A Few of Many Responses to "Before You Go"


We have posted here only few of the hundreds of pages of excerpts of email responses from around the world to "Before You Go". Two hundred pages of wonderful responses and personal stories received in the first twelve months after the release of "Before You Go" can be seen in Dr. Sam's book "Unsung No More" which is currently out of print. If you are interested in purchasing the book, please let us know. If we get enough requests, we will re-publish.

Dear Dr. Sam

Barbara and I watched "Before You Go" together with tears in our eyes. What a beautiful, moving tribute to some of America's greatest heroes. Thank you for sharing your CD with us. We appreciate your caring and your thoughtfulness.

Warm Best Wishes,
George Bush

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Dear Dr. Sam

Thank you for the letter and for the CD of your song, Before You Go. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and the kind enscription. More importantly, I appreciate your efforts to hone or Nation's veterans. Laura and I send our best wishes.

Sincerely,
George W Bush

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Dear Dr. Bierstock

Senator Lieberman's office was kind enough to pass along your note, CD and book, "Unsung No More." Thank you for these and for your tribute to all veterans. I appreciate hearing from you and wish you the best.

Sincerely,
John McCain

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To Dr. Sam & John Melnick: Thank you for sharing your wonderful song, it made me cry.......that is a good thing. I have forwarded the link to my father in law who was in the Swedish Special Forces that stopped the Nazis for getting the "heavy water" in Norway, needed for a Nuclear weapon. Also I forwarded it to my son's God Father that was in the Army rangers. He landed on the shores of Sicily, Anzio and was grateful for that experience before landing on Normandy on D-day. He was the ripe old age of 17years when he joined the Army. The whole world owes a great debt of thanks and accolades to the "Greatest Generation". ...................from Dallas, Texas

While I set here and cry wanted to thank you. You have something that expresses my feelings better than all the words I have said on the sublect in my 56 years of life.

Thank you!
My father is an X-Marine. He was shot in the back in world war II. When I was young, and we would ask about the war, he would only tell us of the funny things or good experiences that would happen. Later in life, after a bottle or two of wine, he told me that the vets were told not to share their horrors of war for one reason or another. He then started to open up to the unspeakabe horrors. Many of them I just don't know how he was able to cope with. Many of us are of a generation that were skipped over for serving our country. I think it was because of men like my father that knew of the horrors and did not want their sons to have to experience it. I can never thank them enough. Thank you for thinking of them and I am proud to know you and wishing the door that has opened to you leads to greater things. It will touch the vets and their families as it has me and say what we feel. I am sending it on to my 84 year old father...............from St. Croix, Virgin Islands

This has special meaning to me. My dad lives with me, is 85 years young, and marched into the concentration camp with the 42nd Rainbow Division at Dachau in Munich on April 30th, 1945. What he saw was the worse than he could have imagined. I have a photo of him pulling a man out of a boxcar of bodies that were gassed. The man was waving his hand. My dad spotted him and said "Hey Colonel, we have a live one". Dad picked up the man and he asked him in German if he was free and dad sad "You're free". He handed him to a medic and never saw him again. It's great having him with me and I know the clock is ticking. I will have him login in and see and hear the song. He has a few lifelong friends still with us from the Rainbow Division that marched into Dachau with him and I know he will email this to them. Thank you.................from Boynton Beach, FL.

Thanks for sharing this. It's very moving and definitely brought back the pride in my father's efforts at that time and over the years. He died a couple of years ago................from Houstron, TX

I passed this along to my father, he'll likely send it out to his shipmates from the Haida, many of whom were aboard Canada's heroic battleship during its an incredible record of fighting the enemy in WW2. Canada doesn't really know or often acknowlegde their military history, and it's important for people to know what their contribution was. These things help remind us that we always have to fight for everyone's freedom, and never take peace for granted. Thanks again...................from Toronto, Canada

As I sit here in tears I can only say thank you - my dad is one of those veterans you wrote and sang about. He turned 80 in Sept and till this day does not mention what happened over there. Each year he travels to meet with his shipmates,and each year they commerate the going home of another crew member. He loved serving his country and did so for over 22 years. I love our country and though I can't fight for her physically, I am honor and respect her, and would defend her with my life, just as I know my dad would have done. Even at his advanced years,he'd go back to war for her. I know because he tried, even to go back as a trainer. He loves and believes in America that much. This country and the freedom we have,the greatest that his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren can experience is because of men like my dad. In closing I'd like to add that even though this piece was great in itself it meant even more to me, as my dad is the man kneeling in Arlington. Please leave him in your production, as I know whomever he was visiting would be honored. A thousand times over ---- Thank You. - Kathy Wood

