Country Singer Re-Enlists in the Army at Age 59
Singer Craig Morgan re-enlisted in the Army Reserves during a concert at the Grand Ole Opry.
Country singer Craig Morgan has re-enlisted in the U.S. Army at 59 years old. The "Redneck Yacht Club" singer previously served 17 years in the active-duty Army and Reserves in his younger years. Now, he will serve as a celebrity recruiter for the Army Reserves. The Military Times reports that Morgan made an event of his re-enlistment, doing it in front of a live audience during a show at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
"I love being an artist but I consider it a true privilege and honor to work with what I believe are the greatest of Americans, my fellow soldiers," Morgan said, following his swearing-in. "God Bless America, go Army." Gen. Andrew Poppas — head of Army Forces Command — served as the officiant for the ceremony, and he later praised Morgan's choice to re-enlist. "No matter who you are or where you're from, service in the United States Army is a unique, life-changing honor," he stated. "Every soldier who enters the Army has the opportunity to become the best version of themselves, and Staff Sgt. Morgan is no exception."
The Military Times notes that Morgan's re-enlistment was allowed in large part due to TN Senator Marsha Blackburn, who serves on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and advocated hard for Morgan, behind-the-scenes. "This is going to draw attention to the fact that the military's numbers are down, and people need to think about service to their country," she told the outlet. "Having Craig out there, helping deliver that message, talking about how blessed he's been with his career and then still wanting to enlist again, I think it's fantastic."
Interestingly, during part of his initial military service, Morgan was deployed to Panama. In 2022 he returned to the Central American country for the CBS reality competition series Beyond the Edge. Speaking to Military.com about the experience, Morgan noted that his previous experience in Panama was "one hundred percent" helpful while competing on the show.
"When we heard the howler monkeys, I knew exactly what it was and no one did," he said. "There are lots of things that happen in the jungle that I was well aware of. Before we got there, the majority of the cast had not experienced that environment. I knew that it was going to rain every night. I was prepared mentally and physically for that. I'm not sure anyone else did. There's no way they could have known if they had not been there before."