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Country star Chris Young celebrates his Marine sister on Veterans Day

“Time is probably the most valuable commodity there is and all these veterans should be celebrated for that and their sacrifice and service,” he said.
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Chris Young performs on Nov. 26, 2019 in Franklin, Tennessee.Jason Kempin / Getty Images for CMT/Viacom
/ Source: TODAY

Chris Young has a close connection to Veterans Day: His younger sister, Dot, is a Marine.

“She’s out now, but once a Marine, always a Marine,” he told TODAY on Monday. “I remember the first time I said she was a 'former' Marine and I thought she was going to hit me with a chair.”

Young’s sister and brother-in-law both served in the military, which makes Veterans Day “very personal” for him.

“It’s … an opportunity to put her in the spotlight a little bit and how proud I am of her,” he said.

“Time is probably the most valuable commodity there is and all these veterans should be celebrated for that and their sacrifice and service,” he explained.

“I’m very aware of the time away because she and I have been close since we were kids. I went through a large span of time where I didn’t get to see her,” Young added. “That’s something that made it very very tangible for me.”

Young has partnered with USAA to promote a social media campaign on Wednesday thanking veterans. He, along with USAA, is encouraging people to post a photo of themselves with the letter V on their hands and the initials of a veteran they’d like to thank. They’re using the hashtag #HonorThroughAction all day on Wednesday to share the photos.

“You never know who this is going to touch,” Young said. “It’s one of those things…people who didn’t even know this was happening and they see it and it makes their day a little bit brighter.”

And after the “crazy, crazy” year 2020 has been, Young hopes veterans can rest easy on Wednesday.

“It’s just been a very different year,” he said. “Maybe they need to hear it a little bit more this week.”