Norton: Veteran's Day

November 11, 2013 was a very good day to be me. This veteran’s day, I was lucky enough to perform at the Daughter’s of World War II Veteran’s Day luncheon and listen to the few hundred people left who knew and experienced WWII personally. I was awarded this opportunity when my mother contacted Laura Leppert, the former first lady of Dallas and president of the Daughter's of WWII, and shared with her one of my original songs, If Only Hearts Could Talk. The song is about The Samuels, a couple I met working at a local burger joint in Dallas. They met when he was fatally wounded and had to be hospitalized. She was his nurse, and in the 2 weeks she took care of him, they fell in love. He would always crack this joke, "I through up on her, and it turned her on." Taken aback by the song, Mrs. Leppert asked me if I would consider using my music to help the Daughter's of WWII project Wings of Freedom. The Wings of Freedom project is unique because it allows WWII Veterans to go back to their battlefields to obtain closure and say their last goodbye. I was more than willing to help the cause by donating all the proceeds of my song to the Wings of Freedom project and performing at the Veteran's Day Luncheon. 

The Veteran’s Day Luncheon was unlike any event I’ve ever performed at. Of the 600 guests, there were 200 WWII Veterans from all around America. Stories, songs, and poems about WWII were shared along with prayers and much more. I was allowed to bring eight guests for free, but the most important of them were The Samuels. Not only are they the inspiration behind If Only Hearts Could Talk, but they also starred in my music video for the song. After I performed the song for the many guests, The Samuels came up on stage to take a bow and receive the roses I gave to them. As everyone stood and clapped for their service and wonderful love story, I felt so grateful that I could share that moment with them.

After the luncheon was over, I was swarmed with people from the greatest generation giving me thanks and admiration for writing the song. I felt flabbergasted because I wrote the song out of pure appreciation to the veterans, not the other way around.  The kind words they gave me were so moving that I have been thinking about each and every conversation I had with these people for days. One kind grandfather even asked me for my autograph to give to his grand-daughter.