Carpenter, a native of Columbia, Tenn., was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when he came under enemy fire and was fatally wounded on Valentine’s Day 2011. He passed away five days later, leaving behind his wife Chrissie who was pregnant with their first child, Landon. The town of Columbia later named a highway in honor of Carpenter and his service. Chrissie is the cousin of McCreery’s bass player, Nathan Thomas, who told the young singer about Carpenter’s life and sacrifice.
“My family and I have always been thankful for the men and women who protect us and lay down their lives to keep all Americans free,” said McCreery. “When Nathan told me the story about his cousin’s husband, I knew it was a very personal way to connect our audiences to the song ‘The Dash.’ On this day when we honor our military veterans, I could think of no better way to show my respect than to make sure my fans have a chance to know Andrew and his story. R.I.P. Andrew – there is no way I can truly thank you for your sacrifice, but I can make sure you are never forgotten.”
McCreery is currently touring in support of his sophomore album, See You Tonight, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts and features both his Gold-certified, Top 10 hit “See You Tonight” and his current Top 15 and climbing single, “Feelin’ It.” His record-breaking, Platinum-certified first album, Clear As Day, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, making him the first country artist, as well as the youngest artist, to do so with their debut studio album. Clear As Day, which features fan-favorite songs such as “Trouble with Girls,” “Water Tower Town” and “I Love You This Big,” reached No. 1 on five separate Billboard charts – Billboard Top 200, Top Current Albums, Digital Albums, Internet Albums and Top Country Albums. McCreery, who won the tenth season of “American Idol” in 2011, has sold more than two million albums, won the ACM New Artist of the Year Award in 2011 and was named the Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist at the 2013 American Country Awards. For tour dates and more information, visitwww.ScottyMcCreery.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottyMcCreery.