At the end of September 2025, U.S. military personnel were in turmoil, and Air Force Four Star Commander Thomas Busey, 63, announced his retirement.
Some say he’s been taught by the defense secretary, and some people envy him to go to Lockheed Martin for an 870,000-year salary after his retirement.
But few people mention the man who stood at the top of the U.S. Air Force power, who more than 20 years ago flew a B-2 invisible bomber and precisely dropped five bombs into the Chinese Embassy in the Southern Coalition.
When these fragments come together, there is a pain that the Chinese can’t forget!
3.2 Kilometers of lies
At 23:45 a.m. on May 7, 1999, the 36-year-old Busee was sitting in the cockpit of the B-2 invisible bomber number 82-1066.
Five of the U.S. most advanced JDAM precision guided bombs were fired at the Chinese Embassy in South China.
These "precision bombs" directly blew up the main building of the embassy with holes.
Four bombs struck the main building, one flew through the ambassador's official residence, some exploded through two floors, some directly exploded at the roots of the wall, the office equipment and living supplies in the embassy were all ruins.
The bombing also killed three Chinese journalists on the scene, Shinhua news agency's Shao Yun-ring, the Lightning Daily's Chu Yong-tung and Zhu Ying, and more than 20 embassy staff were wounded.
The U.S. government quickly explained after the explosion, but they said it was a “mistake.”
They said that Bussier used the "old map" at that time. The original plan was to bomb the military command center of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, but the old map caused a deviation of 3.2 kilometers and mistakenly bombed the China Embassy.
But this explanation fails, and the JDAM bomb was the world’s top bomb at the time, carrying a computer chip with targeted data.
It can rely on the GPS satellite to correct the route in real time, claiming that the error is not more than 10 meters, and each cost $ 1 million, this accuracy can not deviate from 3.2 kilometers.
Moreover, as an important diplomatic institution, the geographical location of the Chinese Embassy is no secret at all, and it will be marked on any map.
The bomb’s task database will have a mark, so it’s unlikely that this low-level error will occur in the navigation.
Furthermore, Pilot Busey, who has a very rich flight experience, has more than 3,400 hours of flight experience and has also participated in multiple airstrikes in the Kosovo War.
According to the combat process of the US military, the bombing target needs to be triple confirmed by the intelligence department, the combat command center, and the crew. As the captain, bussier has the final decision.
With so many application steps and so much flying experience in Bussier, "accidental bombing" is simply untenable.
After the explosion, China has been asking the United States for justice. It stands to reason that someone has to take responsibility for such a serious diplomatic incident and killed people, right?
But the reality is surprising.
An executioner's path to promotion
After the bombing incident, the pilot Bussier who pressed the bomb button was not only not punished, but ushered in a "golden age" for his career.
Just a year before the explosions, the United States awarded Busey the "Copper Combat Medal", which is generally only for people with outstanding combat merits.
The award also said that he recognized his "heroic performance in the Kosovo War."
Although the award word does not mention the Chinese embassy, it contains the phrase "destroying the enemy's strategic objectives", obviously in the meaning of the bombing of the Chinese embassy.
This operation has angered countless Chinese netizens: "What he destroyed is not the arsenal of military needs, but the dignity of the Chinese people!"
After that, Bussier's promotion road was like riding on a rocket. From 2000 to 2021, Bussier's promotion speed was astonishingly fast.
He has successively served as the leader of the 325th Bomber Squadron, the deputy captain of the Bomber Wing, the director of the Global Strike Operations Division of the Air Force, the commander of the 8th Air Force, and the commander of the Alaska Region of the North American Air and Space Defense Command.
In 2022, he was directly placed in the position of commander of the Air Force's Global Combat Command, wearing the headquarters of a four-star General, taking over the Air Force's Global Combat Command, and controlling two-thirds of the U.S. military's nuclear power.
It took the U.S. military from an ordinary pilot to a four-star captain, on average, more than 30 years, and Busey was promoted from 1985 to 2022, only 37 years, at least five years faster than the same period.
This wave of “rocket promotion” has made many doubts that his “combat” is not related to the bombing of the embassy?
However, when Busee was about to be nominated as Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, equivalent to the Air Force's second-hand, he suddenly proposed his resignation in September 2025.
At the time, his departure was motivated by "conflict between personal instruments and the defense minister."
Would Bussie, as the four-star captain, be fired because his beard was not scratched?
This excuse didn't even buy the US media, and online questioned the true reason for Bussy's departure, and the truth soon emerged.
It turned out that the US military was accelerating the deployment of a new generation of B-21 bombers, and Bussier, as a representative of the "old-fashioned bomber faction", had serious differences with Defense Secretary Hegerseth, who advocated "rejuvenation and intelligence."
More importantly, behind the B-21 project was the retirement of military giants such as Lockheed Martin, but to open up space for the "new man".
However, the U.S. military has already paved the way for bussier. On the second day of his retirement, bussier joined Lockheed Martin as a "strategic consultant".
So far, the United States has been a “example” of Busey, but the Chinese people have never forgotten that tragedy.
Never stop questioning
It has been 26 years since, on May 7, every year, in front of the old Chinese embassy in Belgrade, there are people who offer flowers to commemorate the three Chinese journalists who were killed in that bombing: Shao Nong Ling, Chu Yonghua and Zhu Wei.
The explosion that night became a lasting pain in the hearts of China people.
But after the pain, we also understood one reason: weak countries have no diplomacy.
China has also turned sorrow into power and developed national strength, and over the years, China has undergone overwhelming changes.
In 1999, China's GDP just broke 1 trillion dollars, less than a ninth of the United States, the main force of the Air Force is still the J-8 fighter aircraft, the Navy has not even one aircraft carrier.
In the face of the provocation of the US military, we can only protest repeatedly through diplomatic channels. Forbearance has become a helpless choice, but forbearance does not mean forgetting.
Today's China is no longer what it used to be. As the world's second largest economy, China has advanced equipment such as J-20 stealth fighters and aircraft carriers, and its voice in international affairs has been greatly enhanced.
The strengthening of China did not give up the pursuit of historical truths, but instead gave us a stronger spirit to pursue the truth.
Whether Bussier is the real murderer or not, the sacrifices of the three journalists in 1999 and the blood in the embassy should not be forgotten.
But we have to be rational, and don't just follow our emotions. After all, there is no solid official evidence, and it is easy to fall into the pit of conspiracy theories if we make a conclusion rashly.
More importantly, remember that only the state is strong enough that others will not dare to bully us, this is the best way to comfort the victims.
As for the truth, it may be late, but as long as everyone remembers, there will always be a day out of water.