A bit preachy, but hey - he's a preacher, and at the Trinity Baptist Church in Moultrie, GA, no less! And the story of the power of one song, is worth relaying...

"Jack, Will You Sing Again?"
Dr. Michael Helms, Moultrie, Georgia

"Jack, will you sing again?" his comrades asked. A year had passed since Jack last used his baritone voice to pierce the gloom of the prison, the infamous Hanoi Hilton. This Vietnamese prison held as many as 268 Americans during the Vietnam war. Some of them, like Jack Tomes, were downed fighter pilots, a trophy for the Vietnamese.

In the 1950's, Moultrie, Georgia, was home to many young men who came to begin their flying careers with the U.S. Air Force. Jack Tomes was one of these men, earning his wings as a part of Class 56-V. He later left Moultrie. He went on to further his training and became a fighter pilot.

Not only were his pilot skills honed in Moultrie, but he also found a place to use his crisp baritone voice. Ever on the lookout for talent, Miss Neta Belle Scarborough once gave him the lead solo when the Trinity Baptist Church choir presented "The Seven Last Words of Christ."

On his last mission over the jungles of Vietnam, Jack was shot down and became a POW. He was interned at "The Hanoi Hilton," notorious for its brutal treatment of American prisoners. Any violation of the rules received swift punishment. One Christmas Eve, Jack ignored the rules because he could not ignore his desire to sing of the God who was with him. To everyone's surprise, a baritone voice broke the silence of the night as Jack sang, "Silent night, holy night; all is calm, all is bright..."

The guards, startled to hear such a deliberate violation, were a little slow to react and Jack finished singing just as they burst into his cell. Then the punishment began. It was very severe. Jack thought he would die from his beating. Recovery was slow and prolonged.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and the months added another year that Jack and others spent in the torture facility. As Christmas approached again, someone asked the question, "Jack, will you sing again?" Jack said he wasn't sure. His body reminded him of the price he had paid the year before. He might not survive another beating.

Once again, he stood in his cell and looked out at the sky, twinkling stars filling his view and the power of Christ filling his heart. God gave him the courage to sing again. As the year before, the baritone voice pierced the silence. Though he sang "Silent Night," the night became filled with the sound of Christmas. The Vietnamese had taken away his freedom but they could not take away his joy or his song.

Before the guards had time to inflict another beating on him, an amazing thing happened. Someone in another cell began to sing with Jack, then another, and another until Jack was singing with a choir once again. Jack' s courage was contagious. His spirit was infectious. The camp guards were caught unprepared and began to consider what should be done. With so many to punish, they chose to do nothing. The guards did not come for Jack that night. In fact, the camp rules were later changed to allow the prisoners of the camp to sing a Christmas hymn on Christmas Eve.

The difficulties of this world threaten to take away our song and the suffering of this world sometimes cause people to wonder if God is with us. Christmas reminds us that God is with us. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel," which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

Christmas is an opportunity to announce to the world that God is with us, regardless of our circumstances. The most important gift given or received this Christmas may be the gift of song. If you cannot find yours, listen. Someone else will have the courage to sing for you. As you listen to others sing, especially those who are wounded, grief stricken, and burdened, in time you too will feel the presence of the living God with you. The true Christmas spirit is infectious. When you feel Christmas in your heart, remember - there is always room in the choir for one more. There is always someone who needs to hear your song.

(Note: Story told to author by Mel Henderson, 3412 Country Club Road, Arlington, Tx. 76013, melret@yahoo.com) Mr. Henderson and Jack Tomes trained together at Spence Field and stayed in contact with one another through the years. Jack Tomes returned from the war after spending several years in the Hanoi Hilton. He later retired from the Air Force as a Colonel. He died of cancer a few years ago.)