Doc's song is thank you to WWII vets
Associated PressDr. Sam Bierstock has rushed his song, Before You Go , to the Web with hopes all the World War II veterans will hear it.
Published October 31, 2005
FORT LAUDERDALE - Dr. Sam Bierstock is a physician with a penchant for poking musical fun at his profession.
He's written songs with titles such as "You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Blue Shield" that his group, The Managed Care Blues Band, performs at healthcare conventions and conferences around the country.
But Bierstock's latest effort is somber, heartfelt and personal: A "thank you" to the nation's remaining 3.5-million World War II veterans. And he wants as many of them as possible to hear their song.
The Delray Beach doctor recently released his tribute, Before You Go , on the Internet through his band's Web site, www.managedmusic.com
Originally, Bierstock was going to peddle the piece to a celebrity singer. He has contacts with Bette Midler and Barry Manilow, he said. But he decided he wanted veterans and their families to hear it as quickly as possible, and for free, given that most World War II soldiers are in their 80s and dying at a rate of about 1,500 a day.
"A lot of us would not be alive or enjoying the freedoms we have today if we had not won that war. All of us in this country owe everything to these people," said Bierstock, 58, who is a chief medical officer with the IBM Consulting Group when he isn't on stage.
Bierstock, who is Jewish, lost relatives in the Holocaust and his stepfather was wounded during the Army invasion of the Italian resort town of Anzio. But his inspiration was a chance encounter very late one night about three years ago, when he was leaving an airport parking lot.
When Bierstock wished the attendant taking his ticket good evening, the elderly man replied: "I took two bullets for my country and look what I'm doing." Bierstock backed his car up - and thanked the man for his service. The veteran began to cry, Bierstock said.
Before You Go follows in the footsteps of the classic American war tribute ballad, like Lee Greenwood's hugely popular God Bless the USA: It's emotional and unabashedly patriotic. Its lyrics, written by Bierstock, speak of stoicism and sacrifice, and the music, by Managed Care keyboardist John Melnick, is slow and tender.
"Quietly, you've all turned gray. You did your job - you saved our way."
As Melnick sings, the online slide show flashes images of silver-haired men and women from several Allied countries at military ceremonies, heads bowed or weeping. Those photos are mixed with pictures of World War II soldiers in battle, and shots of their children and grandchildren today. Bierstock is on the harmonica.
"Our life and freedom you preserved. We thanked you less than you deserve."
Bierstock and the band eventually may sell a DVD of the song and the slide show. But for now, Bierstock hopes veterans pass the Web site link among themselves and their organizations.
That's what Bill Kling did.
"It sure brought back a lot of memories," said Kling, a World War II veteran from Plantation. Because he's chairman of the Broward Veterans Council, he sent it to all the local veterans' groups he works with.
From the response so far, Bierstock estimates the online song may generate about 12,000 to 15,000 hits a month.
The Managed Care band has been invited to perform Before You Go with the VA-National Medical Musical Group at a Nov. 7 concert in Houston and another in June on Capitol Hill in Washington. Founded by Dr. Victor Wahby, the choral and instrumental orchestra is made up largely of healthcare professionals with the Department of Veterans Affairs and specialize in music promoting healing and national unity.
American war ballads are as old as the United States itself. One of the first recounts a 1725 battle at Lovewell's Pond, Maine, between early white settlers and Native Americans.
While there haven't been any recent World War II tributes, the military and the war efforts received plenty of attention during the 1940s, said Phil Kaplan, spokesman for the VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach, whose father was a professional musician during that time. Big Band songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and tunes such as Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition were hugely popular then and remain well known today.