Country music star Craig Morgan performs the national anthem at the Chicago White Sox opening-day game versus the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Morgan was honored as the Hero of the Game. Morgan reenlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023. The veteran soldier, who served in Operation Just Cause in Panama, currently serves as an Army Reserve Assistant Bandmaster for the 313th Army Band, based in Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (David Lietz/U.S. Army Reserve)

What’s more American than baseball, country music and the Army?

Chicago White Sox fans got a dose of all three Thursday, when Warrant Officer Craig Morgan Greer — better known as country music star Craig Morgan — sang the national anthem at the White Sox’s season-opening game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

The “That’s What I Love About Sundays” singer, who reenlisted in the Army Reserve in August after a 13-year break, was also named the White Sox’s “Hero of the Game,” according to a news release from the Reserve’s 85th Support Command.

“I’m at a place professionally where I can serve again,” Morgan said in the release. “I saw there was an opportunity to have an impact on Army recruiting. I’m doing it so that people know you can do great things in this country. We should all be willing to make sacrifices for other people. I’ve been to over 90 countries, and I don’t know one that celebrates freedom like America does.”

Senior military leaders and civilian military officials also were at the ballpark to recognize Morgan.

“It’s pretty cool the White Sox are recognizing the U.S. Army, and that everyone in the stands respects the U.S. military,” Maj. Gen. Matthew Baker, commanding general, 88th Readiness Division, said. “We need more people to serve. We need to show the people in our community that we are serving and we are your neighbors. That’s what makes a great nation.”

Morgan originally enlisted in the Army in 1985. That stint lasted 17 years and nearly a decade on active duty. He deployed to South Korea and served in the Army and Army Reserve as a staff sergeant and fire support specialist with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. In 1989, he participated in the U.S. invasion of Panama.

Morgan said he grew up poor and the Army gave him a place to stay and a way to take care of his family. He credited his service with showing him the world and giving him an appreciation for America and the little things in life.

“We all had a goal of doing and being a part of something that was bigger and greater than just ourselves,” Morgan said. “I have taken that with me on everything that I have done since I’ve been out.”

Stars and Stripes reporter Svetlana Shkolnikova contributed to this report.

Country music star and Army Reserve Warrant Officer Craig Morgan is cheered by baseball fans as the “Hero of the Game” during the Chicago White Sox home opener versus the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on Thursday, March 28, 2024. (David Lietz/U.S. Army Reserve)