Hegseth says pilots who did flyby outside Kid Rock's home are no longer suspended
After the Army launched a formal investigation and suspended the pilots involved in the flyby of two Apache attack helicopters near Kid Rock's Nashville, Tennessee, home over the weekend, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the suspension was lifted.
Hegseth thanked Kid Rock, sharing a video of the flyby and said, "Pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots."
The reversal comes after Army spokesman Maj. Montrell Russell said earlier Tuesday that the four crewmembers had been suspended from flight duties "while the Army reviews the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements."
Each helicopter seats a pilot and a copilot/gunner.
On Saturday, Kid Rock posted on his social media two videos of him pointing to and saluting two helicopters flying low and hovering adjacent to his swimming pool.
Both helicopters are part of the 101st Airborne Division, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, roughly 60 miles north of Nashville, Maj. Jonathon Bless, a division spokesperson, said Monday.
The two helicopters had also been spotted flying over the No Kings protest in Nashville on Saturday, but a statement from the 101st said the helicopters were on a training mission near Nashville and the timing was coincidental.
The rock star and conservative activist has emerged as one of Trump's most visible celebrity allies, regularly appearing at Trump campaign events.
Asked Monday about the incident by Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN, Kid Rock responded, "I think it will be alright -- my buddy's the commander in chief."
"I mean, what are they looking into? They stopped for, I don't know, seconds, a minute, you know, maybe they were here three, four minutes, you know, just say, 'What's up?' and went on."
Kid Rock said he had met members of the unit when he visited Fort Campbell with Vice President JD Vance at Thanksgiving and said that helicopters often pass over on their way to fly over Nissan Stadium in Nashville for football games.
"And if I'm here, I usually make it point, come out and, like, you know, give them a what's up," he said. "So it's really not that new, but it was pretty cool. They stopped right there. And kind of, I wasn't, I wasn't expecting any of that, but I thought it was really neat."
On Monday, the Army announced that it was undertaking an administrative review of the incident, essentially a first look at the facts that would determine whether a formal investigation should be launched.
"Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations," Bless said in a statement. "An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements. Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found."
