The American Music Awards honored Darius Rucker with the Veterans Voice Award.
The 52nd American Music Awards are being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the 60-year-old American singer, musician, and songwriter was awarded the Veterans Voice Award.
The award was presented by USAA’s Honor Through Action, which bestows recognition upon artists who use their platforms to make enduring and meaningful change in the lives of those who served.
Starting his acceptance speech, Rucker said, “It’s called the Veterans Voice Award, and I take that to heart big time because all of us can use our voice to support these brave men and women who are serving our country.”
“We’ve got to make sure that they feel appreciated, not just on big days like Memorial Day, but every day.”
“You learn real quick what resilience looks like when you’re sitting and talking to the military families. Because the sacrifice isn’t just the person in uniform, it’s their spouse. It’s their kids. It’s their parents, it’s their cousin, it’s their brother, it’s their sister, it’s their friends,” the Wagon Wheel hitmaker noted.
Rucker shared a message he once heard from a veteran to conclude his speech, saying, “He said to me that when somebody says to him, ‘Thank you for your service,’ he says, ‘Thank you for living a life worth serving.’”
“And that’s what we all should be doing right now. We should be striving to become a community and become a country that we deserve what they sacrificed,” the three-time Grammy winner noted.
It is pertinent to mention that the musician has been associated with the Military Warriors Support Foundation, with which he helped provide over 20 mortgage-free homes to veterans.
Notably, the award was also an appreciation for Darius Rucker’s time performing on many foreign USO tours and at events such as the DoD Warrior Games, which support veterans.
