You must have heard of bikes, cars and even buses being stolen. But a person stole the helicopter. That too from the tightly secured courtyard of the President. As soon as this news spread. There was an uproar. The intelligence agencies were left stunned. The agencies were about to reveal the suspicion of an attack by an enemy country when the revelation came to light. You can’t even imagine what happened next. Don’t be surprised, this incident happened 50 years ago in America.
According to the Metro report, after midnight on 17 February 1974, people were roaming on the streets of Washington DC. Then I saw a helicopter flying dangerously above my head. It was hovering around the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Seeing this, the police team started chasing him. Secret Service started chasing. Deployed two helicopters. Police vehicles were running on the ground. Everyone thought that perhaps an enemy country had attacked. But this was not a foreign enemy who was spreading terror in the center of the capital. This was Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled American soldier. Who was only 20 years old.
Actually, two years ago in 1972, Robert, a resident of Florida, was recruited. He was shown a dream that he would be made a pilot during the war in Vietnam. He will be part of the team that will take the injured soldiers away from the battlefield. But this did not happen. His hopes were dashed when he was declared failed in technical training. He was later sent to Fort Meade, Maryland, where he had to work as a helicopter mechanic.
All Preston’s plans were ruined
All Preston’s plans came to naught. He was angry with the army. His girlfriend had left him, due to which he remained depressed. But he knew that he could fly a plane some time. Because he had boarded a Bell UH-1B Huey helicopter at the military base. Had seen him driving. Later, when he was tried, what he told the military judge, Colonel Kenneth Howard, was even more surprising. Preston said, I was really surprised. I thought there might be someone there. Who would stop me, but no one stopped me. I went to the courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The helicopter was prepared for flight and then took off smoothly. Everyone just stood here and there and watched.
Secret Service opened fire
As soon as Preston came down, the Secret Service started firing. About 300 bullets were fired from guns and automatic weapons at the helicopter Huey, some of which hit Preston in the legs. Nevertheless, he managed to land 100 yards from the southern side of the building. Opening the door, Preston managed to land under the helicopter without suffering any further damage. When he was taken to the White House for questioning, he asked if he could speak to President Richard Nixon. However, when he was told that the President was outside, he agreed. After treatment, he was court-martialed. He was initially accused of attempting to assassinate the President, but was later convicted of breach of peace. He was sentenced to only six months in jail. He died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 55.
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Tags: amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Shocking news, US news
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 19, 2024, 12:04 IST