Feb. 5, 2017
Arlington, VA 2023- Former President Obama attended a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery today, dedicating the newly built Tomb of the Unknown Drone. The mood was somber as the gathered congressmen, generals, and military families paid their respects to the many Unnamed Unmanned Arial Vehicles lost but not recovered during foreign conflicts, police actions, and wars.
The tomb’s first residents included a precision-strike unit, shot down over Yemen during the Obama’s first term. The other, a surveillance drone modified for carpet bombing, flew over 80 missions during the Trump years before being hacked and flown into the Arabian sea. Both drones were severely damaged. Because their serial numbers could not be identified, they were interred here, in honor of the many combat drones that gave the full measure in service of our nation.
Though drones have been employed by every branch of the military since the early 2000’s, this is the first time they’ve been given their own hallowed resting place. Now the nation can properly honor the heroic machines that made foreign wars safer and less noteworthy for the American people.
In his remarks, former President Obama acknowledged and thanked the widowed pilots for their service. “none among us can fully grasp the commitment and dedication you’ve demonstrated,” Obama said, “To be shot down by the enemy while piloting from a remote facility is a sacrifice like no other.”
Former president Trump, in his characteristic manner, praised the deceased drones for helping America “win and keep winning.”