Steve Garrison grew up on a farm in Hannibal Missouri. His childhood was uneventful and he was average on every level, never excelling at anything. In fact as the years passed, neither his parents nor his teachers ever expected much of Steve. He was firmly entrenched in the middle the pack, some children were better and others were worse. This became so commonplace in Steve’s life that even at a young age he learned to set his sights on small attainable goals, like striving for a C plus in history while his classmates were striving for an A. To some people Steve fit the prototype of a classic underachiever, but since no one ever demanded more of him, Steve achieved exactly what was required of him. In sports, his friends wanted to making the starting team and be a star while Steve was content just to make the team and ride the bench. Steve’s coaches liked him because he had a blue collar work ethic, never complaining and always filling in capably when called upon. He never dated in high school even though many girls liked him as a friend; he was too ordinary and predictable to generate much romantic interest.

Being a middle child, Steve even went unnoticed at home. His older sister Lisa was heavily involved in school activities, she was attractive and outgoing and relished being the center of attention wherever she went and was first on everybody’s guest list. His younger brother Danny was the baby of the family and played the role of the goodhearted child to perfection. The fact that he was a natural athlete made him even more popular. Steve’s parents couldn’t wait to extol the virtues and accomplishments of Lisa and Danny, but when questioned about Steve, they would add without emotion and almost as an afterthought, “He’s doing alright.”

This wasn’t childhood abuse or neglect; it was just the way things had always been. Some people were never meant to walk in the spotlight and Steve just happened to be one of them. He did not have a jealous bone or a spiteful streak in his body so he never complained about his secondary position in life, he was genuinely happy for his siblings and friends when things went well for them and just went about his life with the same steady determination.

Nobody was greatly surprised when Steve decided to join the Marine Corps after high school graduation. It wasn’t that it was expected or demanded of him, it was just that nobody was that emotionally invested in his life or future. Steve saw the situation clearly and without emotion, his parents would be devastated if something happened to Lisa or Danny, but if he died, serving his country, they would be sad, but it wouldn’t have the same impact. This was a good thing because this gave him more freedom than his siblings. In fact even after he told his parents about his intent to join the military, they were concerned, but not to the point where they tried to talk him into staying home. Even as he was preparing to leave for boot camp in San Diego, Steve was more concerned for his family than he was for himself as he took his sister and brother aside, “Take care of yourselves and look out for mom and dad, they need you.”

Steve made it through boot camp like he had always done, with passable efficiency. His drill instructors saw him as a recruit who didn’t need any special attention so while he was subjected to the same harsh discipline and strict training as others in his platoon, they didn’t go out of their way to make Steve’s time in basic training uniquely difficult. After infantry training at Camp Pendleton, Steve was transferred to a rifle company and deployed to Afghanistan where his unit was assigned security at Bagram Airfield. His company alternated running patrols and providing perimeter security.

Steve’s second tour could only be described as hell on earth. Lima Company was airlifted to an isolated outpost near a Taliban supply route by the Pakistan border. The Marines were completely surrounded by a mountain range where the enemy could actually shoot down at them.

“What rocket scientists made the decision to put an outpost at the bottom of a mountain?” Lance Corporal Hood shook his head in disgust.

“Maybe they called in sick when the lecture about being on the high ground was given,”

P.F.C Glenn added.

Steve scanned the area and knew his unit was in for trouble, but kept his concerns to himself. Taliban snipers routinely took pot shots at the compound, they weren’t that accurate, but it was still a damn nuisance. It became standard operating procedures for the Marines to always run in a zigzag pattern during daylight hours. The enemy would often shoot at night even if they couldn’t see anything for no other reason than to disturb the Marines’ sleep. After a few months it was like Chinese Water Torture on the forehead, one drop wasn’t any big deal, but do it a couple thousand times and the person’s head felt like it was going to explode. This was a military fiasco on many levels and should have been a battalion size operation; there was too much enemy activity for one rifle company to handle.

Over the next two months things quickly worsened for Lima Company, the unit was taking heavy casualties every time a patrol went out and despite the suggestion up the chain of command from the company commander that a reassessment of the plan was warranted, Division was adamant about maintaining the status quo. As more and more Marines were medevac’d out, their duties fell on the remaining grunts were left behind because Battalion refused the company commander’s request for replacements. For the more emotional Marines in the unit, their feelings were on an emotional roller coaster ride, one moment they would be at the peak of an uncontrollable rage and a second later  be crashing into the depths of depression. Some men became defeatist, resigned to the fact that they would never make out alive. This is when the true value of a man like Steve Garrison shined through the darkness of despair like a singular beacon of hope.

