HEGSETH CALLS FATAL PREGAME FALL “A GREAT FALL” — “NOBODY FALLS LIKE THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE”
SAN ANTONIO — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday praised the pregame demonstration at the Alamodome in which a U.S. Air Force airman fell 170 feet to his death, calling it “a great fall” and “a testament to American airpower.”
“People are talking about it,” Hegseth told reporters. “Everyone is talking about it. One hundred and seventy feet, from the rafters, in front of a full stadium. That’s not an accident. That’s a demonstration.”
The airman, assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, was one of four service members rappelling to the field ahead of Saturday’s game between the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Naval Academy, part of the university’s annual Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died. His name has not been released. The Air Force said the incident is under investigation.
Hegseth said the investigation would confirm what the country had already seen.
“You’ve all seen the footage. The whole country has seen the footage. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, everybody knows that — that’s the story they tell the children. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men. But let me tell you: neither Humpty Dumpty nor all the king’s men hold a candle to this airman, and they don’t hold a candle to the United States Air Force.”
A Pentagon spokeswoman said the demonstration had set a record for a Salute to Armed Forces event, noting that video of the fall had been viewed millions of times by Monday morning — more than every previous pregame demonstration combined. The Department’s demonstration program exists, according to its mission statement, to showcase American capabilities and inspire the next generation to serve.
Asked whether the Secretary’s remarks were appropriate while the airman’s family had yet to be formally identified in public, the spokeswoman said the Department “stands by the Secretary’s characterization” and referred further questions to Nellis Air Force Base. Nellis said the incident is under investigation.
Inside the stadium on Saturday, witnesses said, the music continued after the fall, and the cheerleaders completed their routine.
Hegseth said the Department’s remaining pregame demonstrations this fall would proceed as scheduled, and that he had asked for Saturday’s footage to be preserved. “We’re going to use it,” he said. “People should see what a great fall looks like.”
Saturday’s game was played as scheduled.
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