You never know what a person’s hidden talent might be. Many people in our society currently thinking in boxes, categorizing life according to assumptions stored away in their subconscious minds. When a crisis broke out, this man saved the day – and the way he did it will leave you breathless.
The year was 2016, and it was time for the basketball game between West Virginia University and the University of Kansas. Every last detail had been planned long before the event took place, including who the singer of the national anthem would be. A massive snowstorm, however, proved that nature had other plans.
Leslie Dorchester had been the original designee of the honor, but she was stuck in immense traffic because of the blizzard.
“I was so devastated,” Leslie explained to Inside Edition. “I tried so hard to get there. I actually parked my car and tried to run in the snow and ice.”
Try as she might, Leslie was unable to make it to the event. The singer was sorely disappointed; she alerted the production staff that she was not going to be able to make it to the game.
The staff had not hired a backup singer, and they were left scrambling for a way to fix the national anthem crisis. They needed to find someone to sing before a large crowd – and they only had a few minutes to do it. This was a tall order, and the workers doubted it could be done.
Hope prevailed, however, as there was someone on hand who could save the day. Carlton Smith was employed as a police officer, and his off-duty passion was singing. As luck would have it, he was working security at that very event.
The circumstanced seemed destined to be. Carlton had even auditioned on American Idol in 2014, so the coordinators knew that he was talented. When he was asked to perform the daunting task, Carlton was in pure shock.
“They were like, ‘Hey, we need a favor. Can you sing the anthem?’” he recalled. “I said, ‘how long do I have?’ They said, ‘about five minutes.”
This singer certainly had his work cut out for him, but he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a beautiful voice. The performance had the whole crowd cheering.
“Any chance I get to do the national anthem is always a big deal to me. I was just basically hoping I didn’t mess it up too much,” the cop admitted humbly. Of course, he didn’t mess the anthem up one single bit; this man had real talent.
Want to know the best part? West Virginia University is Carlton’s alma mater. He was honored to be able to be a part of this game in such a significant way.
“I love being a Mountaineer,” the singer said. “To be able to do it for a game, it was a big deal to me.”
Thanks to this man’s stellar singing, the pregame entertainment went off without a hitch. This hero had saved the day in more ways than one.
Officer Smith is extremely admirable. His raw talent is only matched by his humility. “I love this country and I love singing,” he declared. “So two of the things that I love put together, there’s an overwhelming feeling of joy.”
You’ve heard how great he was, but don’t take my word for it. Watch for yourself in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
