From Sarepta to Baskin: How Louisiana's Country Stars Honor Our Veterans
Louisiana raises its country singers the same way it raises everybody else: to say thank you, show up when it counts, and never forget where they came from. For Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, Kix Brooks and Lainey Wilson, that has meant using some of country music's biggest platforms to stand up for the men and women who serve.
This Veterans Day, Louisiana Country Music is looking at how four artists from Sarepta, Start, Shreveport and Baskin have honored veterans and their families, on stage, on the radio and far beyond the spotlight.
Trace Adkins: Showing Up, Year After Year
In a 2016 profile from Army News Service, Trace Adkins' manager, J.W. Williams, an Army veteran himself, said Adkins tries to make a USO tour almost every year. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Adkins counted a dozen USO tours, and he has been involved with the Wounded Warrior Project almost since the organization began.
"It's been one of the most gratifying, rewarding things that I've ever done," Adkins told Rolling Stone.
That September, the Army presented Adkins with its Outstanding Civilian Service Award. His music has carried the same message. Arlington, released in 2005, is sung from the perspective of a fallen service member and was inspired by Marine Corps Cpl. Patrick Nixon, who was killed in Iraq in 2003 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Adkins told Theo Von he asked the Nixon family to hear the song before it was released, according to Whiskey Riff.
"Everybody listened to it and cried, and we got their blessing," he said.
Read more in our recap of that conversation.
Tim McGraw: Bringing Veterans Home
For Tim McGraw, who grew up in Start, the cause runs through his own family. His sister, uncle and grandfather all served.
"My sister's a veteran, my uncle's a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran," McGraw said in a 2012 interview.
That year, McGraw launched a program with Chase and Operation Homefront to award mortgage-free homes to wounded warriors and service members at stops on his summer tour. By 2015, the partnership had given away 114 homes in 30 states, according to ABC Radio.
The 100th went to Army veteran BJ Frachiseur, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and his family in Texas, NBC News reported. Families in the program spend two years showing they can handle homeownership, then receive the home free and clear.
Read more about McGraw's career in our Country Music Hall of Fame coverage.
Kix Brooks: A Salute on the Airwaves
Every November, Shreveport's own Kix Brooks hosts A Salute to Our Military Veterans, an annual two-hour Veterans Day special from Westwood One that pairs patriotic music with fellow country stars sharing what the military means to them.
"It has always been close to my heart to make sure to celebrate the servicemen and women who do so much for this country," Brooks has said of the special.
He also toured the Middle East with the USO in December 2010.
With Brooks & Dunn, he made service members part of the show. At a 2007 concert in Virginia, three Marines and a sailor walked on stage and saluted the crowd during Only in America. Backstage, the Marine Corps Association presented the duo with a noncommissioned officer's sword for their continued support of the troops, the Marine Corps reported.
"This is the coolest thing we've received as a token of gratitude from the armed forces," Brooks said.
Lainey Wilson: Carrying It Forward
At the 2022 CMA Awards, Baskin's Lainey Wilson spotlighted CreatiVets, a nonprofit that helps veterans heal through songwriting, music and the visual arts. On stage, she presented a $50,000 donation from Crown Royal to co-founder and Marine Corps veteran Richard Casper, iHeartCountry reported.
"They shared their stories, they shared their songs with me," Wilson said.
Through her Heart Like a Truck Fund, Wilson has also raised money for War Horses for Veterans, Dark Horse Elite and Operation Stand Down Tennessee. And when she spotted a fan holding a sign that said she was leaving for the Army at a 2025 festival in New Jersey, Wilson brought her on stage and had the crowd cheer for her, American Songwriter reported. Catch up on her latest in our 2025 CMA Awards coverage.
Ways to Honor Veterans Today
Support the Wounded Warrior Project, which serves wounded veterans, their families and caregivers.
Learn about Operation Homefront and its work with military and veteran families.
See how the USO supports service members at home and overseas.
Play Arlington or Only in America today, and call a veteran in your life to say thank you.
Why We Honor Them
From a USO stage in Kuwait to a mortgage-free front porch in Texas, these four have shown that saying thank you is something you do, not just something you sing. That is a Louisiana value, and it runs deep in every parish that has sent a son or daughter to serve.
To every veteran and military family who calls Louisiana home, thank you. We see you, and we are grateful.
Follow These Louisiana Artists
Trace Adkins on his official website
More Tim McGraw stories from Louisiana Country Music
More Lainey Wilson stories from Louisiana Country Music
Our story on Brooks & Dunn's Red Dirt Road
Frequently Asked Questions About Louisiana Country Artists and Veterans
Which Louisiana country artists support veterans?
Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, Kix Brooks and Lainey Wilson have all supported veterans. Adkins has toured with the USO and worked with the Wounded Warrior Project, McGraw has helped award mortgage-free homes to veterans, Brooks hosts an annual Veterans Day radio special, and Wilson has raised money for veterans organizations through her Heart Like a Truck Fund.
What is Trace Adkins' song Arlington about?
Arlington is sung from the perspective of a fallen service member buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It was inspired by Marine Corps Cpl. Patrick Nixon, who was killed in Iraq in 2003, and Adkins has said the Nixon family gave the song their blessing before its release.
How has Tim McGraw helped veterans?
Starting in 2012, Tim McGraw partnered with Chase and Operation Homefront on a program that awards mortgage-free homes to veterans and military families, including homes presented at stops on his summer tours. McGraw's sister, uncle and grandfather are all veterans.
What has Lainey Wilson done for veterans?
At the 2022 CMA Awards, Lainey Wilson presented a $50,000 Crown Royal donation to CreatiVets, which helps veterans heal through music and the arts. Her Heart Like a Truck Fund has also raised money for War Horses for Veterans, Dark Horse Elite and Operation Stand Down Tennessee.
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