For Chris Young, Supporting the Military is a “Big Point of Emphasis”

Chris Young is a loyal supporter of the military. He’s turning this passion into action by partnering with Crown Royal as part of its campaign to donate $1 million to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources and support to veterans and their families, through the Crown Royal Generosity Fund. “That’s one of my big points of emphasis of giving my time back to support our military,” Young declares to Sounds Like Nashville during a phone interview on Veteran’s Day. 

Young had the chance to cast this effort into a national spotlight during the 2021 CMA Awards. Standing onstage alongside host Luke Bryan, Young expressed that it was an “honor” to perform for some of these brave women and men at Crown Royal’s Generosity Hour in Nashville that took place days before the awards ceremony, sharing footage from the event that included a performance of his collaboration with Mitchell Tenpenny, “At the End of a Bar,” and clips of patrons putting together Crown Royal’s signature purple bags, a military care package containing non perishable food, personal care items, handwritten notes and more. Additionally, Crown Royal donated $1 for every person who attended the CMA Awards live in Nashville and fans watching at home who scanned the QR code onscreen during the show. “To be able to stand up there on that stage and do something that’s giving back in partnership with Crown Royal was incredible,” he remarks of the special moment, saying he’s “proud” to join the partnership rooted in generosity. ”It doesn’t matter what year it is, what time it is, what’s going on in the world, it’s always important to think about our military. I don’t ever think there’s a time where we should forget about what our military does for us and what they give up,” he adds, referring to time with family and friends, or simply having a day off. “Some of them don’t have that, and they’re giving willingly. The fact that they choose to call it ‘generosity hour,’ and having that name in the fund, is something that made me want to be a part of this.”

Young’s dedication to the military comes from a deeply personal place. His sister, Dot, and her husband have both served in the military. Dot followed in the footsteps of her and Young’s grandfather who was a member of the Marine Corp, Young still admiring photos of him in uniform. The country superstar admits that while he has an often unrelenting tour schedule that keeps him on the road for much of the year, it’s no comparison to the sacrifices of servicemen and women who are separated from their families. “I’ve been really blessed to have those ties and see directly what they give up and the time. That’s the biggest thing is the giving, the generosity of their efforts and their time and everything else,” he praises. “I have so much respect for them and that’s yet another reason why this is important to me.” In addition to the familial connection, Young has also gone above and beyond to show his support for the military through music. For the past decade, Young has traversed across the globe performing at military bases in countries ranging from Japan to Germany to South Korea. At each stop, Young has made lasting memories with the soldiers, many of whom he’s reconnected with over the years. “It’s amazing how many times people will walk up to me at show and be like ‘here’s a photo of us in Iraq from 10 years ago.’ It’s incredible,” he marvels, recalling his first trip to perform at a military base in Iraq. “Everybody was coming up saying ‘thank you,’ I’m like ‘no, this is backwards. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to say thank you to you guys,’” he laughs. “The amount of time that they give up with their friends and family and their lives back at home, it’s incredible to think about, and I want to take every chance that I have to be able to say thank you in different ways to the people that serve.” 

The singer recalls a particularly poignant memory when he was on a trip in Iraq with his friend Joseph Bowser, a retired member of the Army who had one of his legs amputated after sustaining a serious injury in an explosive attack. The two have since formed a friendship, the veteran and his family coming to the country star’s shows. Bowser also invited Young to join him as he returned to that fateful site, an experience that still humbles the singer. “We went back and stood in the spot where he was standing when he got hit. I feel really honored to know him, and the fact that he wanted me to go with him and stand in a spot that’s so emotionally affecting to him and be there for him to come back and put that memory to rest and go ‘I can move forward.’ I don’t even know how to encompass it just using words because there’s no way to convey that emotion of you know what someone else is feeling in that moment and you’re standing there with them and this is such a special moment in their life and it’s someone that you’ve just recently gotten to know,” Young recalls of the harrowing moment. “It made it all the more important for me to give back anytime that I could.” 

Young continues to honor that vow, whether partnering with Crown Royal to give back to veterans or honoring his sister with a heartfelt social media post every year on Veteran’s Day. Young says he intends to keep supporting the armed forces by working with other veteran-focused organizations and sharing the generosity he sees in the selfless people who bravely serve our country. “Continuing to be cognizant that if you’re able to be blessed and be successful making music for a living and you’ve got something you want to give back to, your time is the most important thing you can invest in it,” Young proclaims. “It’s giving of yourself. They’ve given so much to all of us. Being able to give a little bit back to them is the least we can do.”