Josh Gracin
"I've always wanted to do something for a mass amount of people—just feel like I'm contributing in some way," Marine Lance Corporal Josh Gracin said of his military days. "I guess you could call it a hero complex. I thought serving my country would be the best way to do that and fill a part of my life with something I always wanted to do."

From 2000-2004, he trained in Paris Island, SC, and then was shipped to Camp Pendleton, CA. where Josh stayed busy as a supply administration and operations clerk. He waited until he was on leave to explore his music muse, but about halfway through his tour of duty, his wife urged him to audition for "American Idol." Josh ran the idea up the flagpole to see if his superiors would salute, and to his surprise, they did.

"I had a company officer who believed in me and was adamant about making sure I got a chance to be on the show," Josh said.

But not all the troops lined up in support.

"You had some marines that didn't really understand it and were a little taken the wrong way by it," Josh remembers. "After I won on the show and released the first album, I'd get nothing but good things said to me by Marines still in the Corps, and not just them but the Navy, Army, and all of the men and women in the service."

Josh says his stint in the Marines was physically demanding, but the experience also gave him the discipline to endure some of the rigors of the music industry, like some recent lengthy days promoting his new CD, We Weren't Crazy.

"I was in the studio for the past two days doing 13 hours of radio interviews," says Josh. "Every five minutes I was talking to another radio or TV station---Same questions, one after the other, and trying to remain upbeat and happy because it is a happy time."

Combating doldrums may not be as grueling as going on a full-pack long mountain hike, but mentally, it wore him out.

"I went to the house when I got home and passed out on the couch, and I never do that! I'm usually up until 2, 3 o'clock in the morning."