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Toby Keith never flinched when it came to defending this country, and these lyrics are the reason an entire generation grew up unafraid to be patriotic.He wrote "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" in 2002 after September 11, and it became the anthem that said what millions of Americans were feeling but could not put into words. It was bold. It was unapologetic. And it was exactly what this country needed at that moment.His father was a veteran who passed away six months before the attacks. The grief and the fire inside him poured out in 20 minutes, and the result was a song that will outlive every critic who ever tried to silence it.As America celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, Toby Keith is not here to sing it for us. But his words are. And they always will be.God bless Toby Keith. God bless the U.S.A.