Very moving. I watched it with tears rolling down my face because my father, who is almost 86, is a WWII vet who can barely speak about his experiences even after all this time. I'll make sure that he and my family see this.......................from Canada

I don't have the words to describe how beautiful and how moved I was by "Before You Go". I hope it soon will be on radio and tV so it can be heard by all those without a computer. I work at a dealership, do a monthly newsletter, Reference to the article in the Post Times along with the website will be on the front page. Thank you for reminding us of how much we owe these veterans and how little time there is left to thank them.

I want very much to share the below site with you. I read todays newpaper and there was an article about an Opthalmologist here in the Palm Beaches, and his band who plays some rather funny songs regarding todays medicine and related problems. He recently encountered an embittered elderly man who was a parking lot attendant who said something along the lines of, "I took 2 bullets for my country in WWII and look what I got to be"......... This brought to this Dr.'s attention the fact of how many of our WWII veterans are passing away without our ever having thanked them for the efforts, courage and personal sacrifices made. These sacrifices ultimately has influenced and affected all of OUR lives significantly, for which we all have taken for granted. As a result of his encounter, he wrote and recorded with a fellow bandmember, the song and slide show you are about to see. It made me sad to think how many of these brave Vets have passed away over the years without even a Thank You, from a generation + that has followed and benefited from their brave efforts. I was moved by this article and after visiting the site and listening & watching the slide show. I want to now say that I personally will thank those WWII Vets that I come in contact with in the future and wish, at this time, to acknowledge one very special WWII Vet, at least to me and who I am sending this to as well, my father, Colonel Kenneth A. Euart, USAF (R), who not only served in WWII, but also during Korea and Vietnam Wars as well. THANK YOU DAD!

My eyes are filled with tears. Thanks, for my dad who landed and fought on Omaha Beach . Your song and pictures have touched me way down deep in my heart. THANK YOU!!!!

Attn: Dr. Sam: My father lost one brother in Italy and also his younger brother lost his mind in the Pacific. He came home a vegetable. He was a sergeant in the Army Medical Corps. They brought him back with electric shock treatments. He was a ward of the government until he died. My Grandma Peterson never recovered from that war. She was a sad person as I remember her. I never saw her smile or laugh. She turned inward to her Lutheran faith. Read her Bible daily. We owe so much to that Second World War generation. They handled the Great Depression and then turned right around and took care of business in the Second World War. I never heard them complain much - just took things as they were and moved on. God bless them. ..Anyway, it is wonderful for you to write a song in memory of those who are now passing on that fought that war. They are all gone now in my family. I sure miss them.

This CD is just so wonderful. My husband is a WW 2 veteran and a very proud one. He cried so when he listened to the music. Can I purchase the CD and how. Please let me know. Thank you for being so sensitive to the veterans.

Just a note to say thank you!!!! I loved Before You Go and have played it a hundred times already!! I've also e mailed everyone I know to share with them your heartfelt lyrics and photo essay--it is definitely a song on the magnitude of Lee Greenwood's Proud to Be an American---which has been a favorite for years!!! God bless your generosity in reaching out online to the many veterans of our great country!!!!

Thank You, it brought tears to my eyes. I'm also a Vet.

I was born on the day WWII ended (my dear father used to tell me they had lots of parades on the day i was born, as tho' they were all for me!). Being married to a Navy guy for some 30 odd years has made me a bit partial to all things good that happen for our troops, and the gift you've given is about the best i've ever seen. YOU should get a medal!! So many of our heroes go un-thanked (as with the parking attendant) and i'll do my best to send this on to all the Vets i know, and to my ten year old great niece, whose Daddy was killed in Mosul just last December. My prayer is that your life be filled with some of the peace you've given to so many. Reckon a good thing to start with would be salvation from Wilma, eh? You'll be with me at church tomorrow. Thanks again!

Dear Sir: Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a beautiful song. My grandfather was a WWII soldier. He fought in Guadalcanal, Guam , and New Caladonia. He died many years ago. He was certainly a hero to me and he inspired me to join the Marine Corps to help defend freedom and democracy around the world. I couldn't listen to your song without shedding some tears. Thanks for making me lose my bearing.

