Jamey Johnson calls Gold Star mom onstage to honor her son

Jamey Johnson shared a video to social media of a recent interaction that he had with the mother of a fallen soldier who was a fan of his and … well, plenty of folks are getting misty eyed over it all.

Johnson met Gold Star mother Patricia Lynn Hair, whose son Brian John McLaren was a Sergeant in the Army. McLaren died after he suffered a broken neck in a pool-diving accident, according to Whiskey Riff.

In the video shared to Johnson’s account, Hair showed off a photo of Johnson standing next to Kris Kristofferson at the 2016 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco. She explained that she took the photo and realized that when she got home that Johnson was the singer that her son listened to all of the time.

“This guy came up on stage and sang a couple of songs with (Kristofferson), and I took this picture,” she said. “When I got home, I realized this is the guy my son (loves). He used to play a CD and his guitar in his room before he went in the military, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know who it was.’”

Hair said she got cancer and moved back to Ohio, but when she saw that Johnson was playing in Franklin, Ohio in July she wanted to share the story with him. The video showed her getting introduced to Johnson, and showing him the photo she took of him.

“My son used to play your CD when he would be working out in his room,” she said. “He was in ROTC, and I got so tired of hearing ‘In Color’ that I was like, ‘If you play that song one more time, I’m gonna break that CD.’

“Now that song reminds me of him,” she told Johnson. “Because it’s all I have left of him is his pictures.”

Johnson signed the photo and asked her if she heard, “21 Guns.”

“I’ve never seen you in concert,” she said.

The video then showed fans cheering as Johnson brought her onstage to sing “21 Guns.”

“Oh man!” one fan responded. “Crying! God bless this mama and her son who gave it all for his country. Thank you Jamey Johnson for honoring this family.”

“Seeing this in person was breathtaking,” another person wrote. “Such a cool moment given by a great man.”

“God bless you Sgt McLaren,” another person wrote. “Hugs for his momma. Jamey you have a heart of gold!”