NBC's America's Got Talent, which often utilizes a patriotic angle as a distinguishing factor for the show, got to bring that sense of national pride to a different level this week.

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The talent competition, which is currently in its ninth season, welcomed Paul Leti this week. Leti is a soldier in the U.S. Army stationed in Savannah, Ga. He recently spent nine months on active duty in Afghanistan.

The 21-year-old soldier, who joined the army right out of high school, opened up on the NBC show about the uncertainty people in his profession face, knowing that they might not make it home. "When I was scared," explained Leti humbly, "Music was there." Leti would sing for his fellow service men and women while on deployment, bringing comfort to them during difficult times.

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While Leti had the judges' respect before he even sang, the performance he gave struck a chord around the theatre. Audience members held back tears while the judges watched silently as Leti performed a cover of Rihanna's Stay, a slow and emotional song that Leti made his own through a unique style and voice.

Leti was no stranger to the song, having performed it in uniform for a video that did rather well online in 2013. The video was made during Leti's time in Afghanistan.

By the end of the performance, he'd more than won the judges over. A few of them even rose and ran up onto the stage to give Leti a hug. With the overwhelmingly positive response to his music, he was ushered through to the next round.

Tags: Americas Got Talent nbc Reality TV