Beloved country star and Army Veteran Craig Morgan is known for his dedication and passion for the troops, having made 15 trips oversees during his career to perform for over 37,000 service members and their families. His hits, “Redneck Yacht Club”, “That’s What I Love About Sunday”, “This Ole Boy”, and “Almost Home” have charted Billboard and entertained the masses for decades. In fact, last summer, Craig received the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, which is one of the highest awards that the Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian. This was after he had just returned from his 10th USO Tour, which included stops in seven different countries. And just earlier this week, Craig participated in the annual tradition of the “Salute the Troops” concert at the Grand Ole Opry. Other performers included Lee Greenwood, Lindsay Ell, Mark Wills, Brantley Gilbert, and Trace Adkins.
Morgan is no stranger to the Opry stage. Ever since he walked into the famous and highly regarded circle in 2000, he has performed numerous times. In fact, his invitation to become a member came during a show for the US troops in Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC in September of 2008. That evening was of itself, symbolic and full circle as he was stationed at Ft Bragg from 1990-1992 during his 10 year active-duty tenure in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
Not only is this man an Army veteran, an entertainer, a business owner (Morgan Farms in Dickson, TN), a outdoor lover, a hard worker, and a family man. . . but he’s also a wine maker! Okay. . . not quite. But a company called LOT 18 does make it with Craig’s expertise and approval. The Cabarnet Sauvigon “Old Tattoo” bottle features a tattered flag as the logo on the front, which also happens to be a tattoo on Craig’s upper left arm. And the tattoo is what inspired the song, and eventually the name of the wine.
“I wrote this song because of the tattoo. I wrote it for a military thing-having been a soldier, my greatest fear when I got into this business was I didn’t want anyone to think that I was trying to capitalize on my service as an entertainer, “ he told The Country Note in February of 2018. But I wrote this song called Old Tattoo talking about our home and the fact that it’s our little sanctuary in life. Especially for a solider when they go overseas. They encounter horrific things and home is what you get to come back too–it’s like an old tattoo. It may fade but it’ll never go away.”
And now that you know the backstory of the poster and the wine bottle . . . this is what is happening. In honor of Memorial Day and all of the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom, we are giving one lucky fan a chance to own both keepsakes.
So here the details:
GIFTS: A Signed Craig Morgan bottle of “Old Tattoo” Cab and a signed Hatch Show Print poster of his Opry induction from 2008
WHO QUALIFIES: Any service member from any branch of the military who was or is active in the line of duty
LOCATION: They must live in or around Nashville, TN (because it’s difficult to mail wine) or must be coming down here within the next few weeks for an event, such as CMA Fest. They need to be able to meet up with our Nashville rep, Lindsey, or have someone meet up with her.
TIMING: This giveaway runs now (Saturday, May 25, 2019—Saturday, June 1, 2019). We will pick the winner Sunday, June 2nd and notify both through email and socials.
WHAT WE NEED: For YOU or someone you know in the military to be nominated. Please send us a letter/email explaining what the wine and poster would mean to you or the person you are nominating. You can include something about Craig Morgan, but you don’t have too. Please tell us your/their story about life in the armed forces. Please send to main@thecountrynote.com.
WHAT DOES NOT COUNT: Sharing or tagging on socials alone! We love this aspect too and we encourage it to spread the word, but we must have a story in order to choose the recipient.
To our men and women in uniform: Thank You so much for all you do to keep us safe.
To Craig Morgan and Cindy and Heather at Monarch Publicity: Thank you so much for helping us retrieve this items and for all you do for The Country Note, the country fans, and our troops!
We cannot wait to read these stories. If you have any questions, email Lindsey and Janeen at main@thecountrynote and also please share the posts on your socials to help spread the word!