I have just finished viewing the presentation of "Before You Go" and there aren't words to express my Thanks to You for this emotional tribute to all WW II Veterans. I served in the US Navy aboard a destroyer and we lost 22 brothers and many more wounded after being hit by a Japanese Suicide plane. We have just had our yearly reunion (Oct 20-- 23) and I just wish we had your song for the crew to see and hear. One evening when we were at dinner at a restaurant, a young man, his wife and children came over to us and said to us "I just want to Thank You all for what you did in serving our country" I have just reenlisted and hope to carry on where you left off. Thank You" God Bless You for honoring all of the WW II Veterans as you have.

I just want to say thank you to all vets. My baby sister served in Desert Storm and then recently she served a year in Iraq. I'm so proud of her and all of our vets. We love you all and again Thank you for our freedom today.

My husband, Joe, is a WWII veteran. We read the ad in The Viirginian-Pilot, our newspaper, this morning, Wednesday, October 26, 2005. The tears fell from his eyes down his face as he watched me read this article. We immediately went into my office and listen to your song,"Before You Go". I want to tell you "Thank-You" for a beautiful and very meaningful song. They, all veterans, need to know that their are thousands and thousands of us that truely do appreciate what they have done for us. I thank each and everyone of them for giving me the "FREEDOM" that we have today and the right to choose. We make choices everyday. I hope this Veteran Day we all can join together and sincerely THANK ALL VETERANS! Thank-you for making this possible,

Having served in the U.S. Merchant Marines in WW II this is one of the few times I was ever thanked for my service. As you know we were not even declared veteran's until 1988. We received no benefits after the war, and were called "draft dodgers" and other nasty names. Many of us were kids who quit school to sail the liberty ships to help win the war. 1 in every 26 merchant seamen who served, died during the war. This was the largest percentage of deaths among all the branches of service, yet we were not honored as veterans. To this day the VFW will not recognize us as vets. What a disgrace that we are not held in the high esteem that other services enjoy. Note also that we were all volunteers. None was ever drafted into the USMM. And we all served in battle zones or overseas duty. So, this thanks we now receive from you has a real true meaning to us who never before were recognized.

As the daughter of Holocaust surivivors who lost their families to the Nazi murderers, I thank you for paying tribute to the men and women who so valiantly fought to put an end to that unspeakable horror. This is the greatest country in the world and those that love it and show their love by protecting us are unequaled in their bravery. Thank you for paying well-deserved tribute to the greatest patriots, our soldiers........Dorothy Melvin Los Angeles, CA

Gentlemen, What a wonerful and dignified tribute! I served as a tank driver in World War ll, as a "dog faced" Inrfantryman in the Korean War and again as a Green Beret with the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. Speaking for many WW ll veterans and myself, we considered it a great honor to serve our country at that time. We neither sought nor expected memorials of any kind. It was our duty and we did it! The Wall, statues & Korean War Memorial are thoughtful and nice for those who like that sort of thing. "Before You Go" is something very different. It's a shot straight from the heart and soul. I'm sure that even the Vets who are no longer with us feel it's import.Those of us who are still here thank you for this magnificent tribute!!!

That was truly a beautiful tribute! My father was in WWI(lied about his age), my uncles were in WW2(one lost his life) My husband was in Korean Conflict(he died at the age of 47, unrelated to the War)

I write to you all with tears in my eyes and love in my heart to say thank you for this beautiful site and song.My father was a vet, my nephew is a vet andIi have many others who are friends, relatives and acquaintences throughout my years, also vets. On behalf of all those Ihave loved and still do, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I plan to share this with as many as I can.

You have put a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. As a teacher, I want to share what you have done next week with my students and as the president of this veterans organization, I would like to share this with our members during our moment of silence.

I just wanted to let you know that I am thankful for all of your efforts for making such a wonderful message! God Bless

I want to thank you for the great musical tribute to our WWII vets. My father served in New Guinea, my stepdad in Korea, my brother in the Navy and I'm a Viet Nam vet. With the national WWII memorial in Washington, D.C., these vets finally got the recognition that was long overdue. Your song will go along way to help all Americans recognize "The Greatest Generation."

I wish my Dad (10th Mtn 1942-5) could have heard / seen this tribute before he passed. I've not cried so heavily since that day. Thank you for putting to music a great truth which had somehow been allowed to slip from our national focus.