Jack Leroy Tueller: "The Power of Music"

World War II veteran Jack Leroy Tueller, from Bountiful, Utah, tells a powerful story about an experience he had one week after D-Day. One evening, after having witnessed innocent civilians being killed, he wanted to play his trumpet to release some stress--even though he'd been warned that there was one German sniper still out there, threatening his unit.

Colonel Tueller decided to play a German love song, "Lili Marleen" by Marlene Dietrich. His playing so moved the sniper that he couldn’t shoot. He surrendered the next morning. A 19-year-old, he kept asking, "Who played that trumpet last night?" Tueller met the young German sniper, who said he couldn’t fire after being soothed by the love song.

By choosing to play “his love song,” Jack recognized the fear and loneliness common to all of us. Now 90, he shares his unforgettable story about the power of music--and the power of compassion.

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Phyllis Cole Dai