As we get to enjoy a day full of grilling out, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying a few (or a few too many) beers on the lake, we can’t forget the fact that Memorial Day is meant to pause, reflect, and honor the lives of those who gave theirs while fighting the good fight, defending our freedom overseas.
I’ve found myself thinking about all the different country songs that pay tribute to those who give up everything to serve in our armed forces, and especially the songs that pay tribute to the heroes we’ve lost.
With that being said, there’s one song in particular that I always seem to come back to when Memorial Day rolls around, and it’s none other than John Michael Montgomery’s “Letters From Home.”
Released back in 2004, Montgomery perfectly depicts a conversation between a soldier and his mother, his significant other, and his father, through a series of letters.
In the chorus, the soldier briefly forgets the tragedy and mission that’s ahead of him as he reads the letters and shows his buddies, but then snaps back to reality over the fact that he’s fighting overseas.
The chorus will have you feeling some type of way:
Like we ain’t scared
And our boots ain’t muddy
And they all laugh
‘Cause she calls me honey,
But they take it hard
‘Cause I don’t read the good parts
Pick up my gun and get back to work
And it keeps me drivin’ on
Waitin’ on letters from home”
Written by Tony Lane and David Lee, Montgomery grabs the heart strings with this one, as each letter progressively gets more and more emotional.
But hopefully, these soldiers all make it back home…
As we remember those who lost their lives fighting for our country, and those who are overseas now, this song paints the perfect picture of the emotional toll it takes on both the brave men and women serving overseas, and their families.
