Planes filled with U.S. soldiers returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Iran swarmed virtually every airport that was still operational. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. officials were meeting with Chinese and Indian government agencies to work out plans that would involve the world's nations in helping to combat the ill-effects of global warming. Jil Adams has designated her crew of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers as the "Help Our Earth, Homecoming Observation, Holiday Occasion Force" - a cumbersome title which the other three members of the AROB team had quickly whittled down to a catchy anagram: the "HOE HO HO" Force.
Delegating specific assignments had begun in earnest, and by Sunday morning, December 21, 2008, everything was already starting to come together, after Saturday planning discussions that went on into the wee hours of the night.
Baker, Oetting and Ryan were in charge of coordinating all of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. public broadcasting sites (which had also been used as polling places for the November elections) into "party central" operations. These sites would now be re-used as 'celebration stations' to bring together all homecoming service men and women so that they could be honored on Christmas Day. Part of the coordination efforts included rounding up all these soldiers and getting them there for the event - then quickly returning them to their homes so they could end the day with their families and friends.
Michelle, Lynn and Dana were charged with seeing that each site was properly decorated with an unusual color blend of American Red, White and Blue; Christmas greens and reds; the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. lime green; and colors from the flags of every nation participating in the event. Food from different countries and various cultures would also be part of the festivities. Jil wanted nothing left to chance: it must be perfect. With the blessings of Colin Powell, Barack Obama and John McCain, she was working with an unlimited budget. Every country participating in this worldwide telecast must also be represented at each of the thousands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. sites, which included public buildings, bars, restaurants, libraries, schools, local community centers, and gymnasiums. Finally, recycling efforts would have to be a highly visible component of this massive celebration to bring home the message of "helping our Earth".
"Hot Donna" and her husband, Mike, were in charge of bringing area veterans' organizations into the celebrations, which meant contacting VFW and American Legion posts, Marine Corps Leagues, Navy Clubs, fraternal organizations, local service clubs, and veterans' assistance organizations all over the country. They would also be responsible for securing flags from all participating nations and ensuring that they were on display at each O.U.T.R.A.G.E. celebration station.
"Doc" and his crew were charged with working with local officials across the country to set up parade routes which would bring homecoming soldiers, foreign dignitaries and other guests to the celebration stations. It was a monumental effort, trying to coordinate having an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bus pick up these people and assemble them into a delegation that would arrive at each site on Christmas Day.
"Hammy" and the Patrick-Patrick team had been given orders to book live entertainment for every celebration station, including bands, choirs, orchestras, singers, and musicians of all stripes. Each celebration station would have its own local 'flavor', but all nations participating in the "HOE HO HO" force must also be represented musically, as so ordered by Jil.
Jil announced that she would take charge of arranging for special recognitions and honors to be awarded to each group of returning soldiers, noting their service to God and their country. "Hmmmph..." muttered Lynn, "it's just like Jil to keep all the pretty boys to herself."
The output of work from a relative handful of a few hundred people was outstanding. By Sunday evening, plans were all but coordinated and the "HOE HO HO" force had gone into "action mode" diverting the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bus fleet and fleet of jets to the regions of the country where they needed to be. It was a much a precision drill as any military battle plan, all pulled together by a rag-tag group of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers who had little experience in these kinds of things. The outpouring of cooperation from local communities, businesses, and non-profit organizations certainly added tens of thousands of staff to the work. The Salvation Army, Daughters of the Revolution, and dozens of other charity groups enthusiastically offered whatever assistance they could.
For perhaps the first time in modern history, Christmas would not only be celebrated as the Christian observance of Christ's birth, but it would become a truly international festival of world peace, harmony, unity, love, environmental initiatives, hope, cultural diversity, and coadjuvancy. It would be, perhaps, the most international collaborative effort in world history...exactly the kind of participatory kind of governance Bob Ryan had just talked about a few days earlier in St. Kitts.
Bob looked around in awe, then glanced at his partners, Phil and Ron, and said quizzically, "How in the hell does Jil manage to pull th