Quirky things happen on the road.
Especially when the 'road crew' consists of some of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization's most colorful volunteers. By now, the "National Parade of Honor" had visited another twenty cities throughout the upper Midwest. On Tuesday, June 10, 2008, the eclectic band of revelers were in Bar Nunn, Wyoming, just outside of Casper, off I-25. A small town of less than 900 people, Bar Nunn was known only for its two most prominent landmarks: the Bar None Inn, a shantytown-type cowboy bar that pretty much allowed anybody in town to belly-up to its bar (thus, the name, Bar None). Housed on the second story of the Bar None Inn was the town's American Legion Post. When the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. motorcade arrived, it seemed that the whole town - and then some - had come out for the festivities. Jil, Lynn and Dana emerged from the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. motorhome first; from the second motorhome came Bob, Cher, Ron, Phil and Janie - all part of the AROB team, all still recovering from Monday's all-nighter in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The third motorhome was the official vehicle of the Patrick-Patrick team, and Lynn Patrick, Patrick Hamilton, and Cher were no worse for wear. The Scottsbluff VFW had insisted on keeping the bar open until 4:00 a.m. in appreciation for the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. entourage including its little town on the parade tour.
The town manager of Bar Nunn, ironically named Bart Nunn, also happened to be the Commander of the local legion hall. "Welcome," he bellowed, much to the annoyance of those in the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. party who were still hungover. "Our little town is proud to be part of your tour, and we've put together an entire day of celebration. After the 'Parade of Honor' winds its way through town, we'll come back here for a day of drinking, dancing - and dining on some of the best buffalo stew ever to tempt your tastebuds!"
Oh, joy.....just what the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. entourage needed: more drinking, dancing and dining. Jil made a mental note to herself: stock up on Milk Thistle; we're all gonna need it to save our livers! She had just turned 41 ten days ago, and this constant daily grind of sleepless partying and excessive alcohol consumption was beginning to take its toll on even the heartiest O.U.T.R.A.G.E. drinkers. Even Bob Ryan, Ron Oetting, Phil Baker and Patrick Hamilton were beginning to wear down, and Jil thought these guys all had endless capacities for what Baker liked to call 'complimentary alcohol'.
As the cluster of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. visitors entered the Bar None and headed up to the Legion hall, they were stopped by a framed photo at the top of the dark, creaky stairway. Headed "Generations of Valor", the photo depicted a Pearl Harbor survivor embracing a U.S. Marine staff sergeant. What made the picture more poignant was that the Marine had only a hook for the hand he had lost while defusing a bomb in Iraq a few years before. He had also lost a leg and an eye. It was one of the most memorable images of the Iraqi war, one that had floated around the Internet for years. Yet, encased in a large gunmetal gray frame and lighted by a demure gallery light, the picture presented a commanding presence. Underneath the picture in a smaller gunmetal frame was this inscription:
"We truly take a lot for granted.
Forget the football 'heroes' and movie 'stars'.
This is the price of freedom.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American soldier.
One died for your soul; the other died for your freedom."
Jil, Dana, Lynn, Bob, Cher, Ron, Phil, Janie, Lynn, Patrick and Cher were all obviously moved as they viewed the vivid photograph of the old man hanging on to the young, maimed Marine in an emotional clasp of genuine appreciation. All eleven members of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. ensemble were stunned by the piercing affectivity of the image. Hangovers and headaches aside, they suddenly realized what their "National Parade of Honor" meant to all the veterans they had met, and to those they were yet to meet before this tour ended on July 4, 2008. Of the eleven, only one (Bob Ryan) had served in the military. The door opened and eleven O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members entered the Legion's large open hall. Here was a place where people drank away their sorrows night after night; where some reminisced about their wartime experiences; and where some just came to have a good time. In front of the huge old oak backbar were hundreds of bottles of every kind of libation one could imagine. Each bottle was adorned with the dog tags of a Wyoming veteran. Some had died in World War I; others had died in more recent conflicts. Nine were deceased veterans of the Iraqi war. "The booze helps us forget," Nunn whispered. "The dog tags help us remember."
To the left of the handsome, polished backbar, quietly seated on folding chairs, were thirty-seven men in full military dress. All thirty seven, Nunn explained, were Wyoming veterans who had been permanently maimed, disabled or injured in Iraq. "They all wanted to be here for this very special event."
Tears welled up in Jil Adams' sparkling blue eyes.
For perhaps the very first time, these O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers came to a sobering realization. Yes, they were on a mission to celebrate the American veteran and honor his contribution to the American dream. Yeah, there was a lot of gaiety that 'came with the territory'. The AROB Group, the Patrick-Patrick team, and Jil, Dana and Lynn had a job to do, but until today they'd never recognized what a significant role their job played in people's lives; lives that had been destroyed by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombs, east coast hurricanes, and a massive west coast earthquake. These events had mired the whole country in a kind of murky mudpuddle of despair, grief, and stunned sadness. There was no way Jil, Dana, Lynn, Bob, Cher, Ron, Phil, Janie, Lynn, Patrick or Cher were going to slow their activities. It ws important for the moral of the country. Even though millions of Americans had long disagreed with the Bush administration's crazy Iraqi war, it was still necessary to honor our troops. Jil made another mental note to herself: this 'Parade of Honor' will give glory to all those men and women in uniform. For too many years, Americans idolized athletes who squandered their million-dollar salaries on drugs and debauchery; politicians pissed taxpayers' money away like it was water; movie stars and other celebrities lived life 'high-on-the-hog' while others in America barely got enough to eat; white collar criminals who embezzeled millions from pension funds got their hands slapped while a poor black kid holding two grams of dope went to jail for twenty years; wealthy snobs got enormous tax breaks, or paid no taxes at all, while middle-class Americans were burdened with taxes on taxes; Congressmen got annual automatic pay raises while hard-working low-incomed citizens couldn't even be paid a pverty-level wage; corporations got away with criminal behavior that would have put a 'common' citizen in prison for life.
This was why O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had caused a second American Revolution on January 17, 2008. For equality. For fairness. For "the people" who made this country great without gorging themselves on their own pomposity. Millions of Americans loved their country for what it had been, a rich land of great promise and integrity. Millions despised what they had allowed America to become: a pit of illusive impurity and self-serving grandiosity.
These O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers now understood why they were doing what they were doing. They had moved around the country in celebration, motivating their countrymen and helping to put the nation back on its spiritual track. But in no city had they been as moved as they had been in Bar Nunn, Wyoming. No city had opened their eyes as to the veracity of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. movement. Bar none.