Country-music artists have always nurtured a special bond with U.S. veterans. For Chris Stapleton, the issue is a particularly personal one.
“Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II so that I hopefully wouldn’t have to,” says the Grammy winner. “There’s something so selfless about volunteering to do that work. You’re laying yourself out there for people you don’t even know, and I have a great deal of respect for that.”
Stapleton has taken a double-edged approach to supporting vets. First, his Outlaw State of Kind Fund funnels money to a variety of programs to support, and in some cases rehabilitate, the men and women whose military careers have ended. But he also offers his own form of service, performing for veterans groups whenever possible. He took part in Joe Walsh’s 2018 VetsAid benefit concert in Tacoma, Washington (helping raise almost $800,000), and also appeared at the U.S. Veterans Administration and Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Conference in Nashville this summer.
