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by WILL FOLKS
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The eight Apache helicopter pilots temporarily suspended last week by the S.C. National Guard (SCNG) following their participation in a patriotic Fourth of July event have had those suspensions lifted by the U.S. Department of War.
“Effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X on Friday (June 10, 2026). “Carry on, Patriots.”
Parnell’s comments echoed a previous post from secretary of war Pete Hegseth indicating his agency would be addressing the suspensions – which sparked outrage across the Palmetto State (and beyond).
“We’ll fix this,” Hegseth wrote. “Carry on, Patriots.”
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At the state level, S.C. adjutant general Robin B. Stilwell lifted his agency’s administrative suspension for the eight pilots.
“Getting these experienced aviators back to flight status ensures our peak operational readiness to support state and federal missions,” Stilwell said in a statement.
The eight pilots participated in the Salute from the Shore celebration on July 4, 2026. Shortly thereafter, though, they were grounded indefinitely after an unidentified “bystander” reported them to SCNG. That compliant – the details of which have yet to be released – prompted the agency to initiate an investigation into alleged “safety violations.”
Political apoplexy ensured, as numerous elected officials in the Palmetto State slammed the decision to suspend the pilots.
“The men and women who pilot the world’s most sophisticated aircraft are trusted to do so around the globe; in times of imminent danger and peril,” governor Henry McMaster noted. “Surely, they know how to safely navigate the coast of South Carolina — and her scores of cheering residents and tourists on our 250th anniversary.”
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RELATED | APACHE PILOTS GROUNDED
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S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson, the 2026 GOP nominee for governor, praised the Pentagon’s decision to reinstate the pilots.
“Great news!” Wilson wrote on X.
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a twin-turboshaft attack helicopter that originated under Hughes Helicopters but entered into mass production in the 1980s under McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing.
Described by its manufacturer as “the backbone of the U.S. Army’s attack helicopter fleet,” the aircraft has accumulated over 5.3 million flight-hours, including more than 1.3 million combat flight hours.
The helicopters participating in the celebration were from the U.S. Army’s 151st Aviation Regiment, Alpha Company, stationed at McEntire Air Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, S.C. This regiment served in the Iraq War in 2004-2005 and in the Afghan War in 2017-2018.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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SOUND OFF…
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