Stars Spangled Banner

After answering question number 11 in the previous post, I wanted to tell you about my experience at the neighborhood sports bar.

Sweet Tea is out of town for a couple of weeks and I went there to get a hamburger and beer before the start of the Super Bowl. Because it was so crowded it took a while to get a seat and get my order. So I was eating and watching the pre-game activities on the 35 televisions scattered around the joint when Billy Joel started singing The National Anthem.

As is my custom, I stopped eating and took off my cap (which is a blue Navy cap with a silhouette of my ship and the name and hull number embroidered on it) and place it over my heart. I didn’t stand, but I did “cover.” But I noticed something that made me very proud. Everyone in the place stopped talking and eating and, although they didn’t cover their heart, they did observe the silence and starred at the television screens. Even the young hard bodied young ladies running around and waiting on the tables stopped and stood still. As soon as it was over, the hubbub started again like nothing had happened. But for those three minuets, it was awsom.

I was so impressed that I tear’ed up and had a hard time swallowing my next bite of burger. Damn, we live in a great country.