The Weight Of The Badge' George Strait Honors First Responders With Emotional Song

In one of the most inspiring videos you’ll see on the internet, ‘The Weight Of The Badge’ by George Strait honors first responders with an emotional song. And you don’t want to miss it. If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation in life when first responders were needed, you’ll want to watch and share!

The idea of the song was first conceived when George was honored with the 2018 Texan of the Year Award. for his efforts to raise funds and awareness for Hurricane Harvey relief. George explained that during the ceremony, his grandson Harvey was given a badge from one of the security officers at the ceremony. The officer let his grandson play with the badge and pin it to his shirt. In that moment, George realized the badge isn’t that heavy until you put it on, and then the weight of what it becomes powerful because of what it represents.

The country singer then collaborated with this son Bubba and his songwriter friend, Dean Dillon. The melancholy tune captures the duty, honor, and responsibilities first responders carry when they choose to sign up for a dangerous job that puts their lives on the line.

The song also captures the weight of what each family member carries when their loved ones leave for work:

He spends his life just like his dad's
Driving away under the weight of the badge

This video follows first responders, officers, emergency professionals, and firefighters. In the video, a police officer’s wife said, “Every time he leaves, I always say call me or text me because I want to make sure he’s okay because I know it’s a possibility that he may not be some time. That’s the biggest weight and I feel like a lot of times when he leaves when I give him a hug and kiss goodbye, I always hold on to him for a couple of extra seconds. Just because.”

A firefighter responded to George Strait’s song too. She commented, “So for me, the weight of the badge is the weight of the pager. When the tones go off, the emergency comes in and you’re going.”

One officer in the video recounts how hard it is to put the badge down at the end of the day when he goes home and tries to leave work at work. He said, “But you still have to leave and go home and take that badge off. But after you’ve had that long day at work your heart is still heavy because of what you’ve seen.”

The video has already had more than 465k views, and it’s catching on like fire--rightly so. With all the turmoil going on in this country, thank God for first responders and their families. They kiss their loved ones goodbye and they don’t know if they will come home. May we all take a moment to ask God for his hand of protection and comfort to be on these brave and courageous heroes in our community.

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” Psalm 144:1-2