Craig Morgan Surprises Veteran Family with New Mortgage-Free Home from Operation FINALLY HOME
Brantley Gilbert Performs Song from new EP
Veterans Day Special in Partnership with CreatiVets
Friday Night Performances Returned;
Friday and Saturday Shows Expanded
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Grand Ole Opry® dedicated Saturday night’s show to military Veterans ahead of the federal holiday on Wednesday. Performers included Opry members John Conlee, Craig Morgan, and Jeannie Seely, as well as special guests Suzy Bogguss, Henry Cho, Brantley Gilbert and Justin Moore.
During the show, Morgan, a U.S. Army Veteran and Operation FINALLY HOME Ambassador, surprised Veteran Ethan LaBerge that he would be the recipient of a new home from the organization who provides mortgage-free homes and home modifications for America’s military heroes, first responders and their families. Learn more about Operation FINALLY HOME HERE and see the surprise HERE.
Gilbert, an avid supporter of veterans and the United States armed forces, performed his No. 1 single “One Hell of an Amen,” which is also included as an exclusive live version on the EP Veterans Day Special, just released November 6 in partnership with CreatiVets, his label Big Machine Label Group and Big Machine Music. CreatiVets is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide wounded veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury with opportunities to use art, music, and creative writing to heal their unseen wounds of war. Their goal is to empower veterans with tools they can use for the rest of their lives and enable them to see their own capacity for success in an arena outside the battlefield. The debut album Veteran Songs was released in July.
650 WSM-AM will broadcast the CreatiVets Radio Special, hosted by WSM’s Coffee, Country & Cody host Charlie Mattos, featuring not only the music from the EP Veteran Day Special including Gilbert and Love & Theft, but the story of CreatiVets and how they are healing lives of American Veterans. The special will air on Veterans Day, November 11 at 3:00 PM, CT.
Over the weekend the Opry saw the return of Friday night performances as well as the expansion of both Friday and Saturday night shows. In-venue audiences continued in compliance with operating plans developed in collaboration with the Nashville Public Health Department that include socially distanced seating, mandatory masks for all guests and staff, as well as enhanced cleaning practices.
Tickets for future shows are on sale now at opry.com.
First of all, I want to thank you for all that you are doing for our veterans. I served eight years in the Air Force, in the fire deparment, when a disease caused me to be medically retired. The Dr.s said I might work again, but my fire career was over. It took four years, but I am now in my 18th year in the San Antonio Fire Department. My wife and I make contributions, each month, to “The Fisher House”. I have giving to them longer than this, but I couldn’t believe that during the government shutdown, how they retreated our fallen heroes. I personally suffer from PTSD, both from the military and the things I see in this fire department, and not ashamed to admit that I have a service dog. We didn’t buy him for that, but as my balance got a little worse, we started his training. I’m hear to tell you, when you loose your balance, a 130 pound Rottweiler will catch your weight. 🙂 I am still fighting with the VA to get my benefits, because chemo is a nasty thing.
Anyways, I wanted to thank you for what you do and to share one more thing with you. My Grandma, God rest her soul, had a philosophy in a way. She used to say, “You have tow hands, you need two cookies”. In the spirit of that, when I goto a store or doctors office, if I can make someone smile and forget about the troubles in the world today, it makes my heart smile. So I tell them corny jokes. Most of the people laugh out loud and others, even with their mask on, I can see in their eyes, that they are smiling. My wife was going through things, when we got married, and found blank “Thank You” cards. So I carry them in my truck and I wrote a heartfelt letter that I put in the cards, and hand them out to random veterans that I see. I don’t have the abilities to do the things you do, especially since my wife got laid off, but I am trying to do my part. For vets and non vets. Just to make the world a better place. I am sorry to have taken up so much of your time, if you even get this, I just wanted to say Thank You, for what you do.