Congressman Collins who interviewed him. Collins let Hagel live in his basement and gave him a job as an assistant with a monthly salary of $200. A year later, Hagel became Collins' chief of staff, the youngest chief of staff on Capitol Hill. 198 1 year, Hagel was appointed as the deputy director of the Veterans Administration by then President Reagan. Later, he did business for a long time and served as chairman of an investment bank. 1996 was elected from Nebraska to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and finally had the opportunity to influence decision-making. He believes that the United States should exert its national influence, but it should be achieved through cooperation with other countries. In 200 1 year, he was one of only two senators who voted against the Senate resolution on sanctions against Iran and Libya. He believes that the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Iraq will undermine contacts with Tehran and have the opposite effect. He also voted against the designation of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. In 2007, he also suggested that George W. Bush negotiate directly with Iran. He said: "Dialogue is not surrender, not appeasement, but mutual understanding." As a Vietnam War veteran, Hagel is very cautious about the United States using troops overseas. He said: "I am not a pacifist, I believe in the role of force. But the use of force must be carefully considered. " On June 5438+ 10, 2002, he voted in favor of using force against Iraq in the Senate. But not long after, he questioned the action, thinking that the United States overestimated its ability to change Iraq, and then President George W. Bush was "making President Johnson's mistake in Vietnam" on the Iraq issue. In an interview, he publicly stated that "the actions of the Bush administration are far from reality. Especially on the Iraq issue, the Bush administration is unable to quell all kinds of rebellions in Iraq and appears to be weak and incompetent. " Hagel also criticized the US policy toward Afghanistan and opposed Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq in 2007. In 2009, he opposed Obama sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He said, "I'm not sure if we know what we are doing in Afghanistan."
In addition, Hagel also criticized the size of the US military and demanded a reduction. In addition, he has repeatedly voted against sanctions against Iran and made comments criticizing Israel. Hagel's maverick made him quite exclusive among Republican conservatives, and some even questioned whether he was "a Republican after all." Before and after he was nominated as the defense chief, there was also a "miracle" in American politics: Republicans opposed him and Democrats supported him. Obama regards him as his fellow traveler. Hagel's friendship with Obama can be traced back to his colleagues in the Senate. In July 2008, Obama and Hillary Clinton competed for the Democratic presidential nomination. Hagel's accompanying Obama to visit Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait will help improve the image of the latter's lack of diplomatic and military experience. In 2009, after Obama took office, he appointed Hagel as the co-chairman of the Presidential Intelligence Advisory Committee, which was responsible for providing suggestions for improving intelligence gathering in the United States. In fact, Hagel's position on domestic issues is still a typical conservative Republican. He advocates tax cuts, opposes excessive government intervention in the economy, opposes abortion, and opposes the Kyoto Protocol to control greenhouse gas emissions. Obama is very open-minded on the issue of homosexuality, while Hagel has made no secret of his dislike of homosexuality. From 65438 to 0998, then President Clinton nominated a gay philanthropist from San Francisco as the ambassador to Luxembourg. Hagel publicly stated that an openly gay person should not be allowed to represent the United States. So he is also unpopular in the eyes of the left wing of the Democratic Party. However, Hagel holds the same political views as Obama on major national security issues. He was skeptical about the unilateral intervention of the United States in exporting democracy, and called on the United States to pay attention to the rise of China, India, Brazil and other countries. He also supports Obama's policy of withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan before 20 14, and supports the Middle East peace process. Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States, said that the next US defense chief "will not only get the United States out of Afghanistan, but also face the mission of reshaping the US defense force after the 12 war." If the situation is tense, or there is any conflict in the Gulf region, the next defense chief will have to deal with potentially serious conflicts. "This is not a conflict that anyone can easily benefit from." But Hagel, who participated in the Vietnam War, is qualified to take the helm. Hagel also has a realistic and rational understanding of Sino-US relations. He once said that the relationship between the two countries "may be the most important bilateral relationship in 2 1 century". As a senator, he repeatedly opposed the proposal to sanction China and some people to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games. In 2008, Hagel visited China and gave a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce in China. The head of the Chamber of Commerce called him "a staunch and enthusiastic supporter of the constructive partnership between the United States and China, and he has a keen understanding of the US-China economic and trade issues and globalization." Hagel also said that China will continue to develop. "We should welcome this. They (China) are competitors, just like India, Brazil and other countries. That's not a problem. " Some analysts believe that if Hagel becomes the defense chief, it will enhance the strength of the rational and pragmatic faction in the new Obama administration; But the outside world should not expect too much of his personal influence, and he should still obey the overall needs of the US foreign strategy.
Chuck Hagel, the new US Secretary of Defense, was sworn in at the Pentagon on the morning of February 27th, 20 13.