Re: A thank you
The story behind the song.<br />________________________________________<br />The elderly parking lot attendant wasn't in a good mood! Neither<br />Was Sam Bierstock. It was around 1 a.m., and Bierstock, a Delray<br />Beach, FL eye doctor, business consultant, corporate speaker and<br />Musician, was bone tired after appearing at an event. He pulled<br />Up in his car, and the parking attendant began to speak. "I took<br />Two bullets for this country and look what I'm doing," he said<br />Bitterly.<br /><br />At first, Bierstock didn't know what to say to the World War II<br />Veteran. But he rolled down his window and told the man, "Really,<br />From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you."<br /><br />Then the old soldier began to cry.<br /><br />"That really got to me," Bierstock says.<br /><br />Cut to today. Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano<br />Beach and a member of Bierstock's band, Dr. Sam and the Managed<br />Care Band, have written a song inspired by that old soldier in the<br />Airport parking lot. The mournful "Before You Go" does more than<br />Salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages people to go out<br />Of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die.<br /><br />"If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would<br />Have been shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "The WW II<br />Soldiers are now dying at the rate of about 2,000 every day. I<br />Thought we needed to thank them."<br /><br />The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock<br />Placing it on the Web, the song and accompanying photo essay had<br />Bounced around nine countries, producing tears and heartfelt<br />Thanks from veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren.<br /><br />"It made me cry," wrote one veteran's son. Another sent an e-mail<br />Saying that only after his father consumed several glasses of wine<br />Would he discuss "the unspeakable horrors" he and other soldiers<br />Had witnessed in places such as Anzio, Iwo Jima, Bataan and Omaha<br />Beach. "I can never thank them enough," the son wrote. "Thank<br />You for thinking about them."<br /><br />Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a<br />Professional singer, maybe a Lee Greenwood type, but because time<br />Was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to<br />Release it quickly, for free, on the Web. They've sent the song<br />To Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. They were invited to<br />Perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just<br />A few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a<br />Chance to hear it.<br /><br />God Bless EVERY veteran and THANK YOU to those of you veterans who may receive this!
