John Wayne

Saturdays are good for John Wayne movies. There's usually a good one on TV, and if there's not, I'll pick one from my DVD collection. I just finished watching The Commancheros for the eleventy billionth time, and I'm half watching The Undefeated now. Of note is that Jan Michael Vincent is in that movie. He shoulda had a great career. Sad.
Watching these movies brings to mind John Wayne's character. He passed away when I was young, but I remember some of of his public appearances. He was a WYSIWYG type of American. He was the pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps kind of person. The man was a patriot, a complete supporter of the military, and active in the world around him, mostly in politics, it would seem. He was always on the side of Justice and Freedom. I've been pondering this of late. Is John Wayne gone from America?
Every day I go to work, I see the best of what America has to offer. I'm in the tactical gear industry, which means damn near all my customers are soldiers. Not a day goes by that these men don't impress me.
I'm not talking about the "me against the world" characters. I'm talking about the real professionals. The men who volunteered to make a difference. To defend their country. Perhaps the cynical among us don't believe in that, but seeing it day after day makes me a believer.
These men have a hard job. They go to work early, stay late, and sweat while they're doing their tasks. They do it and love it. They do it because its the right thing to do. They do it to give back to the country that gave to them. I can't help but to be fiercely proud of them. I do what I do because it helps them do their job. Their job is to defeat America's enemies. I thank God every night that they're there to do it. I see in them the spirit of John Wayne. Justice and Freedom are well defended. Say a prayer for these warriors. They do what they do so you can be free to do what you do.