Two U.S. Army National Guard helicopter pilots who flew at rooftop level over the heads of protestors on Monday night have been grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on Friday.
McCarthy also said members of the active military who had been deployed near Washington, D.C., are heading back to their home bases.
He said the pilots were grounded as part of the normal procedure during an Army investigation. He declined to speak in great detail about the incident, citing the investigation, which they said they hoped to have completed by mid-June.
Footage of the event suggests that maneuver, conducting by a helicopter with medical markings, was intended to disperse a crowd with rotor wash. The maneuver was widely condemned, especially since the helicopter was marked with medical insignia. But on Friday, President Trump tweeted his support for the pilots and described the action as appropriate.
The problem is not the very talented, low-flying helicopter pilots wanting to save our city, the problem is the arsonists, looters, criminals, and anarchists, wanting to destroy it (and our Country)!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020
On Saturday, The New York Times reported that top Pentagon officials had ordered the National Guard to use helicopters to provide a "persistent presence" to disperse protestors. The report does not elabo ..
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