If you've lived in the Puget Sound area and have attended any kind of sporting event in the last 13 years - from high school up to the professional level - the odds are good you've probably seen Master Sgt. Marvin Shields Jr. sing the national anthem.

Shields Jr., a Western Air Defense Sector guardsman, has sang the national anthem in front of thousands at all the high-profile venues in the state: Safeco Field, Qwest Field, KeyArena, Cheney Stadium and ShoWare Center.

How many times has he belted out the iconic song?

"I lost count," Shields Jr. said with a laugh. "It's a lot."

Even in high school, it was hard for the 47-year-old Memphis, Tenn. native to not be heard. Although Shields Jr. had no intention of trying out for the school choir, word got around that he had a great voice.

"I guess somebody heard me singing in the halls," he said.

When he joined the Air Force in 1986, Shields Jr. started singing the anthem regularly at base special events when he was stationed in England. He even toured for a year as a drummer with Tops In Blue, the Air Force's premier entertainment showcase.

But singing the anthem dressed in his Air Force blues brings the most positive feedback from those that have seen him perform.

"Everybody has a soft spot for patriotism," he said. "(Singing it) is a great morale builder, and it's so much better having someone sing it in person."

While the song is by no means easy to sing, Shields Jr. said it's the impact and the meaning of the anthem that really keeps him on track when it comes to performing.

"When I talk to people about singing it, I tell them they really have to feel a desire to sing it and really feel the impact of it," he said.

The master sergeant counts his greatest triumphs as singing the anthem before a Monday Night Football game at Qwest Field and before a Seattle Sounders FC game in front of a raucous soccer crowd.

"They have a patriotic chant that goes with it ... they're just a great audience," Shields Jr. said of Sounders fans.

And while the requests to sing at various events constantly come across Shields Jr.'s desk, he never turns them down.

"It's such a blessing ... I never feel like it's an obligation," he said.

Shields Jr.'s talents go beyond just the national anthem. He also plays seven instruments and is a member of a band "Klyntel" that performs locally and is in the midst of producing an album.

"We do rock-and-roll, jazz, country, rhythm and blues - it's all over the place," he said. "I have a natural feel for them all."