Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shortly after being told to drop a probe involving Kid Rock, according to a new report by The Washington Post.
Back in March, two Army AH-64 Apache helicopters appeared to hover next to Kid Rock’s suburban Nashville home in an effort to salute the musician. The aircrew was suspended and an investigation was launched, but Hegseth immediately lifted the suspension and even praised the aircrew by stating, “Carry on, patriots.”
As The Washington Post notes, then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George had ordered the investigation into whether the aircrew followed protocol, and was let go from his position just days after, without explanation at the time. It was Gen. Chris LaNeve, who at the time was the Army’s No. 2 officer, that told George not to proceed with the investigation at the request of Hegseth, a conversation that irked George.
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LaNeve has been the acting Army Chief of Staff ever since George’s firing, and now is up for confirmation for the permanent position, although it appears he lacks the necessary support from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
George, who has since retired from the Army, declined to comment on the story, while Hegseth told The Washington Post that LaNeve is “precisely the kind of leader the U.S. Army needs right now,” adding, “He is a back-to-basics, no politics, no-nonsense General — exactly what President Trump expects. The critics coming after him are the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who’ve spent years undermining our military with woke policies and endless wars. They hold deep grudges against any commander willing to put America and our troops first, but their days of influence are over.”
In another connection to a rock musician, Tool singer Maynard James Keenan showed support for Randy George at the time of his ouster, revealing that the two were friends as classmates in the early 1980s at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.
“I can’t even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel for having been ‘asked’ to retire early,” Keenan wrote. “So I’m just here to return that favor of support. We’re here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon.”
As for Kid Rock, he was invited by Hegseth to fly in an Apache helicopter just weeks after the investigation. The excursion was filmed and used as a video opening for Kid Rock’s “Freedom 250 Tour.”