Spirit of the West

Last weekend I attended the 5th annual Spirit of the West Festival near Sioux Falls, S.D. The event takes place on the Lloyd and Sue Siemonsna farm and it is run by Bill and Jeane Pattison from the Sioux Falls area. The Pattisons, along with hundreds of volunteers, have created a tremendous event honoring our heritage and the true "Spirit of the West." It does appear to me that more and more of the general public is interested in the lifestyle of our forefathers and fortunately we have a few individuals among us that are willing to study the history and re-enact the era accurately.

My favorite event is the Chuckwagon Cookoff. In its first year, six contestants showed up and found a way to prepare a South Dakota Pork Producers pork loin that the pioneers would have been envious of. I could go on and on about the wonderful events such as the quick draw contest, cowboy mounted shooting, trick ropers, cowboy poetry, meeting Cheryl Rogers Barnett, the daughter of Roy Rogers, or watching Eddie Landers with the Rick Wheat technique of training problem horses. But something happened on Saturday that moved me even more.

During the Grand Entry, they took a moment to do two things. The first was to explain the origin of the bugle call known as Taps. The music for Taps was adapted by Union General Daniel Butterfield who was not pleased with the call for "Extinguishing the Lights" because he felt that the call was too formal to signal the day's end. With the help of the brigade bugler, Oliver Willcox Norton, he wrote Taps to honor his men while in camp at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, following the Seven Days battle. These battles took place during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. The call, sounded that night in July 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was even used by the Confederates. Taps was made an official bugle call after the war.

It doesn't seem to matter when or where I here that tune, it sends chills up my spine and that was long before I understood the history of it. On that very same Saturday, the State of South Dakota was hosting the largest parade ever held in South Dakota. A reported 38,000 people took part in a state wide welcome home to Vietnam Veterans. Indeed it was probably 37 years too late but by all accounts of the Vietnam Veterans that were present, they were only focused on the intent, which obviously was to say "Thank You" and they were moved.

Back at the 2006 Spirit of the West Festival, they asked for all Vietnam veterans to stand and be recognized. I would estimate there were about a dozen present and never do I remember feeling more pride to be an American than at that moment. The announcers then asked all veterans in attendance to stand and be recognized as their Vietnam counterparts had done. Among them was Lowell Kruse from Minnesota who had just returned home from Iraq. I only wish that every single free American could have looked into his eyes as he described what he went through and how he and his partners had risked their lives to keep our nation free.

I asked Mr. Kruse why so many Americans take for granted the efforts of our military men and women. He told me that, in general, in the rural circles he travels in that is not the case. But some of the urban folks just don't seem to notice or appreciate how our freedoms are earned.

That reminds me of the most outrageous fact about the ignorance of far too many Americans. Did you know that our military men and women are instructed, while traveling in public transportation, not to wear their uniform for fear of being singled out and attacked? I find it appalling that an individual who is willing to be shot at in some foreign country in order to keep their home country free must hide at any time while in America. That is my challenge to you--to make every single person that defends our country know that we appreciate the fact that they are willing to lay their life on the line for our freedom.

Some of you may feel like I have stereotyped too many people with these broad generalizations but I don't think it is just one group of people that tends to take for granted that our freedoms were earned with blood and human lives. I don't believe that you need to dress up as Western Pioneers to posses the Spirit of the West but rather you just need to have the thoughts of the rugged, free-spirited individuals that created the United States of America and it will help you have a greater appreciation for our veterans and the others responsible for building our great nation. Fortunately, we have events like the Spirit of the West Festival to remind people that it isn't about where you live, but how we think that makes a difference.

Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.

Date: 9/21/06

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