High school choir sings as fallen soldier's remains are carried off a plane
Over the years, so many men and women have given their lives or put their bodies on the line to protect their countries and defend their values, and they deserve every bit of respect we can give them. We honor them with parades and special holidays throughout the year, but sometimes, the memories of fallen soldiers are honored in different and unexpected ways.
That’s exactly what happened on a Delta Air Lines flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Atlanta.
When the plane finally made it to Atlanta, the pilot made a special announcement. One of the passengers on board was a US Army private, transporting the remains of a fallen WWII soldier. The pilot informed everyone that the private would be allowed to disembark before everyone else as a mark of respect.
The passengers remained in their seats, waiting for the private to step off the plane. But moments later, their attention was captured by the sound of singing.
Deciding to show their respect for the deceased soldier, a group of high school kids delivered a spontaneous and beautiful rendition of ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’.
It was a moving moment quite unlike any other, and the whole thing was captured on camera by one of the passengers, Diane Cupp.
Cupp, aged 62 and from Johnson City in Tennessee, shared the clip on Facebook, where it went viral, attracting countless positive comments from viewers all over the world.
In an interview with Today, Cupp called the moment “so emotional”, adding that she felt “so proud of the young people who started singing and the respect that they showed.”
We can definitely agree with her on that! It’s absolutely amazing to think that these talented youngsters decided to do something so special to mark this moving moment.
It turns out that the kids were part of the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, a group of around 350 singers and musicians. They’d been touring around Europe, putting on concerts in countries like France and the UK before finally heading home.
They always ended their concerts with ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’, and it seemed like a fitting song for that particular moment as well.
In Cupp’s video, we can hear the kids’ beautiful voices and see some of the other passengers standing up to admire their performance and applauding at the end.
The remains of the WWII soldier had been found on a European battlefield and identified through DNA testing. The tests were able to determine the soldier’s name and place of birth.
Finally, more than 70 years after the war ended, this soldier came home, and it’s inspiring to see that his return was honored in such a special way.
Cupp summed it up better than anyone:
Right now, we’re a nation that’s so divided that it’s just one of those moments where everybody comes together. There were tears in people’s eyes and tears in mine.
Watch the incredible moment in the video below.
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