Operation National Anthem

Operation National Anthem is a series of free videos, hosted on YouTube, of soldiers asking audiences to stand up and pay attention to our United States national anthem.  These soldier request videos may be used, at no charge, at events, large or small, anywhere.

Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone in a position to play one of the clips prior to the national anthem at any event.  If you can’t find the quality you need for a larger screen, find a soldier who is home and ask them to record the same message.  You’ll find the script we use below.  Then, post it to YouTube, let us know the link and we’ll add it to the favorites on our YouTube page. Or send us the video and we will post on our YouTube account.

Thank you for your support of Operation National Anthem.  And thank you to Reader’s Digest for naming Dayna Steele one of the “35 People Who Inspire Us” and for naming Operation National Anthem “Best Patriotic Pitch.”. We are flattered and overwhelmed by the recognition and response.

Hello, my name is ____________, serving in _____________. Please stand up, remove your hat and put your cell phone away for our national anthem. It would mean a lot to us here. Thank you.

*A note from creator Dayna Steele: A friend serving in a civilian capacity as support for our troops in Iraq told me the story of a Jamaican contractor who holds great respect for the USA national anthem. In fact, this Jamaican gentleman was so moved by our national anthem, he told my friend that when he dies, he is to be buried on Jamaican soil but The Star Spangled Banner is to be played as he is laid to rest. This Jamaican citizen went on to say that when he visited friends in the USA and attended a sporting event, he was shocked and dismayed to see people leave their hats on, talk, chat on cell phones, etc., while our national anthem was being played. Inspired by this story, I wrote a script and my friend presented the idea to the Armed Services Network in Iraq. That is how Operation National Anthem came to be.  Thank you Harrison Thomas for the inspiration! Here’s a video clip of me explaining to an audience in St. Paul MN why I started Operation National Anthem.