Steve’s philosophy was simple; the absence of responsible leadership by his superiors did not exempt him from the performance of his duties. He awakened everyday with the mindset to do the best he could and leave the rest to a greater power. He focused on each minute, hour and day with intense tunnel vision. There was no future, no past, no regrets and no expectations, just the present.

Lima Company was due to be relieved after three months, but when the word came down that they would be extended an additional three more months, morale did a headfirst dive to an all-time low. In fact it got so bad so while on guard duty, Corporal Peterson took his own life by sticking the barrel of his rifle in mouth and blowing the top of his head off. By the fourth month Steve was going out on every patrol so that weaker Marines could stay behind. When his fellow grunts saw Steve going beyond the call of duty every day without question or complaint they slowly began to believe that if Garrison could do it then they should to.

While on patrol, Steve’s platoon came under heavy fire from a large Taliban force. The Marines were vastly outnumbered, but that didn’t stop Steve from exposing himself to enemy fire to set his fellow Marines in defensive positions to repel the assault, while killing four enemy combatants in the process. When air support pushed the enemy back, each Marine in the platoon knew how close they came to riding the body bag express. The platoon commander recommended Steve for the Bronze Star for heroism under fire.

By the time Lima Company was eventually relieved, it was so emotionally, mentally and physically depleted, it could no longer even be considered a capable combat unit.  Physicians and mental health specialists refused to release Lima Company for future combat operations leaving Division no other choice, but to let Lima Company remain in the rear until their rotation date back to the states. It was too little and too late. The physical injuries would heal, but the emotional scars would last a lifetime.

Lima Company returned to Camp Pendleton in early May and his unit was given leave orders. Steve called his family and told them when he would be coming home for a visit and when he arrived at the Kansas City airport by his mother and father.

On the remaining grunts were left behind because Battalion refused the company commander’s request for replacements. For the more emotional Marines in the unit, their feelings were on an emotional roller coaster ride, one moment they would be at the peak of an uncontrollable rage and a second later  be crashing into the depths of depression. Some men became defeatist, resigned to the fact that they would never make out alive. This is when the true value of a man like Steve Garrison shined through the darkness of despair like a singular beacon of hope.

Steve’s philosophy was simple; the absence of responsible leadership by his superiors did not exempt him from the performance of his duties. He awakened everyday with the mindset to do the best he could and leave the rest to a greater power. He focused on each minute, hour and day with intense tunnel vision. There was no future, no past, no regrets and no expectations, just the present.

Lima Company was due to be relieved after three months, but when the word came down that they would be extended an additional three more months, morale did a headfirst dive to an all-time low. In fact it got so bad so while on guard duty, Corporal Peterson took his own life by sticking the barrel of his rifle in mouth and blowing the top of his head off. By the fourth month Steve was going out on every patrol so that weaker Marines could stay behind. When his fellow grunts saw Steve going beyond the call of duty every day without question or complaint they slowly began to believe that if Garrison could do it then they should to.

While on patrol, Steve’s platoon came under heavy fire from a large Taliban force. The Marines were vastly outnumbered, but that didn’t stop Steve from exposing himself to enemy fire to set his fellow Marines in defensive positions to repel the assault, while killing four enemy combatants in the process. When air support pushed the enemy back, each Marine in the platoon knew how close they came to riding the body bag express. The platoon commander recommended Steve for the Bronze Star for heroism under fire.

By the time Lima Company was eventually relieved, it was so emotionally, mentally and physically depleted, it could no longer even be considered a capable combat unit.  Physicians and mental health specialists refused to release Lima Company for future combat operations leaving Division no other choice, but to let Lima Company remain in the rear until their rotation date back to the states. It was too little and too late. The physical injuries would heal, but the emotional scars would last a lifetime.

Lima Company returned to Camp Pendleton in early May and his unit was given leave orders. Steve called his family and told them when he would be coming home for a visit and when he arrived at the Kansas City airport by his mother and father were there to meet him.

“Welcome home son,” his dad beamed. “Thanks dad, good to be home,” Steve smiled. Steve’s mother embraced him with tears in her eyes, “It’s so good to see you.”  “Good to see you too,” Steve answered. Steve sat in the back seat while his dad drove and his mother sat in the passenger seat.

