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Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is focused on a new enemy as the war with Iran rages on: the flu shot.

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WWI Combat: 53,402 deaths WWI Flu: 45,000 deaths Pete Hegseth: "Let's make the flu a threat again!" Apparently, "readiness" now means making our troops as vulnerable as they were in 1918. Bold move.

-- Andrea Junker (@strandjunker.com) Apr 21, 2026 at 4:42 PM

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#1 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-21 02:13 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Andrea Junker
@strandjunker.com
4m
WWI Combat: 53,402 deaths
WWI Flu: 45,000 deaths

Pete Hegseth: "Let's make the flu a threat again!"

Apparently, "readiness" now means making our troops as vulnerable as they were in 1918. Bold move.

#2 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-04-21 04:48 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 3

The Spanish Flu (COVID) hit all the fighting powers during WWI.

The least available data for Western researchers afterwards was Russia and the Ottoman Empire, who suffered COVID losses.

Strangely enough, of the Allied powers, the British suffered much less COVID deaths than the French, US, Italians.

One theory is that many of the British imperial soldiers from all over the world already had been exposed to COVID and therefore developed immunities.

When they got sick, they didn't die like the Allied soldiers.

During the Spanish-American War (1898), less than 400 Soldiers were killed by the Spaniards during that four month conflict, but approximately 15,000 US soldiers died from disease.

#3 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-21 05:01 PM | Reply

@#2 ... Apparently, "readiness" now means making our troops as vulnerable as they were in 1918. Bold move. ...

I agree, and was about to post a similar comment.

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-21 09:39 PM | Reply

Keghead following Kremlin orders weakening america's military one stupid move after another.

#5 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-04-22 07:19 AM | Reply

Readiness? What's that?

#6 | Posted by qcp at 2026-04-22 09:37 AM | Reply

American exceptionalism has a whole new meaning.

Exceptional, like this:

share.google

#7 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-04-22 09:53 AM | Reply

It's almost as if these nazis wish to destroy the USA. Jump starting illegal wars and at the same time taking away vaccines that protect the troops says this.

#8 | Posted by Wildman62 at 2026-04-22 11:30 AM | Reply

Someone buy a copy of "The Great Influenza" and send it to Drinky Pete, with the promise of a bottle of 30-year old scotch if he can read the whole book. The book makes plain the frightening rapidity with which the illness traveled, and often because of troop movements in the central US, where infected soldiers traveled by train, in close quarters, from one base to another, giving an drawing infection along the way and when housed in new locations.

Pro tip to all US servicemembers: go off base to your nearest CVS or Walgreen, and get the shot yourself. It will protect you against the idiot at the top of the DOD...

#9 | Posted by catdog at 2026-04-22 12:01 PM | Reply

The book makes plain the frightening rapidity with which the illness traveled, and often because of troop movements in the central US, where infected soldiers traveled by train, in close quarters, from one base to another, giving an drawing infection along the way and when housed in new locations.

Exactly why the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918-1920 spread and flourished in the U.S.

America's being run by clueless, classless clowns

#10 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-04-22 12:11 PM | Reply

American Doughboys unwittingly carried COVID across the vast salty expanse to Europe: www.military.com

#11 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-22 12:22 PM | Reply

It's like they want to kill us all.

#12 | Posted by cbob at 2026-04-22 04:19 PM | Reply

No food and no flu shots for you!

Real morale builder, that.

#13 | Posted by Corky at 2026-04-22 04:21 PM | Reply

"No food and no flu shots for you!"

AIUI they will still be available, but it will be optional.

#14 | Posted by sentinel at 2026-04-22 04:40 PM | Reply

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