Musician Kid Rock took a ride in an Apache helicopter on Monday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed on X.
“Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)” Hegseth noted in the Monday post. “Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the brave.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell noted in a statement, “Today, Army helicopters operated in the National Capital Region in support of a Freedom 250th community relations event.”
“As a part of that event, Robert ‘Kid Rock’ Ritchie participated in multiple troop touches with service members and filmed videos for Memorial Day, America’s 250th birthday, and for his Freedom 250 tour,” Parnell wrote.
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“At each stop along his tour, Kid Rock has generously pledged 1,000 free tickets for members of the military and veterans. 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. The Department is grateful for Kid Rock’s long time support of our troops,” Parnell noted.
Prior to Hegseth’s post on Monday, Drop Site News’ Ryan Grim reported in a post on X that “Kid Rock flew to Fort Belvoir this morning on his private jet and took a little joy ride on 2 Apache helicopters with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to multiple Army sources, and backed up by flight data. Apaches typically have 2 pilots, but they went up with one so the boys could each ride shotgun, I’m told.”
The patriotic music star shared footage late last month that showed him clapping and saluting as a military helicopter hovered next to a pool at his property in Tennessee.
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“This is a level of respect that s[—] for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her,” he wrote in social media posts when sharing footage of the episode.
“The Army has confirmed that, on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention,” Maj. Montrell Russell told Fox News Digital. “This incident is now under an Army Regulation 15-6 administrative investigation. The personnel involved have 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.”
But Hegseth responded to Kid Rock’s post on X by thanking him and saying that the suspension was lifted.
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“Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth wrote.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
