The U.S. Army raised its maximum age for enlistment to 42, which means Kid Rock, 55, still can’t join up. But that didn’t stop the MAGA mouthpiece from playing military man this past weekend in Nashville when he posted a video of himself saluting a pair of U.S. Army attack helicopters that, for reasons unknown, were hovering over his home in Whites Creek, Tennessee, a rural area about 11 miles outside of downtown.
In a video shared to Rock’s Instagram, the singer can be seen clapping for the two Apache helicopters from the pool deck of his home — a replica of the White House that he’s dubbed “The Southern White House.” A miniature State of Liberty watches over the pool. (Note: the real White House does not have a Statue of Liberty replica, yet.) “This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know,” Rock captioned the video, a dig at Gavin Newsom. “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”
Rock’s caption suggests that someone is paying respect somewhere: The pilots to the rapper? The rocker to the military? Either way, the fly-by stunt sparked a slew of comments online asking if the drop-in was approved, by whom, and if it cost taxpayer dollars. Now, the U.S. Army is investigating.
In a statement to Nashville news channel WKRN, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where a hologram of the late Charlie Daniels is slated to perform this Independence Day, said an investigation is underway.
“Fort Campbell leadership is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting AH-64 Apache helicopters operating in the vicinity of a private residence associated with Mr. Robert Ritchie (also known as ‘Kid Rock’),” Maj. Jonathon Bless, public affairs officer for the 101st Airborne Division, said. “The command has initiated an investigation to review the circumstances surrounding this activity.”
According to flight tracking data online, at least one of the helicopters circled Rock’s estate four times over a three-minute span.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Bless said that the aircraft were on a training mission; the flyby was not planned as part of that mission.
“An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements,” said another Army spokesperson, Maj. Montrell Russell. “Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found.”
The helicopters’ sojourn to Rock’s home occurred on the same day as No Kings protests in Nashville.
