George Strait's 11th annual Vaqueros del Mar golf tournament and benefit concert raised $1.7 million for the Feherty's Troops First Foundation.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Strait hosted the fundraiser in October 2021 with longtime friend and business owner Tom Cusick.
Per a press release, host site Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort donated $25,000 toward the nearly $2 million total which directly benefits members of our armed forces and their families. Strait and Cusick co-own the Boerne, Texas venue.
Rick Kell co-founded the Troops First Foundation in 2008 with David Feherty, a retired PGA golfer. Per its website, the foundation "was created to develop, operate and support wellness, quality of life and event-based initiatives for post-9/11 combat-injured warriors."
Outsider reports that the annual event opens each year with a gala and live auction presented by Strait, Cusick and Feherty.
Per Taste of Country, the Vaqueros del Mar Invitational Golf Tournament has raised more than $10 million over the years for veterans and members of the military.
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It's not the first time the King of Country Music tipped his hat this fall to others' sacrifices. On National First Responders Day (Oct. 28), Strait shared a music video for "The Weight of the Badge" to honor police officers and firefighters.
Strait co-wrote "The Weight of the Badge" with his son Bubba Strait and songwriting great Dean Dillon. It first appeared on the elder Strait's 2019 album Honky Tonk Time Machine.
"The Weight of the Badge" Lyrics
It's gonna be a long one, another graveyard shift
As he says goodbye to his wife and kids
He spent his life just like his dad's
Driving away under the weight of the badge
He's seen it all in his fifteen years
Watching our backs, facing our fears
Lord knows it ain't no easy task
Keeping us safe under the weight of the badge
He swore that oath to protect and serve
Pours his heart and soul into both those words
Lays his life on the line
The line he walks is razor fine
Tempered strength is always tough
But he ain't gonna buckle
Under the weight of the badge
Not that long ago he woke up in the hospital
With his wife and kids praying by his bed
He said, "I'm gonna be alright, there's just sometimes you gotta fight"
And the truth is nothing truer could be said
I do it for us and I do it for them
And I ain't gonna buckle under the weight of the badge
It doesn't weigh a lot until you put it on
And the weight of it is staggering
Then duty calls each time
He knows he's got to answer
And it's all in the handling the weight
Oh, the heavy weight of the badge
And he ain't gonna buckle
Under the weight of the badge
No, he ain't gonna buckle
Under the weight of the badge
