How Country Star Craig Morgan Balances His Military Service and Music Career

Published: October 17, 2023

How Country Star Craig Morgan Balances His Military Service and Music Career

By Movieguide® Contributor

Country star Craig Morgan explained how he balances his music career with his commitment to his country as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve.

“Well, that’s easy for me,” Morgan said about his duties as a member of the Army Reserve. “I spent 18, almost 18 years of my life in [the Army]. So my mental capacity in that area has never changed. In fact, that’s easier for me than this music stuff most of the time.”

“There’s a term once a soldier, always a soldier. For me, I have never quit being a soldier, even though I was no longer actually serving in the capacity of a service member on duty,” he told Fox News. “In my head, I’ve always been a soldier, and I always will be.”

While Morgan no longer serves as a deployed soldier, he is proud to maintain his connection to the military and commit some of his time to the Army.

“I’m proud, I’m honored and I’m humbled to be a part of what I think is some of the greatest Americans in our country,” Morgan said.

The country musician joined the U.S. Army Reserve earlier this year and was sworn in as a warrant officer during his concert at the Grand Ole Opry.

“I feel like an 18-year-old kid, I can tell you,” Morgan told NBC News ahead of the ceremony. “I’m excited, nervous. But humbled. I’m humbled for the opportunity.”

“Less than 1% of the people in this nation – and I say this every night upstage – less than 1% of the people in our nation serve in this military, and right now, recruiting is worse than it’s ever been,” he explained. “So, we’re going to do everything we can to try and encourage people to serve our country and to understand that it’s not about self, and it’s not even really about government.”

“There’s a sense of pride and humility, two words that are very seldom able to coincide. And I tell people all the time, I think the military is one of the few places where that takes place,” he continued. “Law enforcement service to our country is where you can be very proud and humble at the same time. It’s a different kind of pride, not an arrogant pride. It’s a sense, a sense of humility, and I’m humbled beyond words to be able to be a part of that again.”

“I realized that there’s so much that I’ve missed — the friends, the feeling of the sense of accomplishment,” Morgan said of his decision to reenlist. “I realized that I’ve missed it so much, and I truly believe that I still have more to give.”

Serving in the military, however, does not come without difficulties, as he is quick to explain. The intense time commitment of deployment requires more than just the soldier’s commitment of a soldier but also their family’s.

“It’s tough. It’s very tough,” he said, adding, “the reward, again, is being around people that I think are some of the greatest Americans in the world.”

As for his music career, Morgan has a new EP, “Enlisted,” which will release later this month. It includes new renditions of his most popular hits, collaborations with other popular country stars and two new songs.

“For me, it’s about God and family and country,” Morgan said of his new song “That Ain’t Gonna Be Me.” “I am so blessed, and I recognize the blessings of the freedoms we celebrate in this nation.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Morgan:

Country music star Craig Morgan is joining the fight against human trafficking. He has partnered with anti-trafficking nonprofit Exodus Road to do good in the world.

Exodus Road trains operatives to go on rescue missions for survivors of human trafficking by using “advanced technology to locate survivors and gather evidence for successful raids and arrests, impacting the larger systems of slavery,” according to its website.

Morgan, who served in the military, feels that his experience makes him a perfect fit for the nonprofit.

“I was in the military for about 17 years and done a lot of things, so I had a particular skill set that I felt like I could offer my assistance to the organization, and I did,” Morgan shared in an interview with The Christian Post.