Listening to this song always stirs American pride in me - I don't mistake it for our National Anthem, but I like the words and the musical composition. And this particular rendition - enhanced by the cast of heroes who are serving and/or have served our country - gave me chill bumps!! I found it inspiring, uplifting, and unifying. Which, by the way, was the artist's intent. (see below) I have never felt "forced allegiance" to this song nor encountered anyone that mistook it for our national anthem. I certainly do not feel pressured to stand when it is performed, but if I had been there to witness this production, I probably would have to show respect to the military performers.
From Lee Greenwood (excerpt from article in The Boot written by Pat Gallagher)
"I wanted to write it my whole life. When I got to that point, we were doing 300 days a year on the road, and we were on our fourth or fifth album on MCA. I called my producer, and I said, "I have a need to do this." I've always wanted to write a song about America, and I said, "We just need to be more united."
To the OP, thank you for sharing!
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