Charlie Daniels stops concert to honor World War II veterans in audience

Two World War II veterans who were two miles apart when they landed on the beaches of Normandy 71 years ago and now live across the hall from each other were show-stoppers Tuesday night during the Charlie Daniels Band's military tribute in Columbus.

Several songs into the concert, Daniels asked for the house lights to be brought up in the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts and for Charlie Maupin and Jim Wooters to stand.

"There was a long and loud standing ovation from the entire RiverCenter," Nona Christie, marketing director for Covenant Woods Retirement Community, told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Friday. " . It was hard to leave the building that night; everyone wanted to shake their hands."

The next day, on Veterans Day, Daniels posted a photo of himself with Maupin and Wooters on his Twitter and Facebook pages with this caption: "These gentlemen

fought in the D Day Invasion in their 90s now and I can't even articulate my respect and gratitude."

With that thoughtful gesture, the country music legend articulated his respect and gratitude mighty well.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Charlie Daniels stops concert to honor World War II veterans in audience ."