Brent Payne Makes Holiday Visit to VA Hospital

Country Western singer Brent Payne spent Dec. 18 visiting hospital residents at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Center in Loma Linda. Payne went from room to room to chat with several of the veterans and then held a country Christmas sing-along in the Debi Stelmach Center/Patient Lounge. It is in part due to the Guitar for Vets therapy program at the hospital, and due to a large part of the fact that Payne enjoys the visits with the hospital patients, that he makes visits to the hospital on a pretty regular basis, according to his manager, Chuck Olson. As he walked into the rooms, Payne greeted the patients and sometimes broke out in song. In one room, the question was asked, “Do you know the Wabash Cannonball?” Payne brought a big grin to the man’s face with an impromptu rendition of the song and other patients came out of their rooms to track down where the music was coming from. With Henry Leon, a San Bernardino resident currently staying at the hospital, Payne shared a story about Conway Twitty and how he got his stage name. Leon, former U.S. Army Vietnam-era vet in NATO service, accepted a CD from Payne and told him he would be looking forward to hearing him sing in the lounge. Patrick “Paddy” Mc Dowell of Winchester, spent his visit with Payne talking about motorcycles. A former U.S. Navy member, McDowell’s room was full of friends looking forward to his upcoming release from the hospital. In the patient lounge, Payne sat down on a chair and began to sing, taking requests from the crowd of men who were eating lunch there. From a light-hearted Elvis impersonation to a song about Santa Claus, the music was a moment in the day that brought a great deal of cheer and joy to the hospital residents for this holiday season.