Sounds like a heck of a Saturday.
Kid Rock is telling his side of the story after the incident over the weekend that resulted in an Army helicopter crew being briefly suspended for performing a fly-by at his Nashville house.
It all started on Saturday when the “All Summer Long” singer shared a video of the encounter to his social media accounts along with a comment that took a jab at California governor Gavin Newsom:
“This is a level of respect that s–t for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”
There were plenty of reactions to the salute, from those applauding the patriotic moment to many who were upset at the display and called it a waste of taxpayer dollars.
And yesterday the Army released a statement announcing that the crew involved had been suspended pending an investigation:
“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. 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.
Since the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to discuss specific findings at this time. The Army takes any allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable.”
(There was also concerns that the flyover happened during this past Saturday’s “No Kings” protests in Nashville, though officials confirmed that was merely coincidental).
But the suspension didn’t last long: Yesterday afternoon, Pete Hegseth confirmed that there would be no further punishment or investigation and that the suspensions had been lifted:
And President Donald Trump seemed to laugh off the incident, saying that while the crew “probably shouldn’t have” performed the fly-by, it seemed like everybody was just having a good time.
“I didn’t see it, but I’m sure they had a good time. …
They probably shouldn’t have been doing it, yes, you’re not supposed to be playing games, right? But I’d take a look at it. They like Kid Rock, I like Kid Rock. Maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.”
And in an interview with local news station WKRN, Kid Rock explained his side of the situation.
According to the singer, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, his replica White House which he calls the “Southern White House” sits on a flight path for nearby Fort Campbell, Kentucky, so it’s not unusual for him to see military aircraft flying over his house. And that’s what happened on Saturday while he was out enjoying the nice weather by his pool:
“I was sitting right there just having kind of a Saturday morning beer and I seen a chopper start coming. I was like, ‘Man, it looks like military.’ And it’s not the first time they’ve flown over my house.”
Kid Rock explains that he’s also interacted with pilots from Fort Campbell in the past, and invited them to fly by his house whenever they’re in the area:
“I was there last Thanksgiving with JD Vance, and I’ve talked to some of these pilots, and I told them, ‘You guys see me waving when you come by the house, you guys are always welcome to cruise by my house like any time.’”
When he saw the choppers approaching his house, Kid Rock says he decided to walk out and greet them, which apparently caught the crew’s attention:
“So they just happened to be coming this way. So I walked over here, and I’m like, yeah, hell yeah. And then they circled back around and came out right over here. And I just gave them a salute. You know, kind of a thank you.
And, man, it was a level of respect that I got that no award or record sales could ever do. And, you know, at the end of the day, if it makes their day a little brighter, you know, for their service to our country, protecting us, I think that’s a great thing.”
He says that the whole interaction lasted only a couple of minutes at most, and dismissed the idea that the pilots should face any sort of investigation or suspension:
“At the end of the day, I thought it was harmless. I thought it was really cool. I was very appreciative of them coming by, and I hope they got a good smile and made their day a little bit brighter, too. …
I think they’re going to be all right. My buddy’s the Commander-in-Chief.
I mean, what are they looking into? They stopped for, I don’t know, seconds, a minute. Maybe they were here three, four minutes, just say what’s up, went on.”
As it turns out, Pete Hegseth agrees.
And I mean, who wouldn’t want to get a look at Kid Rock’s Southern White House? The 27,000 square foot mansion sits on a hill overlooking Nashville and features only two bedrooms but has a golden elevator and gold showers, along with the hillside pool.
