Ronda Rich

Syndicated Columnist

Our friend, Levi Bowman, is a scion of the multi-awarded Isaacs, who are famous for their blood harmony in their bluegrass gospel group. His mother is Becky Isaacs Bowman.

The Isaacs are the ONLY gospel group to be members of the respected Grand Ole Opry. Recently, Tink and I stood backstage and watched Becky, sister Sonya, brother Ben, and Mama Lily sing a cappella. I stood with Ben’s wife, Mindy, and Gunnar Nelson, also a scion of family harmony.

Tink was over to the side, standing by Opry legend Ricky Skaggs and his talented wife, Sharon.

Though we were only steps away from them on stage, we watched them on a large monitor.

No one moved. Breath came quietly. When they finished, they brought the house down. Skaggs shook his head and said to Sharon, “Remarkable.”

About a month ago, Levi joined the group on stage. He is a towering presence – he wears a size 13 shoe – but he is kind, amiable, talented, and God-loving. Above all, this young man, in his early 20s, is patriotic with a capital “P”.

That night, he introduced the song that he would sing with a pleasant, smooth voice by saying, “Merle Haggard wasn’t a member of the Grand Ole Opry, but I’m gonna sing a song he wrote in the 1960s.”

Then he dedicated it to all the service folks serving now or who had served.

Haggard wrote the song during the civil uprisings over the Vietnam War. He stood up for the military, saying “they’re walkin’ on the fighting side of me. Running down a way of life our fighting men have fought and died to keep.”

Though I had heard that song hundreds of times, Levi’s version made me stop and seriously consider how mighty our military is and the sad shape we’d be in without our soldiers, sailors, and pilots.

From a book called “The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson, I gained tremendous admiration for how the small island of England fought back the Germans for two years during World War II until America joined the war.

Germany had been training pilots for 20 years since the end of World War I. England’s pilots’ age averaged 21 years old, yet they won almost every battle they fought.

Levi’s singing probably hit me harder because Tink and I had just been to Bay Minette, Alabama, for the 100th year celebration of the birth of Mr. Berlin Sims. He died five years ago and I went to the funeral. In this little South Alabama town, I discovered that this man – a World War II hero – was the most admired person in town.

People stood in line for over an hour to pay their respects. Mr.

Sims, whose son Terry is our friend because he worked with Mary Tyler Moore for almost 30 years, served in the South Pacific with the Navy. When the war was over, he joined the Army as a very effective recruiter.

The Sims family gathered to celebrate the beloved man with his widowed wife, Linda, hosting us at her house. Through the kitchen door came every kind of casserole, pie, or cake possible. After many had left, Terry’s cousin, Robert, and his wife lingered.

Robert told of Mr. Sims’ brother, Curtis, a soldier who had landed on the beaches of Normandy. He was badly wounded almost immediately. He died three days later.

Robert found a faded photo of the hero encased in an ornate, oval frame. Imagine what their mother lived through during those years.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., an old man at 56 years because of injuries from World War I, insisted on leading troops that landed on Utah Beach. Roosevelt, using a walking cane, carried a pistol and stood bravely on the beach.

One month later, he was promoted to major general. He died of a heart attack a few hours afterwards.

To all our military, we patriots thank you.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of “A Merry Chatty Christmas.” Please visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free newsletter and purchase personalized copies.