Entertaining Our Troops

Veterans "storm" the WWII Memorial. Photo: Business Insider

On October 1, 2013, military veterans taking part in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. found the gates to the World War II Memorial closed. The monument is dedicated to the veterans of that war and the memory of their fallen comrades, and the sacrifice each made—not only for the United States of America, but truly for the whole world. For many of the aging soldiers, the trip would surely be their last chance to visit the memorial. It was reported that the veterans from “The Greatest Generation”—with the assistance of their chaperones­—“stormed” the gates of the memorial. 

I can only imagine how the adrenaline must have pumped faster through the veins of these old soldiers that day—much like the day they stormed the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, and every small but significant bunker and stronghold in both the European and Pacific theaters. Nothing was going to stop these men [and women] from their objective then, and not even their own government policies were going to stop them now. Truly inspiring!

Reporting for Duty

Acappella Al addresses the audience.

Here at home, a small group of karaoke singers volunteer once a month to entertain the residents at the Clement J. Zablocki V.A. Hospital in Milwaukee. My fellow performers had often asked me to participate, and I have been wanting to do so for many years. But the event­­—held in the middle of the day on a Friday—usually conflicted with my work schedule.

However, the freelance design work I do now allows me to set my own schedule. Even being in school two days a week would not interfere with my participation. So on October 4th, with encouragement from my karaoke friends, I showed up for duty to entertain the troops.

The audience was made up of mostly World War II veterans and vets from the Korean and Vietnam wars. Because participation is voluntary, the singers vary from month to month. On this particular day, the entertainment line up included: Acappella Al, Gloria, Dave W., Elvis Eddie, Judy, me and the karaoke host Kalani. Each of us sang one song in a four round rotation.

Gloria's sultry style captures the hearts of the audience.

Acappella Al opened the show with a brief  “thank you” to the audience for their service to our country. He then sang “God Bless America”...sans music. But for his rendition of  Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, Al performed with music, borrowing a black fedora from Dave W.

Gloria sang a wonderful mix of standards and torch songs, and Judy belted out classic show tunes. Elvis Eddie did his best to invoke the spirit of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll with “American Trilogy”. Kalani sang a heartfelt version of “I Believe” and a deeply soulful, Ray Charles’ rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

With costumes and props, Dave W.  was a “one-man-show.” His first round song choice, “The Monster Mash”, provoked smiles and laughter from the audience. His song and dance interpretation of Right Said Fred’s 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy” made the rest of us blush!

Dave W. performs "The Monster Mash" as Kalani and Al look on.

As for me...I was a bit nervous. Even after having worked extensively with several veteran organizations during my career, I was somewhat apprehensive about what kind of songs the V.A. hospital residents might like to hear. Did they want to be reminded of the old days? Were they familiar with more contemporary songs? Dave W. reassured me, “Just sing what you sing best.”

When I first took the mic, it struck me that the room was very bright. I could see everybody’s face and I was acutely aware that their eyes were on me! It was different from karaoke at night, when the lights are low, and people aren’t really paying too much attention to you because they are socializing with the others at their table. No. This was very different. Cue the nerves.

Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days...

The music began, and I started to sing the 1987 song “Grandpa” by the Judds. The lyrics were not lost on the audience as some of them wiped tears from their eyes. Seeing their emotion made me choke up, too. Admittedly, it was not the best performance I’ve done of this particular song, but I got through it­—with a lot of perspiration.

Is this thing on??

For the second round I sang Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You.” This time, I was a little more relaxed and it was a little easier to look at the faces in the audience.

Not knowing what to sing for the third round, again I turned to my buddy Dave W. “I want to sing ‘Fire’ by the Pointer Sisters. What do you think?” Dave squinched his nose. “Why don’t you do Bette Midler’s ‘The Rose’?" he suggested. "I know you think you do that one a lot," Dave reasoned, "but these people never heard you sing it.” So, I went with Dave’s recommendation...and I’m thankful I did!

At the beginning of the song, a technical SNAFU occurred that resulted with the words on the monitor, but no sound. When Kalani restarted the program, the music began again, this time without incident. However, at the end of the first verse, the monitor went completely blank, but the music kept going! We all looked to Kalani, who exclaimed, “I don’t know what happened!” “I do...” I playfully retorted, “Keep your hands off that computer keyboard when I’m trying to sing!” The audience laughed. (Nerves in check.)

Dave W.: "Too Sexy"

Kalani was about to restart the song again, but I stopped him, “No, no,” I said quickly. “Leave it. I know it...I’ll do it without the monitor.” So I picked up the second verse and continued singing. The monitor helps a performer remember the words and gives them something to look at besides the audience. But if a performer really wants to connect with his or her audience, eye contact is essential. So, cue the nerves and perspiration...again!

At the end of the last note, the audience and my karaoke comrades applauded the performance. “Boy!” Dave W. smiled, “Lucky you chose that song! If that was gonna happen, you could not have asked for it to happen during a better song: one you know well!”

No Regrets

On occasion, karaoke singers will ask fellow performers to assist with a duet. I’ve done a few in my time, but I was not prepared for such a request from Elvis Eddie on this day. He asked me if I would sing Elvis Presley’s version of “Amazing Grace” with him. I know the song, but I’d never sung it before. Moreover, certain songs­—namely Gospels and Hymns­—make me weep. I tried to decline Eddie’s request, but he countered my gentle protests with “So, weep.” There was not much time to debate, and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try. I agreed to the duet.

Elvis Eddie mugs for the camera...

With Eddie confidently in the lead, I attempted to harmonize with him as I had so often heard the Jordanaires harmonize with Elvis. Focusing more on Eddie, than on the monitor, mine was the weak link of the performance. But it made Eddie happy, and it made the audience happy. The small personal victory: I didn’t choke up or get weepy. I tend to think that perhaps it made God a little happy, too.

Only a handful of residents were left by the time I would sing my final song. I chose a slightly more up-tempo Terri Clark song, “Easy on the Eyes.” As the music started, one elderly lady began to clap along. Then one of the older gentlemen got up and took her by the hand, and they danced. There were smiles all around, and the few audience members who were still there applauded enthusiastically when I finished singing. I felt a little like Ann-Margret in the U.S.O. !

Two hours had passed and the show was over. Judy said, “That’s never happened before.” “What?” I asked. Dave W. told me, “They never danced for anyone before. You did good.” I thought about that. These veterans were appreciative of the time we took to entertain them. They laughed, they cried, and they danced. Dave and Eddie's encouragement was a reminder that I was not there for myself (or my ego)...I was there for the veterans. 

When reflecting on the meaning of Veterans Day, it is important to remember that Freedom is not “free”, it is bought with effort, sacrifice and blood. Without the men and women who served in the United States armed forces, we as citizens of this country would not enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted. Among them are the Freedom to gather together to meet and celebrate and the Freedom to express ourselves in written word and song. Volunteering in this manner was just a meager tolkan of appreciation to the soldiers, and the ideals to which they were dedicated, and the principles for which they fought. None of it is forgotten.

It was a humble way to say “Thank You” for a brave thing they did.

Inspired by veterans every where.