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SC National Guard Suspended These Pilots Over This Flyover...and Then Pete Hegseth Found Out About It

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 10, 2026 6:30 AM

In South Carolina, beachgoers trying to escape the extreme and dangerous heat wave at the shore during the Independence Day holiday were surprised by an impromptu airshow from the state’s national guard: a flyover by Apache helicopters. The issue is that the pilots were disciplined afterward. It was initially reported as a suspension, but the South Carolina National Guard stated the pilots’ suspension was not disciplinary but a “routine, non-punitive safety measure” (via NY Post):

Eight Apache helicopter pilots who wowed a crowd of beachgoers during a Fourth of July airshow were suspended by the South Carolina National Guard — a decision that sparked outrage among lawmakers who argued the airmen should be applauded rather than punished. 

Video footage of the military pilots’ low pass during the Salute from the Shore event went viral on social media and showed the attack helicopters thundering along the South Carolina coast as dozens of people waved and cheered them on from the water and sand below. 

The South Carolina National Guard said it is reviewing the pilots’ “flight profile” and described their “temporary flight suspension” as a “routine, non-punitive safety measure — not a disciplinary action.”

And now Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is on the case, promising to “fix” the situation:

Patriots are in control.