Country star Brantley Gilbert shared an older, unreleased song titled "Gone But Not Forgotten" on Aug. 28 as a tribute to the 13 American service members killed recently during an attack at the airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
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An official lyric video followed on Thursday (Sept. 16).
CNN reports that Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, Navy medic Maxton Soviak and 11 Marines (Rylee McCollum, Daegan Page, Hunter Lopez, Jared M. Schmitz, Nicole L. Gee, Darin T. Hoover, Kareem M. Nikoui, Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Humberto A. Sanchez, David L. Espinoza, and Dylan R. Merola) died while serving their country.
"(Thirteen) brave American heroes made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom this week," Gilbert wrote on social media. "In hard times like this, I always find myself turning to music. I wrote this song a while back as a tribute to all of the folks we've lost, both overseas and in our own communities here at home. Wanted to share it with y'all in hopes it might resonate with someone who needs to hear it right now."
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Gilbert's musical ode to those we lost too soon isn't his first tribute to the military. BG Nation favorite "One Hell of an Amen" was inspired by Army Sgt. Jonathan E. Lootens' 2006 death in Iraq at age 25. Nor should we expect it to be the last addition to his patriotic playlist.
"Servicemen and servicewomen are heroes, and I believe the families they leave behind in order to serve are the unsung heroes," Gilbert told We Are the Mighty in April. "They're also making sacrifices to ensure our health and safety. I wanted to make sure they knew that we appreciate them just as much as we appreciate those in the uniform."
For something much lighter, check out Gilbert's new single and music video: Toby Keith and Hardy collaboration "The Worst Country Song."
