Additional Coverage:
Country music legend George Strait recently found himself in hot water with fans over a Memorial Day tribute posted to his Instagram account. The now-deleted post, which featured a photo of the smiling singer alongside the words “Happy Memorial Day,” drew criticism for its use of the word “happy.”
The caption read, “God bless our heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. Happy Memorial Day! 🇺🇸” While the sentiment was appreciated by some, many followers felt that “happy” was inappropriate for a day meant to honor fallen service members.
Comments on the post ranged from polite corrections (“Not happy, but thanks”) to more pointed rebukes (“It ain’t a happy day man”). One commenter, identifying as the widow of a US Marine, wrote, “It’s very disappointing to see the word ‘happy’ in this message.
As the widow of a US Marine, I assure you there is nothing happy about this day. Today is a day of remembrance of those who gave all for our country.”
Another urged Strait’s social media team to remove the word “happy” from the post.
The post has since been deleted from Strait’s Instagram account.