PITTSBURGH — Western Pennsylvania native Sean Parnell said he is humbled and honored to once again serve his country, this time not on the battlefield, but as the chief Pentagon spokesman for the Trump administration.
Parnell told the Washington Examiner the call to duty feels amazing.
“I accept the position with great humility. One of the things I wish I understood when I joined the military at the age of 23 was that we were standing on the shoulders of giants. That we had inherited an extraordinary legacy of everyone who came before us,” he said.
President Donald Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social that he was pleased to announce Parnell’s new roles as chief Pentagon spokesman and assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.
“Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War. He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters,” said Trump, adding that during his first term, Parnell was instrumental in helping to pass the MISSION Act, “the biggest VA reform in history.”
As he accepted the position, Parnell said he could not help but think of the men and women who came before him.
“All of those who sacrificed their lives for this country, I work for them, for the men and women in uniform then, for the men and women in uniform today, and for the men and women who don the uniform in the future,” he said.
His 14-year-old daughter Emma, who was with him when he got the news, said she is so proud of her dad right now, “Plus, I get to go to see him at the Pentagon.”
Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, where he attended Greensburg Central Catholic, Parnell went on to study elementary education at Clarion University. He said he struggled to find his purpose on Sept. 11, 2001.
“I woke that morning lying flat on my back on this beat-down couch in my living room, turned on the television, and in that moment, was shaken to my core,” he said, recounting how most of the United States felt that horrific day.
What caught his attention more than anything else was how ordinary people responded.
“Police officers and firefighters ran into the flames to save people they didn’t even know. In many cases, people who ran into the flames that day never came out again,” he said.
It was when he observed these acts of selflessness that he decided he needed to serve something greater than himself. He transferred to a university that had an ROTC program, became an officer, and was on the ground in December 2006. He said he found his purpose and why God had placed him on this Earth.
Parnell went on to spend 485 days in heavy combat, where he earned two Bronze Stars, one for valor, and a Purple Heart. In one of those battles, he suffered a skull fracture in three places and received a medical discharge after being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
When he got out of the military, he shifted from defense of the country to capturing and preserving the legacy of his soldiers. This led the Army combat veteran to write the New York Times bestseller Outlaw Platoon and Man of War.
Parnell, who has known Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth since their military days, thanked him for the opportunity.
Hegseth said on X that Parnell exudes courageous leadership and selfless service.
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Parnell ran for office in 2020 against incumbent Democrat Conor Lamb, narrowly losing the House seat in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District.
He ran briefly for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2021 but withdrew when concerns for his children unfolded during a court battle. Parnell was in the stands in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 after giving a speech ahead of Trump’s remarks when Thomas Matthew Crooks shots rang out at the Butler Farm Show Complex, wounding Trump and two other supporters and killing retired fire chief Corey Comperatore. Parnell’s battlefield composure took over in the aftermath, immediately calming and evacuating people from the scene.