Today I played my clarinet during a “Name That Patriotic Tune” experience for the residents I served at a skilled nursing facility. I began with standards such as “God Bless America,” “Yankee Doodle Dandee,” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” then moved to some unfamiliar classics including, “Old Soldiers Never Die (They Just Fade Away).”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing here?” quipped one of the veterans we were honoring, albeit with an endearing grin on his face.
“Well, whatever you do, don’t let that grin fade from your face,” I countered.
Later, I quizzed him about his military experience, asking him what memory stood out more than any other.
“Why I’m 80 years old! I was twenty back then,” he resisted.
“Surely something stands out,” I insisted.
As a Korean War veteran, he then recounted a parade being held in Tokyo to honor General Douglas MacArthur.
“Only the soldiers six foot and taller were allowed to march in the parade,” this short-in-stature man reminisced.
“That hardly seems fair!” I sympathized. “What did you think about that?”
“I wanted to crawl under my bed and hide.”
Perhaps, for some, it is true. Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.
Kareen King is a Registered Drama Therapist and founder of The Golden Experience, offering keynotes, concerts, and workshops to enrich lives in long-term care. For booking information, contact her at kking@thegoldenexperience.com.
Kareen King is a Registered Drama Therapist and founder of The Golden Experience™, offering keynotes, concerts, and workshops to enrich lives in long-term care. For booking information, contact her at kking@thegoldenexperience.com or visit www.thegoldenexperience.com. You may also signup for our newsletter and receive a free download.
