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Singing
Out Loud
One of my very favorite things to do is sing. Sometimes I just start singing out loud and don’t even realize it. A few articles back I mentioned how one morning I was standing at the row of sinks quietly singing, “Jesus Loves Me,” and how that cleared the bathroom (what Marines call the “head”) real fast. Well, it’s hard to find folks to sing with in this environment. But that won’t stop me! No sir! I sing anyway. In the past, I have sung with a gospel group, and in more recent years I have really enjoyed singing in Barbershop Choruses. Four-part harmony is great! But, I digress. So, a few weeks back I’m walking into the chow hall (which is actually a tent), and I’m singing a classic Barbershop song, “My Wild Irish Rose.” Not thinking anything of it, I continue the song as I stand in line in front of the servers dishing out our chow. The food service is actually contracted with a Dutch company that hires Third Country Nationals (we call TCNs). All the servers are from the Philippines, and the ones serving the main course are Filipinas. These ladies are always smiling and in general, make the environment much more pleasant for everyone. They heard me singing, so one of them commented that she liked it. So I stood there with Marines waiting in line and serenaded the half-dozen ladies with a song. So every time I go to the chow hall now, usually three times a day, they will look at me and wait for a song. I may choose a love song, or a gospel song such as “I’ll Fly Away.” Now, I don’t always sing for my breakfast, lunch and supper, because you want to leave them wanting more, or so I’ve been told. Occasionally, I’ll see a group of the ladies having a meal together at one of the tables after they’ve closed the serving line. I’ll walk over and begin another song. They smile and show much delight in their own private concert. The other day I was standing in line for supper singing to the servers, feeling very good about my vocal quality, breath control and enunciation (not to mention the slight vibrato in my voice!). In front of me is the Sergeant Major of 3rd Anglico, a grizzled old guy who first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968, a year before even I enlisted in the Marine Corps! He turns around, smiles slightly the way a cat would just before eating a mouse, and says, “Chaplain, don’t quit your day job!” Well, that sure took the wind out of my sails. I wasn’t singing to him anyway! After all, he’s just a grumpy old man. I’ll bet he’s never serenaded a bunch of ladies before. He’s just used to croaking in the shower, and yelling at hapless Marines. And he criticizes my singing? Ha! You’ve got to be kidding! At least with my good looks and singing ability I could make a run at being the next “American Idol.” The best he could hope for is being used as a doorstop! Did I mention that he’s a friend of mine? |
