A group of Fort Bragg soldiers have become unlikely celebrities after video surfaced of them singing the Motown hit “My Girl” while waiting to jump out of a helicopter.
The two-and-a-half-minute performance was first posted on TikTok, where it racked up more than 519,000 views as of July 13. It then showed up July 5 on Facebook, where views had reached 4.6 million.
It shows the soldiers erupted into song as they sat weighted down with layers of military gear, with some even throwing in a few old fashioned Motown hand flourishes.
The end result seems impossibly good, and that’s because the soldiers also happen to members of the 82nd Airborne Division All American Chorus.
Sgt. Kara Hall of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade recorded the a cappella performance in April, and says it was entirely unplanned.
“The 82nd ABN DIV Chorus made my day today on the drop zone when I requested and old classic!” Hall reported on TikTok. “What made it better is that they were in harness jumping from a UH-60 (helicopter).”
The soldiers chose a classic from 1964, which was a hit about 30 years before most were born.
Reactions have topped 160,000 on Facebook as of July 12, including a lot of comments from swooning women using words like “adorable” and “sexy.” Others were moved by the timeless sense of camaraderie among soldiers.
“I’m in love with all of you! Even if I’m old enough to be your grandma!” Elizabeth Eugenia Sullivan wrote.
“This gives me goosebumps,” Judy Bates posted.
“Now I feel like joining the US military,” Francis Odey said.
“I’m trying not to cry,” Annie Baum wrote.
The roots of the 82nd Airborne Division All-American Band and Chorus date to 1942. Its mission includes providing music for occasions at Fort Bragg and “Telling the Army Story” In the community.
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