American musician Kid Rock salutes an Apache helicopter flying near his Tennessee home in a screenshot from a video posted to his Facebook page Saturday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Army to cancel an investigation into the aircraft’s crew that was launched after the video went viral earlier in the week. (Kid Rock/Facebook)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday directed the Army to cancel an investigation into an Apache helicopter crew involved in a flyby around the Tennessee home of musician Kid Rock, whose video of the incident went viral this week.
“Pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on patriots,” Hegseth wrote in a statement on X.
Kid Rock, a prominent supporter and friend of President Donald Trump, posted a pair of videos Saturday in which he was saluting two Apache helicopters hovering near his pool at a mansion he calls the Southern White House.
“This is a level of respect that (expletive) for brains Governor of California will never know,” Kid Rock wrote on X, continuing his feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom. “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”
The incident prompted an Army investigation into why the Apache crew from the 101st Airborne Division headquartered at Fort Campbell, Ky., was flying around the pop star’s mansion.
Maj. Montrell Russell, an Army spokesman, said Tuesday that the soldiers involved were suspended from flight duty while the Army carried out an investigation into the circumstances of the mission.
The Army confirmed that two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade conducted a flight in the Nashville area on Saturday.
Russell said the Army takes “allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable.”
On social media, reaction to the incident was mixed. Some applauded Hegseth’s move while others said it risked politicizing the military and undermining good order and discipline.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump also weighed in.
“They probably shouldn’t have been doing it. You’re not supposed to be playing games, right?” Trump said. “I’d take a look at it. They like Kid Rock; I like Kid Rock. Maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.”
Some media have reported that the Apache helicopters also flew over a “No Kings” protest against Trump in downtown Nashville on Saturday, though some Army officials have characterized their appearance near the rally as coincidental.
The incident isn’t the first time 101st Airborne Division combat aviators have found themselves at the center of controversy. During a 2021 deployment to Poland, soldiers from the unit’s “No Mercy” battalion faced disciplinary action in connection with a drunken escapade at an off-limits strip club that resulted in the suspected drugging of a battalion executive officer.
