national anthem police officer

Sometimes the best situations arise from the unexpected. That’s what happened at a West Virginia University basketball game. The woman who was to sing the National Anthem was stuck in traffic during a snow storm. The school was scrambling to find a last-minute replacement. Then, the perfect solution dawned on them.

West Virginia Police Officer Carlton Smith was working the game. Smith loves to sing and he grasped at the opportunity to perform the National Anthem. He only had five minutes to prep but he sounded as if he had been practicing in the stadium all week!

While so many ungrateful athletes like Colin Kaepernick kneel for our National Anthem, Carlton Smith grabbed the microphone and belted it out himself! He also is proud to put on a police uniform to protect us.

“They came over and asked if I was Carlton and they said, ‘We have a big favor. We don’t have anyone to sing the national anthem. It’s in like five minutes,” Smith said.

“I said, ‘Okay, can I have some water or something?’ They got water from a cheerleader and then walked me through the concourse and onto the court in my place and said, ‘When they call your name, start singing.’”

You’ll be cheering along with this amazing performance in the video below!

It’s astounding that he only had five minutes to prepare. As a singer, Smith had been preparing for this moment his whole life. He had previously been a contestant on “American Idol” which is why staff thought to ask him with just minutes before he would have to go on.

This 2016 video taken at the WVU Coliseum went viral, giving Carlton some much deserved fame. He spoke with Inside Edition about his performance in the video below.

Share this if you think Carlton Smith did an amazing job singing our National Anthem!

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