I love the Olympics.

Especially, the Summer Olympics.

It's kind of cool to, once every four years, get kind of obsessed with sports that you, either: a) have never heard of, or b) haven't paid any attention to since the last Olympics. ... Like women's beach volleyball, women's field hockey, two-man sculls (I cheered for the Iraqi team in that one), ... track and field events.

I'm sure that is just has to do with where I have been, what I have done, ... what I signed up, and swore to do for my country, ... but my two favorite Olympic moments from the last Summer Games made this old crusty, Sergeant cry.

They are, in reverse order of "tear factor":

First, there was Kobe Bryant, standing on the medal podium with the rest of the "Redeem Team", telling them ... like a Drill Sergeant, to put their hands over their hearts, when the National Anthem was played ... AND THEY DID IT!

Second:

Okay, I admit that there were certain events that I enjoyed on more than the athletic level. Women's beach volleyball comes to mind, first. May and Walsh are incredible athletes, and, probably, the best their sport has ever seen. However, for the happily heterosexual male, like myself, there is another aspect to the sport. It doesn't matter which team you were watching play, those uniforms were not exactly burkhas.

Then, there was Stephanie Brown-Trafton.

I'm sure that her husband, and her parents think she is beautiful.

For me: given her face, and size, she reminds me of the stereotypical female weight lifter from the Warsaw Pact, during the Cold War-era. She is an incredibly gifted athlete, but she isn't pretty.

For those of you that don't know, she took the Gold Medal for America in Discus for the American Track and Field team.

It was her on the Gold Medal podium that made me cry like a baby.

After hearing she won Gold, she takes a victory lap around the stadium with a VERY special US Flag (as you know, if you read the link at the start of this post).

Then she mounts the podium, to receive her medal. She does this with an incredible quiet dignity.

Then, the flags start to rise, and our National Anthem starts to play.

At first, she is just smiles. Shock at winning. But, she puts her hand over her heart, she thinks. Then, her hand drifts, as if she is trying to find her heart. Then, the anthem sinks in, and she tries to blink back tears. Then, she begins to sing along, blinking back more tears. ... then my DVR kicks out.

I was pretty irritated that the DVR did not capture all the moment, but, on the other hand, I had seen enough. It took me a while to regain my composure from what I had seen.

In those moments, with the National Anthem playing, and her reaction, Stephanie Brown-Trafton had become the most amazingly beautiful Gold Medal winner of this last Olympics, for me.

As a post-script: Stephanie, if for some reason, you might see this: Thank you for giving this "crusty, old" Sergeant yet another reason to be proud for being an American.