“We set up a welcome home barbecue on Sunday for you,” Mom said. “You don’t have to go to any trouble for me,” Steve responded. “Trouble! this isn’t any trouble, we want to do this, let us,” Dad interjected. “Lisa is working at a television station in Little Rock, but she promised to be here,” Mom said.

“Danny has been in Florida at a football training combine for the past month, but he’ll be  here too,” Dad smiled. “If they got things going on in their lives, I don’t want to interfere with that. I’ll call them on the phone and see them next time I’m on leave,” Steve suggested.

“Always looking out for everyone else, just this once let other people look out for you, that’s an order, Marine” Mom reached out and gently touched Steve’s hand. “Yes Ma’am.”

The smell of barbecued ribs, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs hung over the Garrison farm like food scented clouds, side dishes filled the serving tables and coolers were filled with various types of beer and soft drinks. The place was decorated with balloons and ribbons. A local band played popular tunes and a twenty foot banner that read; Welcome Home Steve was tied between two trees and stretched across the driveway entrance. It was a festive atmosphere. There are at least one hundred people in attendance at any given time as friends and family seemed to be coming and going all Sunday afternoon. Each person took the opportunity to thank Steve for his service to the country.

“Thank you very much, but there a lot of guys who have done much than me” Steve humbly replied.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much to talk about since nobody was genuinely interested in knowing the details or sacrifices of Steve’s deployments. It was only when Lisa and Danny arrived together that the party kicked into high gear. All the women wanted to know about the television industry and Lisa’s possible move to New York City and the celebrities she was bound to meet. Danny was considered one of the top high school football players in the state and all the men and boys couldn’t wait to question him about how his training was going and where he expected when he got to college. There were even some diehard football fans that were already projecting where Danny would go in the pro football draft after his senior year in college. Lisa and Danny were so used to being the center of attention that it came natural for them to keep the guests entertained and involved in the activities. When Lisa jumped up and said. “Let’s dance!” as the band began to play her favorite song, the whole place erupted as everyone rushed to the makeshift dance floor to join her.

What originally was a party for Steve turned into a celebration for Lisa and Danny even though Mom did her best to keep the focus on Steve by making a toast to him, “To my son Steve, Thank you God for letting my son come home safely.”

Everyone raised their glasses and echoed the sentiment, but two minutes later the same people gravitated back to Lisa and Danny and Steve found a table and sat alone and ate a bowl of homemade ice cream.

His mom walked over and sat down next to him, “Want some company?” “Sure do,” Steve smiled, “Good party, huh?” “This was supposed to be your party.” “It is, isn’t it?” Steve smiled. “I don’t people realize how special you really are, but I know,” Mom began to sob.

“Remember when I was a boy and we used to eat ice cream together on the porch in the summertime? You look like you could use a bowl right now. I’ll get you one.”

It was good to be home, but Steve knew that he did not plan to make Missouri his permanent home after he got out of the Marines. He didn’t tell his parents because he knew they would think it was something they did to affect his decision and Steve didn’t want to lay that burden on them. He still had sixteen months left on his enlistment; a lot could change in that time frame.

When Steve got back to Pendleton he found that many of the Marines in Lima Company were having emotional problems after their especially rough deployment especially dealing with the memories and flashbacks. Steve had always been honest and upfront with his buddies, but in this case, he thought a little deception was warranted.

“Where are you going?” Corporal Jesse Chamberlain asked when he saw Steve leaving the barracks.

“I joined this counseling group for returning Marines. It is helping me a lot dealing with the stuff we went through over there,” Steve answered.

There was no way Steve could have come out and told his fellow Marines that they needed help, they would have just denied having any problems, but if he came forward, others might not feel so hesitant.  When they followed his lead and began to open up about their issues at the meetings Steve gradually withdrew, stating he was now capable of handling his issues on his own and if he left it would free up more space for other Marines to attend. Nobody doubted his explanation.

Steve found a sense of tranquility and self-fulfillment when he began getting more involved in physical exercise. Camp Pendleton offered a lot of options for a Marine who wanted to stay healthy and fit, the fitness centers had state of the art equipment and the 14 area Olympic size pool offered lap swimming. There were also miles of trails. During one long run down Basilone Road and up to Camp Vada Del Rio, Steve noticed the base animal shelter and the dogs in the exercise yard and stopped to talk with one of the Marines working there. Not long after that, Steve began volunteering to feed and exercise the animals. He grew to love the interaction with these dogs; they gave so much while asking for so little in return. Steve had just returned from the animal shelter when Corporal Wayne Matthews approached him “We’re going to a karaoke bar tonight. Come with us.”

