Give a D@mn

73 year old Veteran Bruce Bair hiked over 280 miles from Durham, NC to Washington DC where he hand-delivered letters to the office of Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). The reason? Tillis refuses to host Town halls back home in North Carolina. Bruce spent a night in our home along the way. Some think his superpower is his physical stamina. They are wrong. His superpower is that he gives a d@mn. 

A little over a month ago, an email was forwarded to me from a friend in Richmond. Here is a quick summary:

 

This is Bruce Bair from Durham, NC. I am a veteran of Army Active Duty and Reserve time in the Army and Navy. I am a retired Physician Assistant (Duke ’78) and am 73 years old. Our President aided by the Senators from NC is making a mess of our country and I am protesting. So, what is new — I am taking letters from people in NC and walking them to Washington DC. I leave here on June 2. I will be in … Culpeper, VA June 12th, Warrenton June 13th …. I plan to deliver letters on the 17th and return home via train 18 June. I haven’t checked about accommodations in towns along the way but if a citizen you know there would allow me to sleep in their backyard, I would appreciate it. If you don’t want to be involved, I understand. You might tell folks to look out for a white-bearded, short white man with glasses. I am harmless but determined. If anyone wants to bring a sign and walk a mile, I welcome them. Thanks for your time in reading this. If there is anything I can do to help you and your cause as I pass through let me know. (Author’s note: I  slightly abbreviated the email for this blog – I left off most of the town-by-town itinerary).

 I emailed Bruce and let him know we would be happy for him spend the night at our home. We traded a few emails and texts during his hike, and on the 12th of June we spoke on the phone. He was at a hotel in Culpeper, about twenty miles away. The next day, right on schedule he would walk to Warrenton. He gave me his route, and we selected a pickup point. 

 The 13th arrived and I tracked his progress. I eventually picked him up at our rally point. He was indeed a “white-bearded, short white man with glasses” and definitely in better shape than I am ;-). 

Driving Bruce to our home, I felt I already knew him. We had comfortable conversations, as we learned about each other. We also talked more about what he was doing and why. 

Bruce had joined with others in Durham and protested this past spring about what is going on in our country. He felt it was not enough. He wanted to find ways to do more, and inspire others to do more. 

He also looked inward during this period. More specifically, he wanted to really understand peaceful protests. In his studies, he noted Ghandi, King, and Mandela all took part in hikes, marches, or walks, as they developed their own understanding of peaceful resistance, and he resolved to do the same. 

The genesis of this particular walk was that the State’s two Senators would not host town halls in North Carolina. Bruce decided if the Senators would not come to North Carolina, he would go to them to register his, and his neighbors’ concerns with the direction of our country. He and his friends all wrote letters to Senator Tillis, Bruce put them in his pack, and he started his walk, eventually arriving in Warrenton.

At our home, Bruce relaxed and grabbed a shower. That evening, I invited two others to join us for dinner. The first, Irv Woods, is the Democratic Magisterial District leader for Marshall, the district I live in here in Fauquier County. The second was Jacob (Jac) Bennington. Jac is a high school government teacher, an Afghan War veteran, and a current helicopter pilot for the Army National Guard. He is running for the House of Delegates this year in the 61st district here in Virginia*. Jac had National Guard duty that weekend, but stopped by for a few hours.

What followed were some great conversations among the four of us. We talked about North Carolina and Virginia and political issues in both states. We discussed Bruce’s walk and Jac’s decision to run for office and each of them making a difference in their own way. The state of the country was also on our minds, along with the President’s birthday parade, and the many “No Kings Day” protests happening the next day. As Veterans, Bruce, Jac and I were all appalled at the misuse of our troops for the parade, and for their activation in California.

The evening eventually ended, and Bruce retired early to rest for the next day’s walk. 

On Saturday morning, after coffee and breakfast, Bruce and I drove to Warrenton, which was celebrating Juneteenth with an all-day festival. The Fauquier Democrats, along with Fauquier Indivisible and other local progressive groups, decided months earlier that the best way to celebrate No Kings Day was by supporting the Juneteenth celebration in Warrenton. Warrenton is a town that still had segregated schools in the late ‘60s and, on the day after Trump’s reelection, pickup trucks drove around, while flying US, MAGA, and Confederate flags. Celebrating Juneteenth on No Kings Day was a no-brainer, and definitely the right thing to do.

Bruce helped us set up the Fauquier Democrats tent, and then it was time for him to leave. We shook hands and hugged, and he continued his walk to Gainesville, the next town on his path. 

 That Saturday was an interesting day and, in my mind, showed why Bruce’s journey was so important. As he hiked towards Gainesville, several events happened locally and across the country. Early that morning, the news reported the murder and wounding of two Democratic politicians in Minnesota, along with their spouses. In Culpeper, where Bruce spent the night before arriving at our home, there was a peaceful No Kings Day rally with over 600 in attendance. Unfortunately, a young man (according to police witnesses) intentionally plowed his car through protesters as the event was ending. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. In Warrenton, a couple hundred progressive volunteers helped ensure a successful Juneteenth festival, showing in our own way that diversity is still a hallmark of this country, despite Trump’s efforts . Of course, we all know about the No Kings Day rallies across the country attracting millions of people, and the lightly attended, low energy, but outrageously expensive birthday “Big Parade” in DC.

 Bruce and I stayed in touch over the next couple of days and I continued following his journey. On Tuesday, June 18th, he arrived for his scheduled meeting with Senator Tillis’s office at 2PM. He met with the Senator’s Chief of Staff, Shielle Patel, and a couple of other staffers. The Senator was, of course, unavailable. The meeting was cordial and Patel said he would ensure the Senator saw the letters. Bruce was grateful they had actually taken the time to schedule a meeting and not just shaken his hand and escort him to the door. They briefly discussed the “Big, Beautiful Bill”, which the Senator’s office said needed some work. The Senator had no issue with dropping people from Medicaid, but was concerned with decreasing provider reimbursement. No update was given by the staff on when the Senator might actually be in his home state to meet with constituents. There was a bit more discussion and deflection and that was it.  After a little under twenty minutes together and a photo op, the meeting was over. 

 Bruce returned safely on Wednesday to Durham and reunited with his wife and friends. Will Senator Tillis do anything different because of the visit? I am doubtful, but you never know. They did take the time to actually have a sit down meeting, and appeared to listen, but they are trained to do that. As for Bruce, he spent the eight hour train ride home reading the Big Beautiful Bill.  He was looking for additional areas they should be protesting in Durham.

At a personal level, Bruce’s actions inspired me, and I plan to step up my game even more. For those reading this blog, I hope you too find this story inspiring and ask yourselves what else you can do to make a difference right now and show that, like Bruce, you give a d@mn. 

God Bless America. 

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Addendum:

• * you can learn more about Jac Bennington and his campaign here: https://benningtonforvirginia.com/
• Thanks to my friend Irv Woods for thoughts and edits to this blog. Also, thanks as always to my friend/editor Colleen for her always useful suggestions and gentle corrections.