Kid Rock, Hegseth fly Army Apache helicopters at Virginia base

Kid Rock and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both flew in Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in a ride Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said was tied to a Freedom 250 community relations event. A U.S. official said the aircraft were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

Parnell said Robert Ritchie, who performs as Kid Rock, took part in multiple troop touches and filmed videos for Memorial Day, America’s 250th birthday and his Freedom 250 tour. Hegseth later posted photos from the base and called Kid Rock “a patriot and huge supporter of our troops,” while saying the administration was moving quickly to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

The ride drew attention because it followed a March episode that put Army aviation and civilian celebrity access under scrutiny. Two Apache helicopters flew near Kid Rock’s home in Whites Creek, Tennessee, while a No Kings protest was taking place in Nashville. The Army initially opened a review and suspended the pilots after Kid Rock posted video of the flyby from his property, which he calls the “Southern White House.”

Army officials later said the helicopters were on a training mission and that their presence near the protest was “entirely coincidental.” Hegseth later lifted the suspension and ended the investigation, closing the book on a case that had raised questions about flight safety, authorization and whether military aircraft had been used to make a point near a prominent civilian’s home.

Monday’s helicopter ride only sharpened those concerns. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office criticized the use of taxpayer resources, asking why people were paying to fly Kid Rock around on expensive helicopters. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat and former Army Ranger, also questioned the optics and the cost, calling the flights taxpayer-funded “joy rides.”

The episode landed inside a broader White House effort to turn America’s 250th anniversary into a major political and cultural project. Freedom 250 is part of the administration’s buildup to July 4, 2026, and officials have framed the celebration as a national milestone. The Fort Belvoir ride showed how that campaign is now mixing military assets, patriotic branding and celebrity symbolism in a way that is likely to keep drawing scrutiny over where public service ends and political theater begins.