Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and musician Kid Rock (legal name Robert Ritchie) participated in a flight aboard AH-64 Apache attack helicopters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on Monday. The excursion, described by a Pentagon spokesperson as a "Freedom 250 community relations event" tied to America's 250th anniversary, has ignited criticism from lawmakers and officials.
Open-source flight data indicates an Apache helicopter departed Fort Belvoir shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, conducted several circuits over the base, and landed approximately ten minutes later. Kid Rock reportedly traveled to the base from Nashville on his private jet, landing at Fort Belvoir early Monday morning and returning to Nashville the same afternoon.
The flight follows a recent incident where Army pilots faced scrutiny and a brief investigation for hovering Apache helicopters near Kid Rock's Tennessee estate. The Army had initially launched an investigation and suspended the pilots involved in that previous incident. However, Hegseth reportedly intervened, lifting the pilots' suspensions and declaring, "No investigation, Carry on, patriots."
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Hegseth posted photos of himself and Kid Rock with an Apache helicopter on social media, identifying Kid Rock as a "patriot and huge supporter of our troops." A Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, stated that the flights on Monday were in support of a "Freedom 250th community relations event," during which Kid Rock engaged in "multiple troop touches" and filmed videos for Memorial Day, America's 250th birthday, and his "Freedom 250 tour."
The use of military assets for the outing has drawn sharp reactions. Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, a Democrat and member of the House Armed Services Committee, publicly questioned the expenditure of taxpayer funds for such activities. Governor Gavin Newsom also raised concerns about the deployment of military resources.
This latest Apache flight occurred just weeks after the previous incident involving helicopters near Kid Rock's home, which had already drawn attention. The Army's investigation into that fly-by was reportedly closed by Hegseth.
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