The flight crews who recently conducted a controversial flyby past Kid Rock’s Nashville home on the weekend won’t be reprimanded for their actions. No punishment, no investigation. Nothing to see here. Move along.
The U.S. Army launched an investigation Monday, March 30 when Rock shared a video to X of himself saluting two AH-64 Apaches hovering near his home. The questionable video went viral, not just for the cost to taxpayers and the optics, but for the timing: Kid Rock did his salute during what was the third No Kings protest against the Trump administration. One of those demonstrations was held in downtown Nashville.
The crews were briefly suspended, before being given the all-clear by United States secretary of war Pete Hegseth, who delivered the news by way of a post to X. Hegseth writes: “Thank you Kid Rock. US Army pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”
Kid Rock (real name: Robert Ritchie) is a prominent supporter of Trump and the MAGA movement, and has maintained a close relationship with the president. Last year, he appeared at the White House as Trump signed an executive order targeting ticket scalping in the live entertainment industry.
In an earlier interview with Nashville’s WKRN News, the singer shrugged off the ongoing Army investigation of the aviators involved in the unauthorized flight, suggesting that the pilots have nothing to be worried about. “I think they’re going to be all right,” Rock remarked. “My buddy is the Commander-in-Chief.”
In the interview with WKRN, Kid Rock referenced the demonstrations, saying that he thought being able to salute the helicopter pilots was “a great thing” when the No Kings protests were happening.
“There were people flipping them off,” he said, alleging protesters’ actions toward the helicopters. “I don’t care what your politics are … if you’re flipping our military off, you’re on the wrong side of things.”
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday evening, March 31, noting that the crews “probably shouldn’t have been doing it. You’re not supposed to be playing games,” the BBC reports. “They like Kid Rock. I like Kid Rock,” he continued.
Hegseth’s comments now terminate the review by the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, referencing the “strict safety standards, professionalism and established flight regulations” that flight crews must adhere to.
“The Army takes any allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable,” spokesman Maj Montrell Russell told the BBC in an earlier statement.
