Country music star Craig Morgan re-enlists in Army at 59
- Morgan initially served for 17 years, with nearly a decade of active duty
- Upon re-enlisting at 59, Morgan says "I still have more to give"
- He was sworn into the Army Reserves during a concert at the Grand Ole Opry
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(NewsNation) — Country music star Craig Morgan served his country for more than 17 years before stepping away from the military.
But at 59 years old, Morgan decided to re-enlist in light of the Army’s falling recruiting numbers.
Morgan was sworn into the Army Reserve as a warrant officer in front of a crowd of concertgoers at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday night.
“I feel like an 18-year-old kid, I can tell you,” Morgan told NBC News before the ceremony. “I’m excited, nervous. But humbled. I’m humbled for the opportunity.”
The musician’s path to re-enlistment was not a straightforward one though. At 58, Morgan was just a few years away from the military’s mandatory retirement age of 62, according to Stars and Stripes.
That is when Morgan’s friend, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, stepped in. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she worked with the Defense Department and the Army to allow Morgan to re-enlist.
“I realized that there’s so much that I’ve missed — the friends, the feeling of the sense of accomplishment,” Morgan said in a video explaining his decision. “I realized that I’ve missed it so much and I truly believe that I still have more to give.”
