“Mmm. Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing. Find it, we will try.” So said Jedi Master Yoda in the Star Wars Film Attack of the Clones.
It wasn’t in a galaxy far far away, and it wasn’t a planet that got lost — it happened in South Carolina, and it was a mere $90 million aircraft misplaced by the United States Marines during a training mission.
It was no less embarrassing, however. A Marine pilot ejected from an F-35 jet due to an unspecified “mishap” during the flight. The plane continued to fly unmanned, at which point America’s elite just sort of lost track of it. Many American boys can recall the disappointment of losing an Estes model rocket they had worked hard building and painting —but an entire military jet?
So in the Biden administration, what is the procedure to be followed upon losing an aircraft worth more than Jimmy Carter’s hometown? Well, call 911, silly!
No, seriously. A Marine Major from the Beaufort station called 911 to report the missing aircraft. Recordings indicate he said to the dispatcher: “I believe we potentially have an aircraft that went down in Williamsburg County earlier today.”
He continued: “We are trying to look for it and we are coming up dry so far.”
Well, it IS a Stealth class aircraft after all. It can’t be easy to find.
To add to the clown show, the ejected pilot landed in a North Charleston resident’s backyard.
The dispatch recordings indicate that locating stealth military aircraft isn’t in the wheelhouse of local law enforcement officials: “If it’s military and they’ve got a helicopter, they’ll find it quicker than us,” one official said. “They’ve got more resources than we do.” Our nation’s military has more resources than a county Sheriff. Who knew?
So what to do when a fighter jet is misplaced and 911 isn’t much help? Well, post a message on social media, of course. Ask if anyone remembers seeing an F-35 hanging around.
We’re working with @MCASBeaufortSC to locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon. The pilot ejected safely. If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
Debris from the aircraft was located a few days later in a field — 75 miles from where the pilot ejected.
All of this happened last September. All of these details are known due to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Marine Corps called 911 after losing $90M F-35 jet in SC 'mishap': 'We are trying to look for it and we are coming up dry so far'
Yes. Russian and China are watching the decline and fall of the USA.https://t.co/GQKfbsV0XO via @nypost
— Do better (@dean1941_d) January 21, 2024
There is no indication of the pilot’s identity nor any of the other Marines involved —but it certainly brings up serious concerns about the training level and competence of America’s military. The Marines are arguably the most selective and elite of the military branches. The F35 is a state-of-the-art stealth aircraft.
When an airplane flown by the United States Marines crashes, is there really no procedure other than calling local 911? It was not a clueless private enlisted man who made the 911 call — this was a Major. That means his next promotion would be Lieutenant Colonel.
Many people would be stunned that the phrase “If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35” would appear in an X post to the general public.
Unless it were in The Onion.
Since 2004, America has seen eight years of Barack Hussein Obama and three years of Joe Biden as Commander in Chief. The military has not been exempt from Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) horror shows polluting the recruitment process and internal policies. One can speculate as to whether this played a role in this bizarre incident. This isn’t just about one anomalous incompetent pilot — this was a chain of disturbing events.
This involves a pilot who ejected from an aircraft that was on autopilot when it crashed. It includes an officer with the rank of Major calling ‘911’ rather than following military procedures — and leveraging military resources — when a state-of-the-art aircraft with sensitive technology is lost. Finally, Joint Base Charleston posts the missing F-35 on X as if they were selling a car on Craigslist.
Also, the paint coating on some stealth aircraft is highly toxic. If this is the case with the F-35, there is certainly danger to the public when its debris scatters over a large area.
The 1981 slapstick comedy film Stripes is seeming more like a documentary.
