Shortly after Team USA soccer star goaltender Tim Howard stood on his head, and before he inspired a meme, the joke that he was the National Defense hit the Internet.
On Wednesday, the joke became real. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel took to Twitter to concede Howard’s superhero status after his record 16 saves against Belgium on Tuesday:
From 1 SecDef to another: Hagel calls @timhowardgk to say thanks for defending USA. We (USA) are proud of @ussoccer! pic.twitter.com/M8nsYdlXFn
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) July 2, 2014
The Pentagon released a statement backing up Hagel’s tweet:
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard to thank him for defending the United States of America at the World Cup. Secretary Hagel congratulated Howard on his record-breaking game and a great run in Brazil. He invited Howard and the entire team to come to the Pentagon later this year. He told Howard that with some training, he could someday become the real secretary of defense.
No word yet on whether Howard has an answer for ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
