day 318: orville, on july 4th

In church today we all stood to sing The Star Spangled Banner, and Orville, the sweet man in front of me, cried into his white handkerchief until his wife held and patted his hand and managed to get him feeling better.  This is the same man that stood in the bottom of a metal ship, holding the rail, all the way (when he was awake) from Seattle to Korea.

Who knows how people who have been to battle feel when they hear these songs?  I know I don't.  But I am thankful, just the same, for their sacrifice and service.

13 comments

LisAway | July 4, 2010 at 2:41 PM

Amen.

amber_mtmc | July 4, 2010 at 7:12 PM

I often wonder about this same thing. The things they witnessed must have been horrifying. God bless our troops in body, heart, and mind.

wendy | July 4, 2010 at 8:11 PM

Seeing him cry....would make me cry for sure.
I love the depth of patriotism and I can't imagine how much more it would be for those who have EXPERIENCED more of it.

Connie | July 4, 2010 at 10:54 PM

Very touching. All the patriotic songs that we sang today brought a tear to my eye.

Barbaloot | July 4, 2010 at 11:38 PM

That's so touching. I'm glad your ward stood-my singles' ward didn't know that's what you're supposed to do...I had to get them started.

gigi | July 5, 2010 at 10:03 AM

Amen, Sister! I love that we sang all those great songs in church yesterday too. Proud feelings.

The Way I See It | July 5, 2010 at 10:44 PM

I don't know how they feel either, but my heart swells in gratitude and I felt a strong surge of emotion during our meeting as well. I think everyone felt it and we were all singing with feeling. Bless all those men and women who have made it possible for us to enjoy this free land.

Ca88andra | July 6, 2010 at 2:54 AM

Other people's stories are often so moving. We should remember not to forget all the stories. I love the Star Spangled Banner.

Jenny | July 6, 2010 at 2:59 PM

Ditto... we sang the same song!

Luann | July 7, 2010 at 10:40 AM

I didn't notice Orville on Sunday, but when we sang, I cried all the same. We are blessed in so many ways.

Stacy | July 7, 2010 at 9:29 PM

We got to sing the "Star Spangled Banner" in a huge congregation in Torrey, UT. It was pretty incredible. Then, during the testimony part of the meeting, a 96 year old veteran stood up to bear his testimony, and we got to hear a few war stories. I'm not generally a tears-in-the-eyes kind of person, but I was that day.

Kim | July 9, 2010 at 5:47 AM

I can only imagine how they feel, I bawl like a baby everytime.

Mrs4444 | July 9, 2010 at 7:58 PM

Me, too. Loved this.