Kid Rock and Hegseth Ride in Army Helicopters Weeks After Flyby at Singer’s Nashville Home

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the pro-Trump musician Kid Rock flew in army helicopters collectively on Monday, weeks after the Army got here underneath scrutiny for a flyby at the singer’s residence.

“Joined my friend @KidRock and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots for a ride this morning,” Mr. Hegseth stated in a put up on X. “Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops.”

It got here after Mr. Hegseth made a rare transfer to close down an Army investigation into army helicopters hovering outdoors the singer’s residence in Nashville final month whereas on a coaching run close by.

Videos the singer posted on In the video, Kid Rock, whose actual identify is Robert James Ritchie, cheers and salutes the helicopters as they fly away.

The episode sparked fierce backlash and a army investigation, with President Trump himself remarking that the crew members “probably shouldn’t have been doing that.” At the time, a big “No Kings” rally, protesting Mr. Trump’s presidency, was going down close by.

The Army went on to bar the crews from flight obligation and launched an investigation. But Mr. Hegseth, in a remarkable circumvention of the military chain of commandpersonally reversed the suspensions and shut down the investigation.

“No punishments. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Mr. Hegseth stated in a post on.

In a press release, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, stated Kid Rock’s look in army helicopters on Monday was a part of the continued preparations for America’s 250th birthday.

“The visit today provided an opportunity for Kid Rock to thank service members, highlight the professionalism of the men and women supporting the mission, and recognize their continued sacrifice in honor of our nation,” Mr. Parnell stated. “The department is grateful for Kid Rock’s long time support of our troops.”