Scotty McCreery delivered a powerful performance of “The Dash” with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Memorial Day Concert  on PBS on Sunday, May 28.

“The Dash,” which was penned by Kyle Jacobs and Preston Brust, is featured on Scotty’s 2013 sophomore studio album, See You Tonight.

As Scotty performed the song about the brevity of life, a video displayed footage of SFC Lewis Clark Walton, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War but whose remains weren’t found and returned home until 36 years later. SFC Walton’s widow and adult children were seated in the audience and became visibly moved as Scotty sang.

“I’ve always loved performing ‘The Dash’ and was honored that the Memorial Day Concert producers asked me to be part of their show and pay tribute to the brave men and women who gave everything for our country,” said Scotty. “We will always remember them and their sacrifice.”

The concert, which was filmed from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, was live-streamed on PBS’ Facebook Live and featured additional performances by Vanessa Williams, Renee Fleming, Ronan Tynan, Auli’i Cravalho and Russell Watson.

Watch Scotty’s moving performance below.