“I’m just going to take a shower and hit the rack,” Steve answered.

“It’s Friday night, you don’t have duty tomorrow, you can sleep all day.” Corporal Matthews said.

“Since when did you start going to karaoke bars?” Steve asked.

“Since I met some girls from Cal State San Marcos on the Carlsbad Beach last weekend who like to go,” Wayne smiled mischievously, “If they like to go then I like to go.”

“Maybe some other time,” Steve responded.

“You said that the last time I asked you and then you said I’ll go next time, well buddy this is that next time so I’m holding you to your word.”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll meet you there. Last time I went with you I was stuck, I’ll drive and that way I can leave when I’m ready. Give me the name of the place,” Steve relented.

It was nine p.m. when Steve arrived at Johnny Dee’s in San Marcos, his fellow Marines; Olivares, Matthew, Bando were already there as well as Hancock the Corpsman who served with their unit in Afghanistan.  Steve noticed the four muscular men in tank top shirts sitting at the two tables in front of the stage; they were joined by four hard looking women with tattoos and piercing. They were loud, inebriated and obviously enjoyed being the center of attention. One of the men scowled at Steve as he passed their table.

“Over here!” Wayne called out”

As patrons took their turns singing, the four couples took great pleasure in berating them for their lack of musical ability. When Matthews got up to sing, Born in the USA, things really started to get inappropriate.

“I hope you can fight better than you can sing,” One man said.

“Somebody call a terrorist and put this jarhead out of his misery,” Another said.

“No, don’t do that, let him sing to the enemy, that should scare them off,” A woman added.

When Matthews finished singing, he stepped off stage and walked up to the four couples, “That song was dedicated to the eight loudmouths in front and in case you’re too stupid to know who that is, it’s you, assholes”

Steve knew that things were about to escalate so he quickly got between Matthews and the four couples.

“You don’t want to go to the brig, let it go,” Steve warned.

The biggest man stood up, “Smart move jarhead, you mess with me and you’ll end up with a Purple Heart.”

“You need to lighten up because you’re not impressing anybody,” Steve said calmly.

The big man went to push Steve who adeptly stepped aside and let him stumbled into a table. The big man regained his balance and telegraphed a roundhouse right.  Steve ducked under the punch and drove an uppercut into the big man’s solar plexus and dropped to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Steve turned to lead Matthews away to avoid any further confrontation when out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur and instinctively pushed his friend out of the way as one of the women swung her chair at the two Marines. It missed Matthews but Steve got hit directly across the throat and fell to the floor and grabbed his throat to indicate that he could not breathe. Doc Hancock ran over to the fallen Marine’s aid and in less than a second he knew what needed to be done, “I need to do an emergency tracheotomy. I need some alcohol, whiskey will do, two straws and a razor or sharp knife, Now!”

Matthews looked at the drunken woman who was still holding the chair and hit her so hard it not only knocked the piercing out of her nose but laid her out cold.  When the paramedics and police arrived at the bar, the woman was arrested for assault as Steve was rushed to the Palomar Medical Center where a specialist was called in to perform emergency throat surgery.

Two days later Doctor Spiven entered Steve’s hospital room, “Do not try to speak, you can either nod or write your questions or comments on the notepad, “You sustained a blunt force injury to your throat, not the worst I’ve seen, but still very bad,” Doctor Spiven showed the x-rays to Steve, “There was significant damage to your trachea, esophagus and vocal cords. I repaired the damage, we’re going to have to wait and see how it heals.”

Steve wrote on the notepad and held it up; thank you, sir…

 Steve was released from Palomar Medical Center three days later and assigned to First Medical Battalion on Camp Pendleton where he was placed on no duty status and given a laminated card to show officials on base that he was under doctor’s orders not to speak.

Two weeks later Steve returned for a follow up appointment with Doctor Spiven, “It is healing nicely; you can begin to speak in whispers but don’t overdo it.”

Steve barely could get the words out, “Can I begin to exercise?” “Go ahead, I don’t see a problem with that, it’s not your lungs that we’re resting, it is your vocal cords. I want to see you next week.”

 That evening, Steve went to visit members of his squad at their barracks in the Las Pulgas area of the base.

