Austin aide asked for no sirens, lights in 911 call before Pentagon chief's hospitalization

An aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested that an ambulance not blare its siren or flash lights when it came to pick up Austin earlier this month, the Daily Beast reported, citing a 911 call it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Austin was hospitalized at the start of the year due to complications from a prior surgery. He was released on Monday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after a more than two-week stay that prompted scrutiny and calls for his resignation over his initial failure to notify the White House and the public.

The recording of the 911 call suggests that Austin's staff actively worked to limit attention directed at his health, with the aide asking emergency services to avoid making a spectacle of their arrival.

"Can I ask—can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? Uhm, we’re trying to remain a little subtle," the Austin staffer asked.

Austin, on Jan. 6, accepted personal responsibility for keeping his hospitalization under wraps, saying "I recognize I could have done better."

He has ignored calls for his resignation and President Joe Biden has not requested that he step down.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.