On stage, Train pays tribute to military family - Entertainment, Music - Army Times

On stage, Train pays tribute to military family

Jessica Allen choked up three times as she stood on stage before the roaring crowd at the Nashville arena Aug. 17, with her favorite band Train alongside her wounded warrior husband Army Staff Sgt. Chaz Allen and their two kids.

When Jessica heard her favorite band was having a contest for marriage-minded hopefuls separated by deployment who were looking for a romantic way to propose, she didn’t waste a minute. Never mind that they had been married for 10 years. Through good times and bad, Train had supplied the soundtrack of their lives. Her husband was just a few months into his recovery after losing both legs to a hidden bomb in Afghanistan when the contest was announced in June. She figured she had nothing to lose by entering.

The honor paid to her husband brought Jessica to tears.

“I nearly lost it just coming to the stage and hearing thousands of people cheering for my husband and our family,” Jessica said. “The second time I choked up because some guy randomly yelled out, ‘You’re my hero.’ For my kids to see that, be a part of that, was just beyond words. And the third time was when I saw that [Train lead singer] Pat [Monahan] had been crying as I was telling our story.”