Black Rifle Coffee Co-Founder Honors Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day With Emotional New Music Video

On Monday, the United States will take a moment to honor those service members who paid the ultimate price for freedom. While Memorial Day will feature parades, ceremonies, and more than a few cookouts, Mat Best, the co-founder of Black Rifle Coffee, wanted to do more than just take a moment to remember those fallen soldiers. A member of the armed forces himself, Best recently released a new country song focused on the power of the “Folded Flag.” 

Videos by American Songwriter

With the weekend full of plans and trips, Best wanted to offer Americans a little music for the road. But at the same time, “Folded Flag” was a reminder of what it cost to be free. According to the song’s description, “’Folded Flag’ is a tribute to the men and women who gave everything for this nation and the families who carry their memory forward. Time takes every man, but some are folded into this flag, passed to the living, and never to return.”  

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Mat Best Taking Care Of Service Members Long After Memorial Day

While featuring Best, the co-founder teamed up with the Major Brent Taylor Foundation to bring the idea to life. Sadly, the foundation was created after Taylor was killed in 2018 while deployed in Afghanistan under the Utah Army National Guard. 

As for Best, he joined the Army while still a teenager. Throughout the years that followed, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan a total of five times. Eventually leaving the military, he used his set of skills as a CIA contractor. 

Now, with Best owning a company and exploring a career as a country singer, he never forgot about the military that shaped him. “Serving my country and service to this great nation is literally the fabric of my being. And I think you see that in the ethos of Black Rifle. And that’s why Evan [Black Rifle Coffee chairman] and I have been in business together for 12 years. We see eye to eye on sort of this country and taking care of the folks that raise their right hand.” 

Already gaining praise from fans, Best wanted “Folded Flag” to remind Americans of the sacrifice carried by countless military families long after the ceremonies end.

(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)