New Secretary Of Defense Crossed The Delaware With Washington In 2021

UPPER MAKEFIELD — The nation’s newly-confirmed Secretary of Defense - Major Pete Hegseth - is no stranger to Bucks County. He was here in December 2021 for the 69th Reenactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware.

Hegseth was invited by the Friends of Washington Crossing and the park that year to narrate the pageantry of the crossing and to join Washington, portrayed by John Godzieba, as the troops crossed the Delaware in four Durham boats.

Patch was there that year and captured photos of Hegseth as he narrated the pageantry and then as he interacted with Washington and the troops after landing on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River.

On Friday, the United States Senate, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, confirmed Hegseth as the nation’s newest Secretary of Defense.

Here’s an excerpt of what Patch reported in December 2021:

"A chill hung in the air Sunday afternoon as General George Washington and his troops brought history to life by re-enacting a daring journey across the Delaware River that forever changed American history.

"Let your imagination travel back in time to that bitter winter day in 1776," said Major Pete Hegseth, co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, who narrated the pageantry as onlookers journeyed back with him to the Revolutionary War during a rehearsal for the Christmas Day re-enactment.

Major Pete Hegseth narrates the pageantry at the 2021 re-enactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Major Pete Hegseth after landing on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

"Try to imagine what it was like to be a soldier in that ragtag military army commanded by General Washington," said Hegseth. "Imagine the fear, the trepidation, the suffering, but most of all imagine the valor, the bravery and the sacrifices which were made to secure the freedoms we enjoy today."

Hegseth, accompanied by a Fox film crew, was there to document the re-enactment for the nation to experience.

“About a year ago we were taping an episode of Colonel Glover and the Marbleheaders who helped Washington cross this river and I remember remarking there’s more to this story,” said Hegseth. “Let’s find a way to tell it. That’s why we are here today so we can bring this tradition to an even larger American audience.”

As Sunday's rehearsal continued, Washington, portrayed by John Godzieba, evoked the words of Thomas Paine's "The Crisis," to rally the troops just moments before embarking across the Delaware in four Durham Boats.

Washington was joined in his boat by Major Hegseth, Bucks County Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, and about 14 other re-enactors.

This year there were no ice chunks in the river to block passage. They had a different problem - occasionally gusty winds. Luckily it wasn't windy enough to prevent the rehearsal from moving forward, but it did make the landing on the New Jersey side more challenging."