I think there ought to be some rules. I think that before you represent military families on reality TV you ought to:
- Like your servicemember -- at least a little.
- Avoid lying about your level of involvement in the military
- Hint that you are proactive about your life.
- Have an actual talent.
This seems like a lot, I know. But when the American Military Spouse Choir appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, they had all four going for them. Big time.
In what I suspect was an effort to recover from the scandal of contestant Timothy Poe lying about injuries allegedly sustained in Afghanistan, America’s Got Talent had the Military Spouse Choir to appear on the show.
Dressed in purple TV shirts and black jeans (with the bling pins announcing the branch in which their husband serves), dozens of ladies assembled on the stage.
None of them were mean to each other. None of them publicly spent money they didn’t have or whined or smacked their kids or tried on bras for the camera.
First, they spoke frankly about deployment. They talked about the power of healing that comes from music. Then they talked about the power that comes from reaching out. “What we have together is more than a singing group,” one spouse said. “It’s a sisterhood.”
“We have to come together or we wouldn’t survive,” said another.
Finally, they stepped out in front of that audience and sang, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Go ahead and watch it:
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It gave me chills. It brought the audience to their feet. It made Howard Stern wax poetic. “You remind me how lucky we are to live in this country and have people who serve,” he said. “Some people know how to lift the human spirit -- you did that today.”
Darn right. The group represents CAMMO, the Center for American Military Music Opportunities. It is a nonprofit that provides Music Therapy programs that focus on service-related conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
The American Military Spouse Choir will continue on in the competition when it goes live in Las Vegas. I'm glad. These ladies can represent me any time.
