Turn the page

John Thomas Anderson, 48 of Kalamazoo walked into his local VAMC at Music Therapy his nerves are on edge it’s that time of year again.  The talent show and he’s going to open up and show the world what he’s capable of doing, it terrifies him.  He has been singing for years but it’s time to put it all together and let it out, to let it go.

“Thanks for having me here, I will be singing a Bob Seger song if you don’t mind.”  John stammered in the mic.  He could sense their apprehension after all he knew what he looked like in the mirror.

The acoustic fired up starting the song he sang his heart out for the first few verses and then the tears caught up with him, “I’m sorry, I can’t finish it.”

The crowd never missed a beat it began to sing the rest of the song as the acoustic played on, John stood at the mic struggling to keep it together.  His memories were flooding his mind, his ability to fight off the stress of performing again, he just couldn’t fight it off.  He gets emotional everytime he thinks about that song but he was convinced to sing it by the recreational therapists.

The crowd finished the song and applauded him anyway, then they just stopped as John stepped back up to the mic.  “I’m thankful you could help me finish the song.”  He then just walked off stage and headed for the bathroom.  He walked in circles, he could feel it coming on...his focus was just gone.

When he came out of the bathroom and old friend was standing there waiting for him.  “It’s alright John, it’s alright.”

“How could I think I could do her favorite song, of all things to sing I had to do Turn the page for them?  What the hell was I thinking?”


“You know she loved it when you sang it to her, don’t you?  She loved to hear you sing a children’s song.  She loved you.”

“ And she followed me into hell and I got her killed.  If I hadn’t joined the Army she wouldn’t have just to be with me. “

Just then someone walked around the corner, it was her sister.  “John she went because yes you were there but she wanted to serve her country too.  Neither of you could have predicted what was going to happen next.  You couldn’t know they were going to attack the tour bus.”

On July 21, 2013 at approximately 1500 hours the tour bus where John, Amy, Mark and Robert were on route to a performance with the USO when their bus was attacked.   John was the only one to survive, his wife Amy died in his arms while he sang, “Turn the page.”