Kelsey Grammer

“I will always have an annoying sort of sense of smallness that I didn't serve, but I do my best to make up for it,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said he will always feel regret for not having served in the military but does his best to make up for it.

“I mean, he raised me, but his bravery and his courage and his commitment to the country, these were active, living, breathing things that he was … he embodied that. And, so, it's always been my hope to kind of pass that along a little bit. At least a remembrance of him, respect for what he was able to do in the face of extraordinary hardship.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer described his grandfather's bravery and commitment to the country and his hope to pass that respect along.

“It's an amazing thing that a private family's been working on it for 60 years, maybe longer, where it's just Crazy Horse seated on his steed, and he says, with his finger pointing outwards, sort of like this, he says, ‘My lands are where my dead lie buried.’ WATCH: Kelsey Grammer hopes viewers see ‘the overwhelming beauty we have been given’ in new documentary”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer described the Crazy Horse monument and quoted the saying associated with it: 'My lands are where my dead lie buried.'

“I used to work in San Diego. It was one of my first jobs at the Shakespeare Festival there, and I would go over to the Point Loma Military Graveyard and have a lunch sometimes. And I'd sit next to this cross that I'd found of a young man who was really only eight months older than I was who had died in Vietnam. And it just broke my heart.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer recounted working at the Shakespeare Festival in San Diego and visiting the Point Loma Military Graveyard where he found a cross of a young man who died in Vietnam.

“There's a lot of wonderful patriotic people in our country today whose children and whose husbands and wives are serving, and my hat is off to them all. And we salute them. I mean, with this particular thing, the 11 hour, the 11 day, 11th month, Armistice Day originally, now Veterans Day at the end of the first World War. Remarkable. The number of people who died in that war,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer expressed gratitude to patriotic people whose family members are serving and reflected on the history of Veterans Day.

“I looked up to him like a kid would,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said he looked up to his grandfather like a kid would.

“The Americans that have gotten to know our national forests and our national parks. They are inspired by them every day and blessed by the fact that they're still here. And I think that speaks in large part of the sacrifices that people make abroad and at home to secure our future and to defend our country.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said Americans who visit national forests and parks are inspired by them, reflecting the sacrifices people make to defend the country.

“will always try and instruct them with the idea that service to your country is a good idea.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

As a father, Grammer said he tries to teach his children that service to the country is a good idea.

“It was a really interesting time.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer described the era of the Vietnam War as an interesting time when considering whether he would have served differently.

“their mom would get mad at me.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said he would encourage his children to serve but their mom would get mad at him.

“President Nixon pulled us out just before I would have gone down to get my number.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said he had signed up for the draft but Nixon withdrew troops before his number was drawn.

“So, certainly the hope was that it would never happen again and, sure enough, a generation later, we were fighting World War II. Amazing. And we go on. We continue. Hopefully it'll end one day.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer reflected on the hope that war would never happen again after World War I and that hopefully it will end one day.

“sort of in full flair,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer recalled that when he was a young man the Vietnam War was in full swing.

“It was just an amazing day we spent there and, of course, then we went and saw Mount Rushmore. We also saw on the way there … a mountain called a Crazy Horse, which is like four times bigger than Mount Rushmore,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer described visiting the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse monument during filming.

“That was the original idea of the movie, why they made it, and they invited me to join in. I think it's absolutely apropos. I mean, without the sacrifices that have been made by our military men and women, then we might not actually have this treasure of national beauty that we do have,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer discussed being invited to join the film 'America the Beautiful' and the connection between military sacrifice and national beauty.

“So, I was thankful for not having to go, make that decision, but I would've gone. If my number had been up, I woulda gone. But I was, I was thankful not to,”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said he was thankful not to have to make the decision to go to Vietnam but would have gone if his number was called.

“I felt like I was in a holy place”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer called the Badlands his favorite place and said he felt like he was in a holy place there.

“people have been doing”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer noted that serving in the military is something people have been doing for many years.

“was always an inspiration to me.”

Kelsey Grammer · said date not stated · reported 2026-11-11

Grammer said his grandfather, who served as a colonel in World War II, was always an inspiration to him.