Coal miner singing national anthem goes viral

MAMMOTH, WV - West Virginia has a proud coal mining history rooted in the American spirit. One coal miner showed that spirit, singing the national anthem in a video that has gone viral on social media. App users click here.

Shane Wriston posted on Facebook video of his fellow miner, Josh Stowers, singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" for his coworkers before they headed underground for the day. 

"There is no kneeling in this bath house ...... we have daily Safety Meeting before every shift before these guys go Underground , and we appreciate Josh volunteering to sing after the meeting," the post reads. 

The two men work for Mammoth Coal in Mammoth, WV, which is owned by Alpha Natural Resources. 

"I wanted everybody to feel close together as a whole family right then and there," Stowers told Fox affiliate WVNS. "A bunch of guys I work with have past military experience and I knew that song would hit them real hard and make them feel comfortable. They could've had a bad day at that time, and that song would put them over the edge and make them feel better about themselves."

So far, the video has been shared more than 8,000 times and has hundreds of comments. Nearly all of the comments are overwhelming positive. Watch the video for yourself and let us know what you think.