Recommendations of the Editorial team
Kid Rock isn’t worried about possible disciplinary action against the crews of two U.S. Army attack helicopters, who conducted a flyover of the singer’s Nashville estate on Saturday.
“I think they’ll be okay – my buddy’s the commander in chief,” Rock boasted to Nashville news station WKRN on Monday.
The flyover, in which at least one of the Apache helicopters circled Rock’s estate – a replica of the White House – sparked controversy online after Rock posted a video of himself saluting the gunships. The military said it was investigating the incident.
Rock’s reaction to the investigation
“What exactly are they investigating?” Rock wondered to WKRN.
Rock, wearing a hat that read “Jesus,” described the action on camera: “It was a level of respect that no award or record sales could ever have given me,” he said.
In a statement to The Washington Post, an Army spokesman confirmed that the incident was being reviewed. “An internal administrative review is ongoing to assess the operation and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements,” said Major Montrell Russell. “If violations are found, appropriate action will be taken.”
Flyover over No Kings protests
The flyover of Rock’s property took place on the same day as the No Kings protests in Nashville and is said to have originated at Fort Campbell, a base on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Some participants in the No Kings March in downtown Nashville noted online that the helicopters also flew over the protesters. A spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell said in a statement that the aircraft’s flight near the march was “purely coincidental.”
The video of Rock saluting the helicopters from his property is just the latest example of how the Detroit rapper celebrates the role of right-wing provocateur: He captioned his post with the comment “This is a level of respect that the brainless governor of California will never know” – a swipe at Gavin Newsom, the archenemy of Rock’s “buddy” President Trump.
Deployment of troops to the Middle East
Thousands of soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division arrived in the Middle East over the weekend, joining a new deployment of Marines who could be drawn into the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran.
