Lee Greenwood Makes Supporting Veterans a Priority

In this SLN exclusvie, Lee Greenwood opens up about being a celebrity Ambassador for Disabled American Veterans and dishes on his book, Proud to be An American.'

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Lee Greenwood Makes Supporting Veterans a Priority
Photo courtesy Webster PR

Lee Greenwood has always had a soft spot for Americans who have served in the military, and his latest affiliation is further proof of this. The singer has been named as a celebrity Ambassador for the DAV (Disabled American Veterans), a nonprofit charity. DAV is a leading nonprofit that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families.” He says he doesn’t take the organization’s work lightly, as seeing that those who have served their fellow Americans have the best in health care – both physical and mental – needs to be a priority.

“We do all we can for the wounded warriors, and for those who are struggling with PTSD. There’s twenty-two suicides a day that we are trying to prevent with different kinds of campaigns. We’ve built homes for wounded warriors through an organization called Helping A Hero,” he allowed to Sounds Like Nashville. “This new appointment as Ambassador for DAV is to help make people aware of the new campaign, Keeping The Promise, is not only a big step, but I think also an important one. We cannot ever forget our military is working all the time. This is not anything new. We save a lot of soldiers than we ever have, but a lot more of them are wounded,” he lamented.

Of course, there are several government programs in place, but Greenwood says that only goes so far. “The government can only do so much, based on taxes, and what the allocation to the military organizations. There are twenty-two million veterans who are looking for work or help. They’re saving about a million a year, which is a big number, but not enough. We’re trying to raise awareness, not just through donations – but in membership. Unlike the American Legion and the VFW, those numbers are probably dwindling because of registration with veterans. The PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America) and the DAV both work to the benefit of the veterans who are currently wounded and coming home from war zones, and trying to recover. It’s a great thing to do, and a privilege for me to be part of this new appointment as an ambassador.”

The singer says that working with the various military organizations has brought him many blessings, though he has seen the hard part of what military personnel go through – up close and personal. “We have thirty years of USO tours to our credit, one of which was with Bob Hope. When I think about some of those tours, and some of those places where we’ve seen tragedy as well as conflict and success – war zones are war zones, and always have been. In this current war on terror, we put our soldiers in danger as soon as their boots hit the ground. We think of ourselves as an overwhelming force, but as soon as you get in the logistics of a rifle shot, anything can happen. We lose guys all the time. We are very careful, and try our best, but war is war. I work with several Wounded Warriors who have lost both legs and both arms.” Helping those to lead productive lives again is the goal. “It’s a struggle to get them back into society. The real danger is having them with no place of employment or work. That is a matter of pride. If you lose your pride, you want to end your life, and in a lot of cases, that’s what happens.”

Of course, his 1984 hit “God Bless The U.S.A.” helped make his name and music known all across the world, becoming arguably the modern-day National Anthem. “A lot of people refer to my song as ‘Proud To Be An American,’ which is the lead line in the chorus. I have no trouble with that. As a matter of fact, my new children’s illustrated book is called ‘Proud To Be An American.’ It’s the lyrics of ‘God Bless The U.S.A.,’ but I thought it might have wider breadth of appeal if we called it something a little bit different. The sheet music actually says ‘God Bless The U.S.A.’ but in parentheses, it says ‘Proud To Be An American.”

He thinks the book is important because it just might inspire a youngster to take an interest in the country, which is where he believes that American pride begins. “I think that patriotism is a growing process, and it’s something you learn about when you’re a kid – just like all the other things you learn. My wife Kim and I were very adamant about reading to our kids when they were young. We sat them on our laps after a bath, and they became fascinated with real books. They’re something that you can touch or feel. We made an illustrated book, and it teaches patriotism with just a very simple process of loving their country, and what it means to be a patriot.”

What kind of reaction has Greenwood seen from the book? He says, “It’s the same kind of reaction you get when a soldier leaves home, and a child sees that father or mother go off into service, and they come back two years later. It’s the same feeling that they get when they see a fire truck, and they feel that pride that they have saved somebody’s life. I think that children have an honest recognition and value of home. That’s why patriotism is important. You teach them the value of learning the sovereignty of our country. We may be citizens of the world, but let’s say we’re Americans first.”