Kelsey Grammer says he sometimes feels he missed a chance to serve his country by not joining the military when he was young. Still, he isn’t sure he would make a different choice if he could relive that period of his life.
In a recent interview, the 71-year-old actor spoke about his new giant-screen documentary, “America the Beautiful,” and his efforts to support members of the military. He said he carries a lingering sense of inadequacy because he never served, and tries to make up for it when he can.
Grammer recalled that the Vietnam War was underway when he was a young man. He had registered for the draft and was prepared to go if his number came up, but the U.S. withdrawal came just before he expected to learn his fate. He was relieved not to be called, he said, though he believes he would have gone if required.
One of his early jobs was at the Shakespeare Festival in San Diego. During that time, he sometimes ate lunch at the Point Loma military cemetery, near the grave of a young man who had died in Vietnam. The soldier was only eight months older than Grammer, a memory he said was heartbreaking.
As a father, Grammer talks with his children about the sacrifices people have made to protect the country. He encourages them to see service as worthwhile, though he joked that their mother would be unhappy if he urged them to enlist.
He also reflects with them on the Revolutionary War and other major conflicts throughout history. Grammer praised the families whose loved ones are serving today and spoke about the enormous loss of life in the First World War. Armistice Day, observed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and later known as Veterans Day in the United States, marked the war’s end. Yet another world war followed a generation later, he noted, adding that he hopes conflict will eventually cease.
Grammer’s connection to Veterans Day is personal. His grandfather served as a colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II and helped raise him. Grammer said his grandfather’s courage and dedication were qualities he admired, and he hopes to pass on both the memory of him and respect for what he endured.
His documentary, “America the Beautiful,” is another way he is honoring his grandfather and others who have served. The film, made in connection with the country’s 250th anniversary, celebrates America’s landscapes and the bond people have with the land. It is scheduled to open Nov. 11.
Grammer said the project grew from the idea that the country’s natural beauty is connected to the sacrifices made to defend it. National forests and parks, he said, inspire visitors and remain part of the country’s shared inheritance because people have worked to protect the nation at home and abroad.
While working on the film, Grammer learned more about Theodore Roosevelt’s belief that physical life, creativity and ideas all needed preserving. Roosevelt drew comfort and inspiration from nature, Grammer said, and wanted others to be able to form their own relationship with the wilderness.
Grammer hopes viewers come away with a stronger sense of the country’s natural beauty, which he described as powerful and central to the national identity. The Badlands stood out most among the places he visited. He said the landscape felt almost sacred, like being on God’s land.
During the trip, he also saw Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, a privately funded project that has been under construction for decades. Grammer reflected on the memorial’s depiction of Crazy Horse pointing toward the land, and on the words associated with him: “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”
For Grammer, that story speaks to the meeting of cultures and to the importance of the land itself. He described America as a place of abundant, renewing life and said he was proud to be part of the documentary.
“America the Beautiful” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 11, in IMAX, giant-screen and dome theaters. Some theaters are planning free Veterans Day screenings for veterans.
