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A good friend of mine, Honolulu lawyer Jim Hochberg, forwarded a link this week which really made me pause. It's a video clip of a song written for WWII vets. The story surrounding the song is very touching:
The elderly parking lot attendant wasn't in a good mood! Neither was Sam Bierstock. It was around 1 a.m., and Bierstock, a Delray Beach, FL., eye doctor, business consultant, corporate speaker and musician, was bone tired after appearing at an event. He pulled up in his car, and the parking attendant began to speak. "I took two bullets for this country and look what I'm doing," he said bitterly.
At first, Bierstock didn't know what to say to the World War II veteran.
But he rolled down his window and told the man, "Really, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you." Then the old soldier began to cry.
"That really got to me," Bierstock says.
So Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano Beach - a member of Bierstock's band, Dr. Sam and the Managed Care Band - wrote a song inspired by that old soldier in the airport parking lot. The mournful "Before You Go" does more than salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages people to go out of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die.
"If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would have been
shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "The WW II soldiers are now dying at the rate of about 2,000 every day. I thought we needed to thank them."
The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock placing it on
the Web, the song and accompanying photo essay have bounced around nine countries, producing tears and heartfelt thanks from veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren. "It made me cry," wrote one veteran's son. Another sent an e-mail saying that only after his father consumed several glasses of wine would he discuss "the unspeakable horrors" he and other soldiers had witnessed in places such as Anzio, Iwo Jima, Bataan and Omaha Beach. "I can never thank them enough," the son wrote. "Thank you for thinking about them."
Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a professional
singer, maybe a Lee Greenwood type, but because time was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to release it quickly, for free, on the Web.! They've sent the song to Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. Already they have been invited to perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just a few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a chance to hear it.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO HEAR THE SONG AND SEE THE PICTURES:
http://www.managedmusic.com/beforeyougo.html
This tribute reminded me of the only WWII vet I've had the pleasure of meeting, Mr. Dick Fiske. My kids and I were honored to spend some time with him at the Arizona Memorial when we visited several years ago. What stories he had to tell! He passed away in 2004 but many visitors to the memorial will remember Dick with his trademark white Bismark mustache and standard blue Pearl Harbor survivor vest. Most, though, have probably never heard even half of his stories. Here are some of them:
As a military wife I'm especially honored by what he has to say in this article:
And now, I think I'll go find a WWII vet just to say "thank you."
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Friday, June 9, 2006 - Another tear jerker post Sheri!
Thanks for sharing! Be sure to check out the ones that folks posted on the military blog! We are getting some participation...it's SO cool!
Hugs,
trish
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