“Good to see you! How are you feeling?” Matthews leaped to his feet in excitement.   Steve whispered, “Fine.”  Matthews yelled out for everyone in the squad bay to hear, “Garrison got his voice back!”

Marines came running to congratulate their friend and over the next few days Steve’s voice strengthened and it began to hurt less to speak. One week later Steve was sitting in Doctor Spiven’s office after a thorough examination of his throat,

“Do you feel like trying to speak in a normal tone of voice?” Doctor Spiven asked.

Steve swallowed and took a deep breath, “Testing one, two three, three, two, one.” Doctor Spiven stared at Steve in disbelief, “Did you voice always sound like this?” Steve shrugged, “I never paid much attention to how I sounded before.” Doctor Spiven walked over to the door, “Michelle, please come in here.” Michelle entered the examination room, “Yes doctor.”

“Please listen to Mr. Garrison’s voice and tell me what you think,” Doctor Spiven turned to Steve, “Say something to Michelle.” “Good morning Ma’am, how are you?” Michelle just stood there with her mouth open and stared at Steve. Doctor Spiven tapped Michelle on the shoulder. “Well?” “Very nice,” Michelle stammered.

After Steve left the office, Doctor Spiven turned to Michelle, “You talk to people all day long, be more specific about your impression of Steve Garrison’s voice.”

“Remember this is my personal assessment and not a professional diagnosis,” Michelle smiled.

“I’m not asking for the objective, I want the subjective.”

“Subjectively speaking about Mr. Garrison’s voice; silky, smooth, velvety with a touch of smoky, it was like from the first sound of his voice that he was directly talking to my heart, I alternated between shivers and warm feelings. Listening to Mr. Garrison was like hearing a favorite song that brought back special memories, Michelle swallowed hard, “ it just made me emotional.”

“Objectively speaking, his vocal cord tension and ability to perfectly ride on the fine line between the higher and lower octave range is creating a mesmerizing sound,” Doctor Spiven smiled.

“My compliments for a job well done, Doctor,” Michelle said.

“Whatever happened to that Marine’s voice is above my pay grade.”

The way things usually worked in the Marine Corps meant it could be a few days before the documentation from Palomar Medical Center made it to the Naval Hospital and then it would go through Steve’s chain of command before he would be released to go back to unit.

Steve entered the recreational hall of First Medical Battalion and found a seat in the music room where a group of Marines were listening to George Strait’s, Amarillo by Morning. Steve closed his eyes and began to hum along with the music then without noticing began to sing along, his rendition of the song was deep and soulful. When Steve opened his eyes a group of Marines were standing around him, some were so moved that they had tears in their eyes. One Marine was holding up his IPhone and recording Steve, he later uploaded the video to YouTube with the caption; The Combat Crooner. 

When Steve was released from medical hold, he went back to his old unit and tried to pick up where he left off or at least he tried to, only difference was now that everything he spoke, people just stared at him.

“I can’t get over how much your voice has changed,” Matthews marveled, “It’s like they digitally enhanced your voice. They didn’t put some kind of computer in your throat, did they?”

“I don’t know what they did to me,” Steve answered.  “So what are going to do about it?”             “Keep my mouth shut,” Steve replied.

There was one audience that Steve didn’t mind subjecting his new voice to and that was the dogs at the base animal shelter. The melodic tone of his voice had a calming effect on the animals. He’d begin humming or singing and the barking and yelping would immediately stop. There had been almost three hundred thousand hits on his video by now and thousands more each day and the only place Steve could actually find solace where people weren’t asking him to sing or even speak was at the base chapel where silence was not only encouraged but demanded.

Steve had going to the chapel near his barracks after his evening run out for almost two weeks when Chaplain Florek walked up to him.  “I’ve seen you in here a few times, mind if I join you?”

“No Sir,”  “You are the Combat Crooner, I saw your video…very moving,” Chaplain Florek said as he sat down next to Steve.  “I didn’t do anything, but sing along with a song.”

“When I saw you in here the first time, I felt you were a conflicted young man so I did some checking on you, I hope you don’t mind?”

“When you’re in the Corps, you don’t have a lot of privacy, people can check up on you anytime they want,” Steve smiled.

“Your command and the men who serve with you have a lot of respect for you and for the way you carry out your duties, Sergeant Garrison.”

