I didn't have "Rascal Flatts' vocalist, Gary LeVox, almost made me cry on Memorial Day" on my Bingo card, but here we are! Gary LeVox sang his heart out for PBS' Memorial Day concert, doing a rendition of "Bless the Broken Road" that was strikingly touching and hard-hitting. Please watch this. If you don't tear up at least a little, I'll have to assume you're some kind of android! (As always, you can click right into the video here and it'll take you straight to LeVox's performance.)
I'll say it — LeVox has still got it. Everything perfectly comes together here: the vocals, the uniforms behind LeVox, and even the dark blue sky behind the White House. When we finally get to the picture-in-picture scenes of soldiers reunited with their families, how could you not be a little emotional? By the time LeVox is done and the cameras pan to the crowd, it's hard to find a pair of dry eyes.
We can pretend Memorial Day is just a day of sales and extended weekends, but at its core, Memorial Day is the soul and spirit of determination. Against humanity's darkest inclinations. For peace and protection.
People React To Gary LeVox's Memorial Day Performance
"My dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was anti-aircraft. He was injured when shrapnel hit his chest. After he healed he was sent right back. He was one of the lucky ones who came home. He was my hero," one YouTube user said.
"Freedom is not free, thank you to those who paid a high price for our freedom," another user stated.
Personally, the first person I thought about during LeVox's performance was my great-grandfather. He was drafted into World War II, and he suffered mightily. He came back alive, but a big part of him had been lost. I was a kid, and I still remember wheeling him around the nursing home as he talked to me about his life.
Something I'll never forget is how he described the stacking of bodies on the battlefield. That there were so many, they needed to be burned to prevent everyone from getting sick. My great-grandfather remembered the smells, the screaming, the suffering. He always put on a brave face, but I could see otherwise. Even if I couldn't fully understand it at the time. I'm so sorry you suffered. I'll always remember you.
