Day of the American Cowboy

Could there be any more iconic example of all that is America than the cowboy?

Not only do I love starting blog posts with questions (hooray for online engagement), I love reflecting on my heritage as a long-time Western aficionado. For those of you who have never studied it before, an aficionado is like a really big fan of something. Or "avocado" with an Italian accent. Either one. 

Let's consider for a moment this symbol of American strength, this pillar on which American legend has grown and thrived, the avatar of that which the world envies to have.

The origins of cowboy culture couldn't be a more clear parallel to America herself. The outcast members of society (Irish, Mexican, namely) found their path to glory in the cattle industry, risking life, limb, and worse, comfort (shudder) to provide not only for their families but for the whole country. You know how we love our beef around here.  

What happened next will shock you. 

Or maybe not. Trying for online engagement again. But the "cowboy" became an American archetype that is a perfect meld of those diverse cultures. Just look at the lingo:

Doggie - n. DOH-ghee; a calf, from the Irish word. "Get along little doggies".

Hacienda - n. HA-zee-EN-duh; a ranch house, from the Mexican word. "C'mon by the hacienda for grub." 

My poor fingers would fail me to type up the complete, detailed history of cowboys. It's way more intricate than I let on. But like America, a bunch of scrappy nobodies overcame all odds to become extraordinary, world-wide legends, etched into the walls of history forever.

But beyond the historical period of the Wild West, which only was a thirty-year period from 1830's to 1890's, the cowboy enjoyed a once-in-a-generation spotlight with the TV Cowboy that captured the hearts of kiddos everywhere.

Who could forget Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger and more? Everyone wanted to be them. And all that besides, parents were comfortable with their ideals and morals of honesty, kindness, bravery, and standing up for the little guy. Classic. Heartwarming. America. (cue the screeching of an eagle)

I brag about it all the time, but my grandad was a cowboy briefly in his younger years. That's enough to make this ol California boy feel proud. I can't help but feel a connection to my childhood heroes and their horses. 

Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches, or its romance.
--Teddy Roosevelt

I honor this part of my national and familial heritage every day of my life. On my desk at work, I have a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, a cowboy once himself, jumping a fence on his horse. I have a sculpture by Michael Garman of a cowboy preacher with a gun in his belt and a bible in his hand. I wear boots to every function and belt buckles on my pajamas. Well, that might be hyperbole--but online engagement being what it is these days...

This is what I mean by being a western avocado. I mean aficionado. Sorry. My accent. Today is Day of the American Cowboy and chances are high that I will be donning my stetson, attending a rodeo, and saluting the cowboys that built our country, our culture, and our families. 

If you share my love of this, tell me who your favorite cowboys are. Bonus points if you can name their horses.

Memorial Day 2024

In the centuries of documented world history, stories are recounted of the heroes of humanity. Flawed or fictitious, famous or faithful, their names are invoked to inspire the writers of the future world to rise to greatness.

America has a unique place in world history in that its very creed and core values have birthed more heroes than one account of history could ever hold. America has bred and reared a most extraordinary kind of hero, one who holds the jaws of death with both fists while their countrymen and family sleep in domestic peace. These heroes, not celebrated oft enough, are contented to indefinitely or permanently belay personal ambitions and play a somber tune on the strings of destiny, knowing their last breath on earth will be a small, yet indispensable contribution to the domestic tranquility they swear to defend. 

Until they all come home, we the people pray for them. 

I was on a break during a performance last month, when I observed a man with a Vietnam veteran ballcap stopped by a passerby:

"You served in Vietnam?"

"Yessir," said the vet.

"That must've been hard."

"Still is," he choked.

I made a point to thank him personally. The weight of his service was completely unknowable to me. But I hope he knew that he's the American we all look up to. 

Today, we pause to remember the ones that didn't come home to us. It's wisely been observed that those who don't believe heroes exist have never been to the cemeteries to read the names of the most heroic people of all world history. These heroes didn't lose their life, they gave their lives. A life that is given in the name of liberty, equality, justice, freedom, and peace in a world of oppression, violence, and despotism, isn't truly lost. 

To the fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers who gave everything to protect and defend America, we thank you. You are the heroes the world will always look up to.