Singing Sergeant Continues Century-old National Anthem Tradition

Published Oct. 27, 2016
By Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer
182nd Airlift Wing

Chicago, IL -- Thirty-eight musical measures and 94 seconds are all Master Sgt. Eric Sullivan needs to inspire a stadium of sports fans to its feet with roaring cheers and applause. The United States Air Force Band's "Singing Sergeants" vocalist performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for an audience of more than 60,800 people at a National Football League game at Chicago's Soldier Field Oct. 2 as part of the unit's community relations mission.

With 35 years of musical training under his belt and 16 years in The Air Force Band, Sullivan uses music to bridge the communication link between the public and U.S. armed forces, both at home and overseas.

"This is my job in the Air Force. My job is to sing," he said. "We've been trained, highly trained, to do the jobs that we do."

The Air Force Band's communications mission means Sullivan and his unit train to be the voice and face of the U.S. military in the communities where military members serve to protect and defend national interests.

"We go to places where pilots and maintainers and other Air Force people don't go, and we represent them and the excellence that they do every day to people who might never see the Air Force or the military in their day-to-day lives, or ever at all," Sullivan said. "We might be the only military people they ever meet, and it's our job to represent well the rest of the Air Force and, in some cases, the rest of the military as well."

Along with Soldier Field's audience, Sullivan's performance amassed an additional 32,000 views through the unit's first-ever Facebook Livestream of the anthem at a national sporting event. However, the task didn't come without laying down groundwork ahead time.

Sullivan puts deliberate preparation into each anthem performance, from conserving his voice to avoiding certain foods and drinks. He never leaves home without a pitch pipe, which helps him choose what key to sing the anthem in. Nevertheless, he said he still gets nervous before every performance.

"Like for this instance, I'm not going to be thinking about all the people or the fact that it's my team or this massive stadium. I'm going to be out there with my microphone and it's the national anthem and the flag, and that's what I'm concentrating on - the job at hand," Sullivan said.

The Singing Sergeant said he hopes his presence in performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" invokes certain emotions in the audience.

"Pride of country and patriotism. An appreciation for the people who fought for the flag, fought for the freedoms we enjoy that the flag represents," he said.

Although he may perform the anthem hundreds of times year, Sullivan said he always feels very proud because he considers it to be the most important job he has. For him, it's all about paying respect to the country, the flag and all that they represent.

In singing the national anthem, Sullivan continues a 98-year-old tradition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" being featured in sporting events.

According to ESPN The Magazine, the performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at sporting events became a tradition during game one of the Major League Baseball 1918 World Series. America's morale was down due to the anxieties of World War I, and the gloom was reflected in the quiet ballpark. That is, until the seventh-inning stretch when a military brass band began playing what would eventually become the national anthem.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Fred Thomas, on leave from the Navy, jumped to attention on the field as soon as the music started and saluted the American flag. Thomas' fellow players followed by placing their hands over the hearts, and then the audience began singing the lyrics. The massive response from the revived stadium was so enthusiastic that other baseball teams began including "The Star-Spangled Banner" in their games, and the tradition evolved into the patriotic sports-time staple that continues nearly 100 years later.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Eric Sullivan, a baritone vocalist with the United States Air Force Band’s “Singing Sergeants”, sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” before an NFL football game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., Oct. 2, 2016.