There’s no shortage of patriotic music in Toby Keith‘s collection. He’s proud of America and its military, and it shows through the songs he writes and records. In 2003, Keith gave his greatest tip of the hat to our troops with his powerful single “American Soldier.”
Two years after the September 11th attacks and the success of Keith’s patriotic power song, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” Keith’s “American Soldier” was number one on the charts. Keith said he was inspired to write the song after all the time he spent meeting troops on his USO tours, and that he wrote the song to show his support for all of those men and women.
The troops heard Keith’s “thank you,” loud and clear, and “American Soldier” is still an important song to many who serve in the armed forces. One soldier proved this during a talent show in 2013, when he performed “American Soldier” as part of the competition.
Seated with a guitar in hand, David Putman introduced the song, saying it was one he knew they could all relate to. As soon as he started singing the song, the crowd went wild, and they maintained that high level of energy for the rest of the song.
Putman’s performance was equal parts powerful and touching. You can tell he was invested in each word he sang, which is perhaps why he ended up taking home the third place prize from the talent show.
The way the crowd reacted to Putnam’s performance proves just how much it moved those in attendance. In a moment that is sure to give you chills, people in the crowd rose to their feet and walked up on stage to join Putnam, where they remained for the rest of the song.
Putnam was touched by the crowd’s show of support, and said it was the best crowd he ever had for a performance. You can watch him sing “American Soldier” in the video below and you’ll understand why they reacted in such a way.
A huge “thank you” to Putnam and all those who serve or have served in the military.
