Last Friday, the Assistant Secretary for Health Brian Christine was pinned with his insignia to recognize his rank as a 4-star admiral during a ceremony at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Secretary of HHS, said, "When President Trump and I asked Brian Christine to serve, we weren't just checking a box. We were both convinced that we had found the leader who would be most able to revive and strengthen the uniform service."
Kennedy sang Christine's praises as he expressed confidence in his ability to restore the reputation of an office tarnished by its most recent holder, Dr. Richard Levine (aka Rachel Levine). Recently, an image of Levine was corrected to reflect his given name. Levine spent much of his time in office pushing his radical transgender agenda, targeting children and adolescents with policies that Christine and Kennedy have already ended.
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"Today's pinning is more than just a ceremony. It marks a return to the core's commitment to responsibility, accountability, professionalism, and service. Under Admiral Christine's leadership, the core is entering a new era, one defined by readiness, transparency, integrity, and clinical excellence. He will rebuild our alignment, the core's alignment with sister agencies, restoring pride in the uniform, and sharpening our focus on preparedness and fitness," Kennedy said at the ceremony before playfully teasing Christine, saying, "He is, and he's very fit, as you can tell."
"This pinning reflects the trust that the President and I place in you, Admiral Christine, and more importantly, the trust we have in the officers who depend on his leadership and the Americans who rely on his service,"
Kennedy closed his remarks, asking God to bless Christine, a devout Catholic.
"They are entitled to the best, most inspiring leadership that we can produce for them. I call on Admiral Christine to lead with courage, to serve with integrity and honor the men and women who believe in a mission greater than themselves. I ask God to bless Admiral Christine and the officers that he leads and the republic that we all serve. Congratulations, Admiral."
Christine's brother, Major General Bobby Christine, who currently serves as the Judge Advocate General of the Army, also spoke at the event.
During his remarks, he explained his family's history of bravery and service.
"The crisis of our time is men of inaction. Where will you stand? Are you satisfied with history recording our tenure with a shrug? Is a nameless, faceless bureaucrat who puts in a few hours, pushing nothing of substance enough for you?" he asked.
"If so, Brian Christine is not your preferred choice for Ash. For he is not a man whose epithet shall be, at least he didn't rock the boat, or at least he didn't make the situation worse. When given the ball at the buzzer, he's the kind of man who will take the shot. No, Brian Christine is not three yards in a cloud of dust. He throws deep into the end zone on every play, and he crosses the goal line with not one breath left in his lungs."
It seemed inevitable to anyone who knows Christine that he would start his remarks with scripture, and he did just that, centering his mission on the gospel.
Reciting Luke 5:4, he said, "Secretary Kennedy and President Trump put out into deep water when they chose me and nominated me to be the Assistant Secretary for Health. They have trusted me to help execute the mission to make America healthy again and make America great again. They have given me the opportunity of a lifetime, and they've brought me to the pinnacle of my medical career. And from my heart, I thank them. I will not let them down."
"At the office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, we are working to write the wrongs of the prior administration. We are steering a new course, a better course, a more honest and transparent course than that of my predecessor."
Following the ceremony, Christine received congratulations from several supporters.
"Congratulations to Admiral Brian Christine of Alabama on being sworn in as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps," U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) posted to social media.
Britt elaborated, "Proud to see an Alabamian leading efforts to strengthen and modernize America's public health."
The full video of the ceremony is available online.
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