Sverre Vinje, a 102-year-old World War II Navy veteran, became an internet sensation after singing "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch at a Milwaukee Brewers game on Friday. The moving performance occurred on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
Vinje, who served from 1943 to 1945 and participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, received sustained applause from the audience at American Family Field. His rendition of the song quickly went viral on social media platforms.
The game itself was a significant victory for the Brewers, who defeated the Cincinnati Reds 20-0, marking the team's first clinch of a postseason berth. This win also made the Brewers the first team in Major League Baseball history to achieve multiple shutout victories of 20 or more runs in a single season. The Milwaukee team currently leads the National League with a 90-56 record, positioning them for a deep playoff run under manager Pat Murphy.