Craig Morgan Says Army Made Him Better Writer

10/4/2007 Stephen L. Betts Craig Morgan tells the Lancaster (Pa.) New Era he bagan writing song while in the army. “It was for me what it is for a lot of soldiers and service men,” he says. “It was an outlet. You could close your eyes and see the things you were hearing. The country music format does that better than any other format.” The Nashville native was active in the military for 11 years, stationed in Korea, Panama and the first Desert Storm. “I think it's made me a better song writer, that's for sure,” says Craig. “I've done everyday stuff, it's what I write about.”   Craig won a songwriting contest and also won the U.S. Army male vocalist of the year. “I left active duty (in 1996) and got into the reserves (until 2004) so I could pursue music,” he says. “My dad was a key player in convincing me to do that.” Craig's father has been a country musician himself and he saw talent in his son. “Mostly, he didn't want me to stay in the army,” Craig says with a laugh. “I'd been in a couple of wars and while he was proud of me, he was excited about me getting out of the army. Deep down I thought I'd do it for a year or two and then go back into the army. It wasn't until my third album that I thought I might be able to stay in music.”