A month after a pair of Army Apache helicopters put on a brief impromptu airshow for Kid Rock, the entertainer got to go “for a ride” in the same type of aircraft as part of a Memorial Day promotional project. He was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the hop in the attack helicopter. “Joined my friend @KidRock and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots for a ride this morning,” Hegseth wrote in a social media post. “Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops.” It’s not clear where the flight took place or if it involved any of the crew members involved in the flight adjacent to his Nashville-area home on March 28.
Kid Rock posted a viral video of two Apaches from a nearby Army base hovering, assuming an attack position, and doing a high-speed flyby while he shot video beside his swimming pool. The pilots involved were immediately suspended, but Hegseth intervened and ordered they be reinstated to active flying duty and suffer no sanctions for their actions. The helicopters often train in that area. Here’s the video of that flight.
This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her. 🇺🇸 🙏 pic.twitter.com/iD5mmkaXv1
— KidRock (@KidRock) March 28, 2026
If not for the unsafe and undisciplined aviation events that preceded this event, this story would barely be celebrity or music entertainment news rag worthy, let alone measure up to Avbrief standards of aviation news.
A perfect pairing of bros for this administration – one who is incompetent and ignores every important rule, and one who sings about raping girls. (“Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see some say that’s statutory (but I say that’s mandatory).”
Great use of the military. Sad.
“He (Kid Rock) was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the hop in the attack helicopter.”
I didn’t realize that either one of those fine examples of mature adult judgement was Apache-rated, so I’m pretty sure that would be illegal in the two-seater Apache. I guess when you’re rich and/or powerful, you can do such things …
I think the implication is that they sent two AH-64s and each passenger got a front (gunner’s) seat ride.
Sad to know my tax dollars are paying for this!
The GOP will likely get spanked in November, and deservedly so. The tariffs and this stupid war have hurt everyone’s wallets, and that’s how most people vote. Having grandchildren of military age, I don’t want them to come home in Ziploc bags for a country we already help financially to the tune of $8-million per day. No, I don’t hate Jews. They have a right to their own country, but helping them with our kids’ lives is different than helping them with our money. It makes me angry to see the Evangelical heresy of Dispensationalism running our foreign policy.
OTOH, it will be such a relief when the Dems run everything again, where there is no corruption, abuse of power, or cronyism. Right? The best part will be once again getting back to common sense values, like threatening to take children away from parents who object to their tween sons and daughters having their private parts surgically removed. Remember, that’s largely why you lost power.
Both major parties are in their respective ditches, and they keep their respective bases there. I am done voting. My choices are one party that asks me to subsidize the ultra wealthy, or a party that asks me to subsidize those who get paid to not work. Great Society policies have left us with the same percentage of impoverished people, and they now talk on their $1,200 phones while driving vehicles way nicer than mine to get covered head to toe with ink and piercings. Yes, the welfare mother scamming the system is just as greedy as the CEO getting $40-million per year to warm a chair.
Libertarianism is childish idealism, and the American Solidarity Party can’t even get on the ballot in my state. What most disillusions me is that smart people like AvBrief folks buy into this partisan sham. Yes, Trump is a narcissistic, womanizing jerk, but Bill Clinton was infallible because he is on my team? Kid Rock Apache rides and flybys are indeed an abuse, but the Obamas using Air Force One for date night is good stewardship of tax dollars.
All we need is one party to take control of the house or senate to stalemate the other party. Then let the bickering continue, but hopefully the shenanigans will be slightly less- if that’s even possible the these clowns
What an incredible waste of taxpayer money…
100%.
https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-community/virginia-beach/miss-virginia-gets-high-flying-preview-of-2025-air-show-at-naval-air-station-oceana
“ On Thursday, to help promote the air show, Miss Virginia Erin Houston spent about 45 minutes flying with the Navy’s flight demo team, the Blue Angels.”
This is a thumb’s up Memorial Day promotional project? For…?
According to the Pentagon’s top spokesperson, Sean Parnell, the ride was done in large part to allow Kid Rock to film promotional footage for his upcoming tour. “I will probably be coming to each show in an Apache helicopter, which should send far left liberals into complete breakdown and tears if it happens,” Rock humbly announced of the future planned military assist for his tour stops, chuckling.
Seems tickets for the tour are selling poorly, and his White House buddy got wind of it. Ticketmaster’s website shows that the first date — this Friday in Dallas, Texas — still has hundreds of tickets available, with tickets in every price section still on sale as of this Tuesday.
Patriots! Do not fear, the United States Military will be taking time out from their highly successful war with Iran to give that special boost for Kid’s sagging ticket sales.
What a country.
Meanwhile, to avoid hearing or seeing any of these grifting, appalling, thumb-wielding phony patriots this Memorial Day and July 4th Semi-quincentennial, I’m going dark. I’ll likely be at my favorite spot at Grand Canyon, reading David McCullough’s ‘The Wright Brothers’ and enjoying a bottle of Arizona Stronghold Mangus Red.
Just an interesting historical reminder for our (or will it be His?) upcoming birthday celebration, a royal charter from the year 1215, the Magna Carta, was a foundational document for our own Declaration of Independence, and was revolutionary at the time because it guaranteed that the nation’s laws would apply to all of its people all of the time. There would not be one set of standards for the king and another for his subjects. The laws governing the land would prevail every moment of every day for every person in the entire nation.
That was written 811 years ago. Maybe I’ll try and find a copy to bring along and read also. How far we’ve come, eh?
Varywings, you got it right.
This is not really about whether Kid Rock likes the troops. Lots of people like the troops. The issue is whether military aircraft, military pilots, and command discretion are operated under one set of rules for everybody, or under a special set of rules for predilects.
The earlier Apache flyby already raised the aviation-discipline question. Then the same celebrity gets an Apache ride tied to promotion and public messaging. That is where the story stops being harmless patriotic theater and starts looking like access politics.
I had the privilege of administering AFROTC cadet flights.
The requirements are very clearly outlined by CAP and the timing from the beginning to the end of flights are lengthy.
Very specific candidates can legally participate and no insurance is provided by the government.
Does anyone know what the legal paperwork and approval is for the particular event andby those involved ?
Transparency is paramount.
Wonder why Pete’s not wear a hat.
Could be something to do with the circumference of his skull, figuratively, or maybe literally…