[I received the follwing in an email from an old friend and fellow artillery officer with whom I served in Germany many years ago.  gjr]

(For those who  are unaware: At all military base theaters, the National Anthem is played  before the movie begins.)

This is written from  a Chaplain in Iraq:

I recently attended  a showing of 'Superman 3' here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium  that we use for movies as well as memorial services and other large  gatherings.

As is the  custom at all military bases, we stood to attention  when The National  Anthem began before  the main feature.  All was going  well until three-quarters of the way through The National  Anthem, the music  stopped.

Now, what would  happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-to-22-year-olds back in the  States?  I imagine that there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few  rude comments, and everyone would sit down and yell for the movie to begin. Of  course, that is, only if they had stood forThe National  Anthem in the first  place.

Here in Iraq 1,000 soldiers  continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again,  and the soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention.  Again, though,  at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect 1,000 soldiers  standing at attention to do??  Frankly, I expected some laughter, and  everyone would eventually sit down and wait for the movie to  start.

No!. . . You could  have heard a pin drop while every soldier continued to stand at  attention.

Suddenly, there was  a lone voice from the front of the auditorium, then a dozen voices, and soon  the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where  the recording left off: "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in  air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.  Oh,  say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and  the home of the brave."

It was the most  inspiring moment I have had in Iraq, and I wanted you  to know what kind of U.S. Soldiers are  serving you!  Remember them as they fight for us!