'God Bless the USA' star revives patriotic spirits brand benefiting veterans for America's 250th birthday

Just in time for America's 250th birthday, Grammy Award-winning country music icon Lee Greenwood — writer and singer of the enduring patriotic ballad "God Bless the USA" — is bringing back his collection of Soldier Valley Spirits after the original distillery closed in 2024. The brand supports veterans' and first-responder charities.

"We're really excited to relaunch this product," Greenwood told Fox News Digital in an interview. "[Soldier Valley Spirits] has been a charity organization since the beginning."

A portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold helps support veteran and first-responder charities, including Helping a Hero, the Tunnels to Towers Foundation and Folds of Honor.

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The lineup of spirits includes whiskey, bourbon or vodka. 

The "America's 250th Birthday Collection" includes all three.

The spirits come in commemorative World War II-inspired canteen-shaped bottles, which Greenwood told Fox News Digital were designed by a former Army sergeant.

Soldier Valley Spirits' objective is to support military heroes and their families, Greenwood said. The company's website says it is "built on the core values of faith, family and service to country."

The spirits make a fitting addition to a wedding, sporting event or serve as an after-dinner drink at a bar or casino, Greenwood said.

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"I would toast America" while drinking it, he said.

Soldier Valley Spirits is working to get the product into "as many stores as we can," Greenwood said. It's also available online and can be shipped to most states.

Greenwood is leading a series of high-profile events to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. He helped kick off the Great American State Fair, where he introduced President Donald Trump at the Freedom 250 celebration; he also performed "God Bless the USA" with the Marine Corps Band.

The 83-year-old singer and songwriter has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's National Patriot Award and has entertained troops on more than 30 United Service Organizations (USO) tours, according to Soldier Valley Spirits.

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He was appointed to the council of the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008 by President George W. Bush. 

Such appointments continued under Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump, who also appointed Greenwood to serve on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

"I've spent much of my career honoring the men and women who serve our country ever since my first USO tour in 1989 with Bob Hope," Greenwood said in a statement. 

"Soldier Valley Spirits is another way to say thank you. These are premium, American-made spirits that celebrate our shared values while helping support organizations that serve veterans and first-responder families."

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When he toured with Hope, Greenwood performed at eight shows in eight days across eight stops around the world, covering 25,000 miles, he told Fox News Digital. He said he "respected and admired" Hope, especially for "how much he gave during the Vietnam era."

Greenwood was on the back of a bus when he wrote "God Bless the USA," he said, adding that he's proud to be an American because he doesn't know "if there's another country that would have given me [the] opportunity" to be rewarded as he has through hard work.

Greenwood released "God Bless the USA" in 1984, and the song peaked that year at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, according to Billboard.

The song charted several more times — during the Gulf War and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — before reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 36 years after its release.

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Greenwood recalled that he wasn't certain he would release the iconic song, but his record label made the call.

"There was nothing I could follow it with" after performing it for the first few times, he said. "There was nothing bigger than that in my show."

Greenwood released his "American Patriot" album, which includes recordings of classic American ballads, in 1992.

He is set to receive the 2026 All-American Icon Award and perform "God Bless the USA" during the Countdown 250 Ball on Friday in Washington, D.C., according to a news release.

Fox News Digital's Kelly McGreal contributed to this report.