Airman inspires others, self by singing national anthem

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Sam Hymas
  • 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFPN) --  I come from a very musical family. There were always singing and musical instruments heard in our house when I was growing up. Because of an unfortunate and traumatic piano lesson experience, I avoided joining my family in the noise-making until I was a teenager. While in high school, I discovered that girls tended to be attracted to guys who could sing, so I somehow found some motivation to overcome my childhood scarring.

I joined choirs, learned some basic music theory and took voice lessons. It wasn't long before I was a pretty confident singer. I continued studying music and voice in college and I even got a girlfriend or two out of the deal.

After I joined the Air Force, I noticed there were opportunities to sing even in the military but it was pretty much only one song: "The Star-Spangled Banner." 

Our national anthem is notoriously difficult to sing because of its wide range -- an octave and a half. Humorist Richard Armour referred to the song's difficulty in his book "It All Started With Columbus."

"In an attempt to take Baltimore, the British attacked Fort McHenry, which protected the harbor," he wrote. "Bombs were soon bursting in air, rockets were glaring, and all in all it was a moment of great historical interest. During the bombardment, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' and when, by the dawn's early light, the British heard it sung, they fled in terror."

I'd never sung the national anthem and, based on its reputation, I was afraid even to attempt it -- especially solo and without any accompaniment. So I started practicing in the shower ... for months.

I eventually worked up the courage to audition for singing the national anthem at the base's annual awards ceremony. Luckily, there was someone else who tried out. Staff Sgt. Paul Bright was the other singer and he did a great job. The committee was nice to me and suggested Sergeant Bright and I sing a duet. Sergeant Bright had a great voice and the ability to harmonize on the fly, and he came up with a really nice harmony part for the song.

When the night to sing came I was incredibly nervous, but Sergeant Bright stuck with me and, even though it wasn't as good as when we practiced it, it was good.

Sergeant Bright and I were able to sing about 20 more times in the next 1.5 years, but then he moved to a new duty station and I was on my own. By that time, most of my nervousness had left and I continued to sing the national anthem at various events three or four times a month. By now, I've probably sung it nearly 100 times in front of thousands of people.

As I've mentioned, at first I was very nervous and wasn't able to focus on anything except how much I might mess up if I didn't concentrate. But now I can relax a little bit and I've found that I have an incredibly inspiring view when I sing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Most people are able to see the few people in front of them and, if they're lucky, the flag when the national anthem is sung. When singing, I'm in the fortunate position of seeing everyone looking almost right at me.

I have seen rooms full of military members from all five branches silently and respectfully at attention. Never is a room more still than right before I begin.

I have seen grizzled senior NCOs with tears in their eyes. I have seen squadron commanders mouthing the words along with me. I have seen family members of deployed servicemembers huddled close together. I don't know what they're thinking of, but I can see the expressions on their faces and can guess.

I have had crowds of thousands of civilians take up singing the song with me and, standing right in front of them, a wall of American music overwhelms me.

I have seen precision, Air Force and joint service honor guards flawlessly carrying out their solemn duty.

I have performed and practiced this song perhaps thousands of times, but it doesn't get old and I haven't grown tired of it.

I've had a few people throughout the years approach me after a ceremony and say how inspired they were by my singing, but I can't imagine they were more inspired than I was being able to watch the faces of a proud and patriotic people as their national anthem is sung.

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