Brantley Gilbert Salutes Soldiers

Brantley Gilbert launched his new album by hosting a motorcycle rally from his hometown in Georgia to Arlington National Cemetery.  The event is done in conjunction with the Folds Of Honor Foundation, an organization that supports the families of soldiers who died in battle. Fans can follow along with the journey here.

Brantley has also championed the Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) organization for the last few years. He says that having family and friends in the military has opened his eyes to the need for support. “My mom’s side of the family’s a military family. I’ve got a cousin that’s an E7 Marine, and a dear friend of mine from back home is an Army Ranger, and I saw him come home and go through some of the PTSD and hearing his stories and stuff and once I started getting information about the numbers of soldiers that were coming home that were having trouble finding jobs and education and figured out it wasn’t just physical or mental issues. There was a lot, and we wanted to address that and support that as much as possible, and we’ve tied up and done a lot of things with IAVA and had a blast doing it and doing this one with Folds of Honor, you know, it’s Memorial Day where we’re culminating the end of the ride and it’s geared more toward fallen soldiers and their families, which is what Memorial Day’s about for me cause those guys not only left a legacy behind, they’ve got families they cared about just as much as freedom, and any way we can help them out we want to make sure we do that.”

Brantley will be part of a special ceremony at Arlington on Memorial Day. He anticipates it being an emotional day, but Brantley says it’s all part of the journey. “I think the emotional side of doing all that’s probably one of the most important parts. You know, it’s actually seeing these families come together and pay homage and pay their respects and it’s people they truly care about. It’s family and, you know, I think it’s important to see that. You know, if we’re gonna support our troops and not just say it (but) actually do it, they need to see the good, the bad and the ugly all around it, and Memorial Day’s a beautiful thing. Those guys paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. I think seeing those families and interacting with those families and the emotional side of it actually shows you how real it is.”

Wednesday (5/21)
ATHENS, GA: Ride kick-off event (private location; invite only)
ATLANTA, GA: Best Buy in-store album signing event (850 Cobb Place Blvd NW; Kennesaw, GA 30144) beginning at Noon
AUGUSTA, GA: Album signing event at Augusta Harley-Davidson (4200 Belair Frontage Road; Augusta, GA 30909) beginning at 7:00PM

Thursday (5/22)
COLUMBIA, SC: Walmart in-store album signing event (5556 Sunset Blvd, Lexington, SC 29072) beginning at NOON
GREENVILLE, SC: Best Buy in-store album signing event (1125 Woodruff Rd, Greenville, SC 29607) beginning at 6:00PM

Friday (5/23)
GAFFNEY, SC: SiriusXM listener LIVE broadcast event at Harold’s (private event; invite only)
CHARLOTTE, NC: Best Buy in-store album signing event (10221 Perimeter Pkwy; Charlotte, NC 28216) beginning at 6:00PM

Saturday (5/24)
CHARLOTTE, NC: Media event (private event; invite only)
FOREST CITY, IA: Tree Town Music Festival (concert event)

Sunday (5/25)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Indianapolis 500 media event (private event; invite only)
CHARLOTTE, NC: Coca Cola 600 pre-race concert at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
GREENSBORO, NC: Album signing event at Harley-Davidson of Greensboro (538 Farragut St, Greensboro, NC 27406) beginning at 3:00PM with Brantley performing at 8:00PM

Monday (5/26)
WASHINGTON, DC: Arlington National Cemetery Ceremony (private event; invite only)

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