After serving in the military for more than 17 years, including almost ten of those on active duty, country music singer Craig Morgan chose to leave the Army.
But on Saturday night, audiences inside the Grand Ole Opry were in for an unusual shock when Morgan, 59, was reportedly sworn in as a warrant officer with the U.S. Army Reserves, becoming the first person to commission in Nashville, Tennessee—the birthplace of country music.
Morgan expressed his “biggest regret” about leaving the service early to Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., after Morgan had performed at a military benefit.
According to recent congressional testimony from Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, the Army is on course to miss its objective of 10,000 new recruits this year after missing it by 15,000 last year. Both the Navy and the Air Force anticipate falling short of their recruitment targets.
Recent years have seen a politicization of the military, with some Republicans blaming historically poor military recruiting to “far-left woke” policies including access to abortion, LGBTQ inclusion, and once-mandatory Covid vaccines.
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