"I ejected"

"Were you wearing a condom?"

He could have just Ubered home or ordered a pizza.   Good times.   He lived and will have one of the funniest "there I was" stories ever.  

The rest of the story...

He was cleared and went on to assume senior command as an O-6 only to have the Commandant (a non-pilot), change his mind and remove him from command months later.

Sickening but our F'd up system.

Dude should have told his commandant, "I made an F35 disappear... I think I could Houdini a man."

"Abracadabra!"

Also, if his callsign wasn't the word above, huge miss.

3 minutes ago, disgruntledemployee said:

Dude should have told his commandant, "I made an F35 disappear... I think I could Houdini a man."

"Abracadabra!"

Also, if his callsign wasn't the word above, huge miss.

If you actually watch the video or read the story you'll know the Commandant would not even give him the courtesy of a meeting...he asked.

By all counts an excellent dude and if you watch the video and listen to all his saw and sensed as he made his decision to eject, hard to imagine anyone one of us not doing the exact same thing...F the REMF Commandant.

1 hour ago, ClearedHot said:

...F the REMF Commandant.

As it turns out, Infantry officers should not be in command of aviators. Who knew?!?

From an October 2024 article:

After Del Pizzo took command, Commandant Gen. Eric Smith visited VMX-1 in late July. But nearly nine months after the investigation into the mishap was completed and just a short time after the veteran aviator took charge of the squadron, Smith decided to relieve Del Pizzo.

"I'm told that after his review of the investigation, the commandant decided it was in the best interest of the institution that I be removed from command of VMX-1. As a commander, you serve at the pleasure of the commandant,"

The cynic in me suspects that Smith didn't like something about what he saw during his visit to Del Pizzo's unit (VMX-1), and the F-35 crash was the most expeditious way to get rid of him.

Some GO's are petty and vindictive like that.

Hope Del Pizzo goes on to greater things.

26 minutes ago, Blue said:

From an October 2024 article:

The cynic in me suspects that Smith didn't like something about what he saw during his visit to Del Pizzo's unit (VMX-1), and the F-35 crash was the most expeditious way to get rid of him.

I did two exchange tour with the Marines and have close friends around what happened...this has NOTHING to do with his visit to VMX-1 and EVERYTHING to do with optics and questions the Commandant had to answer. Complete toolbag...he was previously rebuked by a military appeals court for his “personal interest” and bias in overseeing a hazing court-martial. How he got promoted to this role is another unanswered mystery.