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 President Donald 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.”
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.
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