Hegseth lifts suspension of Army helicopter pilots who flew near Kid Rock’s house in Nashville

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday canceled the suspension of the Army aviators who gave singer and rapper Kid Rock a personal fly-by over the weekend with their AH-64 Apache helicopters.

The helicopters, assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were filmed hovering over the rocker’s Nashville home. 

The army post, home of the famed 101st Airborne Division, is about 60 miles northwest of Nashville.

In the video, Kid Rock can be seen applauding and saluting one of the tank-killer helicopters as it briefly hovered near his home on a hill overlooking Nashville.

“This is a level of respect that s— for brains governor of California will never know,” he posted on X in a clear dig at Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has sent strong signals that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in the next election.

“God bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her,” Kid Rock added.

A prominent and vocal supporter of President Trump, Kid Rock backed his campaign, performed at events, and met with him in the Oval Office. One of the policy issues they discussed was ticket scalping.

Army officials were quick to ground the helicopter crews once the videos were made public. 

A spokesman said they had launched an investigation to determine whether FAA regulations or Army aviation safety protocol standards were violated.

The inquiry ended at Mr. Hegseth’s orders only hours after it had begun. 

In a brief message on X, Mr. Hegseth said the pilots’ suspensions were lifted.