“I don’t do anything that better Marines than me don’t do every day,” Steve replied, “One day I’m just a grunt and the next thing I know is my friends are looking at me like they did some kind of medical experiment on me.”

“I heard the story about how you got hurt protecting your friend,” Chaplain Florek said

“I didn’t… Chaplain Florek quickly interrupted, “You didn’t anything that another Marine would not have done, I know.”

“I’d like things to get back to normal,” Steve lamented.

“You’ve been in combat and know that things can change in an instant. In a split second the world can change to a completely different place, maybe this is the new normal for you. Did you ever consider that maybe you’ve been given this is a gift and not a punishment.”

Steve started to speak, but Chaplain Florek interrupted, “Just think about it.”

Steve did not sleep that night because Chaplain Florek’s words kept repeating in his mind.  When the morning sun rose over the hills of Camp Pendleton the next morning, Steve knew what he needed to do so he met with Chaplain Florek to discuss his decision.

Afterward Chaplain Florek contacted Gary Sinise the actor who starred in the 1994 film Forrest Gump and who later organized the Lt. Dan Band to raise help funds for disabled veterans and asked him to take a look at Steve’s YouTube video. When the Hollywood entertainer saw it, he invited Steve to sing with his band when they performed at the Oceanside amphitheater in six weeks. Gary Sinise sent a list of songs to Steve so he could start rehearsing. Chaplain Florek contacted Captain Slater from Special Services who gave Steve a crash course on performing while helping him with the songs Gary Sinise wanted him to sing; All Night Long, Walk Away and Locked Out of Heaven 

Steve went down to the Oceanside Amphitheater to get familiar with the surroundings; he called it a routine scouting patrol, but basically it was to make him less nervous. Afterward going over his head a dozen times on how he would perform, Steve decided to burn off some of his nervous energy by taking a run down the beach before heading back to Camp Pendleton.. As was his custom, Steve never ran passed anyone without giving them a heads up so as not to startle them. The woman was not wearing headphones so when Steve got close he called out, “On your right.”

The woman made no acknowledgment so Steve called out even louder, on your right!” The woman continued running, oblivious to Steve’s presence. When she finally looked over she was completely caught off guard and stumbled slightly.

Steve was catching his breath after a hard run when the woman approached him, he didn’t really notice how beautiful she was when he was running because he only caught a side view and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but now she was walking straight toward him, he blue eyes glistening and long blonde hair flowing in the breeze.

She smiled and spoke very slowly, “I saw the look on your face and thought maybe you had been trying to get my attention, I wasn’t ignoring you, but I am deaf.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Steve answered, ‘I thought maybe I did something to scare you.”

“If you look directly at me when you speak I can read your lips, my name is Catherine.”

“I’m Steve.” Steve and Catherine walked side by side along the water’s edge exchanging warm glances every few steps, but saying very little. It was ironic that while so many people had connected to Steve’s new voice that the one person he was beginning to feel a connection to was someone who could not hear it.

Steve’s musical debut with the Lt. Dan Band was a rousing success with standing ovations after each song and not only because of his newly acquired talent, but because he put the same hard work into being ready that he had always shown in his life.

The publicity generated by the concert motivated the Marine Corps to allow Steve to sing with the Lt. Dan band when they performed concerts because they thought it would good publicity for the service. As the “Combat Crooner’s” popularity grew, the Lt. Dan Band was asked to be the opening act for megastars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift’s concert at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri was a sellout. And The Lt. Dan Band would be the opening act. Steve would be performing three songs; Warrior, Invincible and Where the Stars, Stripes and The Eagle Fly.  

Steve’s family was sitting in the front row for his appearance and before he had gotten halfway through the first song, he had the audience mesmerized and by the end of the third song, the entire stadium was spellbound, too moved to even applaud.

After the concert, Steve’s mother rushed to embrace him, “I always knew that you were special, now the world knows too!” Steve smiled, “I’m not special, but I will say that some pretty special things have happened to me especially being your son.”

Sergeant Garrison was called many things by his fans and admirers including humble hero, but the term Combat Crooner, was the one that touched Steve’s the most because it was given to him by Marines during one of his USO tours to Afghanistan where he had served with honor and distinction.  

Steve couldn’t help but smile when he thought about how his life has turned out, he was living proof that there is a plan for everyone. God gave him a sound that people loved to hear then to keep things interesting he brought Catherine, his one true love into his life who couldn’t hear his voice, but that didn’t matter, because their hearts were in perfect harmony.

The End