Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stepped in quickly after reports that the pilots of eight Apache helicopters were suspended following a low-altitude flyover during South Carolina's "Salute from the Shores" event celebrating America's 250th anniversary.Video of the Apache helicopters conducting a low-altitude flyover as beachgoers cheered and waved flags quickly went viral.However, Fox affiliate Fox Carolina reported Thursday that after the pilots landed, they were informed they had been suspended pending an investigation.Their suspension did not last long.
Shortly after news broke of the suspension, Hegseth posted on X, "We’ll fix this.Carry on, Patriots."Early the next morning, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman and senior advisor to Hegseth, announced that "effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted." Echoing Hegseth, he added, "Carry on Patriots."HEGSETH SAYS PENTAGON WILL REVIEW MARK KELLY'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT CLASSIFIED BRIEFING AMID ONGOING FEUDSecretary of War Pete Hegseth quickly stepped in to "fix" the situation after it was reported that eight National Guard pilots had been suspended following their participation in a low-level flyover at a South Carolina "Salute from the Shore" event on July 4th.
(Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images; ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)Fox Carolina reported on Thursday that South Carolina National Guard spokesperson Maj.Lisa Alle clarified the suspension was intended to be temporary and that the pilots remained in good standing with the military.Alle emphasized to the outlet, "We want to assure the community that a temporary suspension from flight duties is a routine administrative measure whenever a flight profile is under review.
This is not punitive."While suspended, the pilots were continuing to work and getting paid.Despite this, the pilots’ suspension outraged many online who expressed anger that they would be under review for participatin...