Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the keynote speaker at Thursday's "Southern Salute to the Troops" in Tupelo, Mississippi, a fundraising event for 7 Days for the Troops.
Hegseth, who agreed to speak at the event before he became defense secretary, recounted how he relied on God during a tough mission when he was deployed to Iraq as a young lieutenant.
"I'll never forget taking a knee when we first got there and assessing the situation with my platoon sergeant and having a peace, a calm that I didn't deserve to be having in that moment," he shared. "Nothing was going right. We were in an enemy country. There was nothing but uncertainty in front of us, and I just felt a sense of peace that I didn't deserve to have."
He then related a phone conversation he had with his mother after safely returning from the mission.
"My mom said, 'It was the middle of the night, and I woke up with this compelling need to pray for you, to get on my knees and pray for you,'" Hegseth told the crowd. "We sort of figured out that it was almost the exact same moment that we were in that field in enemy territory preparing for that mission."
Hegseth also shared his testimony.
"The power of prayer is a very real thing," he declared. "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Christ is our king. He died at the cross for all of our sins. We all have a mission, and our job is to glorify Him with what we do. I'm as imperfect as they come, but I do everything I can – before I had this job and having this job – to try to reflect that."
The event, dedicated to honoring and supporting veterans, helped the organization raise over $45,000 that will go toward ensuring disabled veterans receive the care, resources, and respect 7 Days for the Troops says they deserve.
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