Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Wednesday signaled agreement with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after an Army Apache helicopter flew closely by musician Kid Rock's Tennessee home earlier this week, arguing the pilots involved should not face punishment.
The Army briefly suspended the aircrew involved in the flyby before Hegseth weighed in.
The incident drew attention after video quickly circulated on social media of the helicopter passing unusually close to Kid Rock's property, raising concerns about military flight conduct near civilian homes.
Hegseth weighed in Tuesday, celebrating what he said was the decision not to pursue discipline. "Thank you Kid Rock," Hegseth posted on X.
"US Army pilots suspension lifted. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots."
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" with host Willie Geist, Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut, echoed that bottom-line view, despite distancing himself from both Kid Rock and Hegseth.
"I'm not a Kid Rock fan, [but] I don't see why we would punish these guys," Kelly said, adding that aviators sometimes make mistakes early in their careers.
"There were times I did stuff in airplanes that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do."
Kelly noted he "generally does not agree with Pete Hegseth on anything," but in this case aligned with the outcome that the pilots should not be penalized.
He said the matter should be handled internally by the Army rather than publicly escalated.
"He should let the Army deal with this," Kelly said, while acknowledging the maneuver itself was inappropriate.
"That's just kind of a dumb thing to do, flying close to people's homes, they know they're not supposed to do that."
Still, Kelly emphasized that the pilots are service members operating in high-risk roles and deserve leniency for what he characterized as a lapse in judgment.
"These are patriots that are serving their country and taking a lot of risks with their own lives," he said. "I would not want to see them punished."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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