Imagine catching the action-packed sight of kids flying through the air on a trampoline, only to see them freeze like time stood still. Sounds impossible, right? But that’s exactly what happened to a group of boys on a trampoline, leaving a mom wide-eyed and sharp-eared. What could possibly make kids pause their adrenaline-fueled fun?
Tania Duenas Sweeney, a military mom stationed at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, grabbed her camera to capture a moment that warmed her heart forever. One moment, her son and his friends were bouncing madly on the trampoline; the next, they stood at attention, dead still. Intrigued, she decided to share this touching scene on Facebook, and boy, did it get reactions!
Sweeney explained the magic of the moment. At 5 o’clock, Monday through Friday, the German and American national anthems play over the base. And guess what? Kids on base know exactly what to do. They don’t wait for adults to tell them; they just stop and show respect. It’s like clockwork. So there was this group of boys, airborne one second and standing reverently the next, as the music filled the air.
“I love that these boys stop whatever they are doing and show their respect to our current country and the good ole USA!” wrote Sweeney on Facebook. The rapture of the moment was clear to see in the image, drawing admiration from all who saw it.
“If you are outside, you must stop what you are doing and face the direction of the anthems or any visible flag. Everything stops on base — adults, kids, all vehicles will turn on hazards and stop traffic to show respect,” Sweeney elaborated to the Independent Journal Review after her photo went viral. Quite the living tableau, isn’t it? She stood proud as she recounted how this act of respect has been so deeply ingrained in the kids. “I love that our boys know now and do it automatically. I was doing dishes in the house and looked out the window to see them at attention. It warmed my heart,” she admitted.
Talk about leading by example! Sweeney revealed that even during her son’s baseball practice, which starts at 5 pm, the coaches adjust schedules to honor the anthems. “My son has baseball practice that starts at 5 pm on Tuesday and Thursday on base. Coaches ask kids to get there at 4:45 because of the anthem.” They cleverly pause practice for the anthems, and it’s all
