Justin Moore Honors First Responders in ‘The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home’ Video

“Here’s to the families that live in the reality of this video, and to the ones that didn’t make it back home” reads the final slide of Justin Moore’s new music video.

The touching new video, directed by Cody Villalobos (a former EMT), is dedicated to those who put themselves on the frontlines every single day to keep others safe – military, first responders, nurses, and now, teachers.

According to PEOPLE, the idea for the video came when Moore and his band were preparing to play a benefit concert following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“I felt that only showing military visuals didn’t give tribute to everyone who might connect to this song,” Villalobos told the outlet of referencing school shootings, “and not to all who inspired Justin to write the song in the first place. Since we were on our way to a tribute show for a school shooting, that was fresh in my mind. I had to pay tribute and honor the ones that didn’t make it back home from school, as well as home from the line of duty and overseas.”

It was during that show that Moore made a $30,000 contribution to the MSD Fund, a charity honoring the heroes, victims and survivors of gun violence in schools.

“I’m of the belief that when God allows you to have a platform like I have, you’re supposed to use it for good,” said Moore at the time. “I’m a father of four. I send each and every one of them to school every day and drop them off. Usually it’s late,” he joked, “but I drop them off each and every day. My first prayer is that they’ll come home safe that afternoon. I can’t even fathom what these families up here — and maybe some of you guys — have had to deal with and the difficulty this has caused. So sorry for that. I’m not going to pretend to know what that feels like. Just know that from me and my camp that we’ll be praying for guys for your continued healing, and we hope and pray that one day, at some point, you’ll see your loved ones again.”

The song is the first from Moore’s upcoming album, Late Nights and Longnecks, set for release on April 26. The Arkansas native has taken the tune out on the road already in 2019 for his headlining tour, featuring special guests Cody Johnson, Eric Paslay and Riley Green. The singer will continue to tour extensively in the fall for a yet-to-be-announced tour.

Check out the touching video for “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” above. To learn more about the MSD fund, visit browardedfoundation.org/stonemandouglasvictimsfund.

Justin Moore Tour Dates:
Fri., Feb. 8 /Canton Civic Center / Canton, OH^
Sat., Feb. 9 / Wings Stadium / Kalamazoo, MI^
Thurs., Feb. 14 / Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza / Wiles Barre, PA+
Fri., Feb. 15 / Huntington Center / Toledo, OH**
Sat., Feb. 16 / 1st Summit Arena @ CCWMA / Johnstown, PA**
Thurs., Feb. 21 / Rosemont Theatre / Rosemont, IL^^
Fri., Feb. 22 / Island Resort & Casino / Harris, MI
Sat., Feb. 23 / Island Resort & Casino / Harris, MI
Fri., Mar. 1 / The Criterion / Oklahoma City, OK
Sat., Mar. 2 / Billy Bob’s Texas / Fort Worth, TX
Sun., Mar. 10 / Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Casino / Fort Hall, ID
Mon., Mar. 11 / Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Casino / Fort Hall, ID
Fri., Apr. 12 / Lot42 / Kitchener, Canada
Fri., Apr. 26 / Mississippi Coast Coliseum / Biloxi, MS
Fri., May 31 / Del Mar Fairgrounds / Del Mar, CA
Thurs., June 27 / Country Fest 2019 / Cadet, WI
Sat., Aug. 10 / Back Road Music Festival / Galva, IL

^Cody Johnson opening
+Eric Paslay opening
**Cody Johnson and Eric Paslay opening
^^Cody Johnson and Heath Sanders