July 11, 2016 at 3:12 p.m.
Neal McCoy reaches out to soldier who gave him friend's hat
Neal McCoy reaches out to soldier who gave him friend's hat
By Kayla Thomason-
Sgt. Jeremy Miller, a Rhinelander native, gave McCoy the hat, which was owned by another soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice, during the 2015 Hodag.
McCoy harnessed the power of social media earlier this month to reach out to Miller.
The singer posted a message expressing his desire to find the soldier who gave him the hat at last year's festival and it spread like fire.
Miller learned about the message and made contact with the singer.
"When Neal called me it was like 'wow Neal McCoy is calling me,'" said Miller. "We were on the phone for roughly 30 (minutes) just talking as if we were friends."
In 2009, Miller and his friend (whose name he did not share) saw McCoy, Toby Keith and a few other country singers at a USO concert.
"My friend (was) a huge fan of Neal and a huge fan of George Strait," Miller said. "So we saw them. He loved it and then (a few months later) he died on my 21st birthday in Iraq due to IED (improvised explosive device)."
With everything they had been through, Miller viewed his friend as another member of his family.
"He was not just a friend," Miller said. "We graduated basic (training) together and we became family and I (treated) him like one of my little brothers."
Miller held onto his friend's hat but last year - during his fifth Hodag Country Festival - he decided to give it to McCoy.
"I gave Neal the hat last year at Hodag," Miller said. "He wears it all the time he says."
Miller chose McCoy because of the singer's support of military men and women.
McCoy has been on 15 USO tours all over the world entertaining U.S. troops.
"Part of the reason why I chose Neal is because he loves his military guys," Miller said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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