Mark Newton and Steve Thomas chose November 11, Veteran’s Day, to release their new single, Great American Hero, written by Mark Brinkman as a tribute to all the people who make sacrifices to help and serve others, regardless of their military background.
The song is available now through Pinecastle Records at iTunes and other popular online download sites like Amazon and CD Baby. Radio programmers can download it through Airplay Direct.
Great American Hero is written in a format familiar to country music fans, where each verse shares a vignette from the point of view of a different American hero, only to have the point driven home in the chorus.
Brinkman says that the song was inspired by his own son joining the military.
“As my son, Zac, was joining the USAF I began thinking about ‘heroes’ and the moral fabric of our nation today. I wanted to write a song to make a statement and honor the ‘real’ heroes in our lives. The dad that works double shifts so that his kids might go to college and have a better life than he did….the mom that keeps the family together, sacrifices personal gain for the benefits of her children…the teacher that can shape the life of a child and inspire them on to a lifetime of learning and contribution to society…and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day for our freedom. These are the ‘real’ heroes that we need to be lifting up! I hope the song helps to redefine the word ‘hero’ and focus on the people with hero qualities – sacrifice, selfless, caring, courage, giving, love, fearless, etc.”
All sales proceeds from this release will be donated to the American Security Council Foundation, an organization dedicated to the concept of peace through strength. They formed during the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, based on his belief that only a commitment to military superiority would defeat the Soviet Union. The ASCF continues to pursue this doctrine now that the former Soviet Union has dissolved.