WASHINGTON, D.C.  Clustered with gals nicknamed “the Blanket Lady” and “the Shoe Lady” and standing shoulder to shoulder with “Autism Doc” and “World War II Vets Doc,” was my wife Nancy, know at this event as “the Christmas Baskets Lady.”

         We were at one of the largest gatherings of community-minded people in the country this past week.

In April, my wife Nancy was named winner of Wyoming’s Jefferson Award from a field of 41 nominees, signifying the highest award in the state for volunteerism. She richly deserved that honor, but we will get into that later in this column.

         So here we were in Washington, D. C. at a gala organized to recognize the state and national winners. It was inspirational and humbling.

It was just so impressive to be around more than 100 Americans, who just like Nancy, go through life giving their valuable time for important causes.

         The Jefferson Awards were founded 39 years ago by Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Here in Wyoming, Channel 13 of Casper coordinates the awards.

         The event included two big banquets and a visit with one of our U. S. Senators. Nancy was honored because of her work heading a program that provides about 300 huge baskets for food, toys and books to needy families each Christmas. A cancer survivor, it was not lost on the judges that she also, during her time as chairman of our local Relay for Life raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research.

         The second banquet was a formal gala requiring me wearing a tuxedo. It was at the National Building Museum, a fantastic venue. 

         One of the major national winners was a couple from Ohio who started a small food bank thinking they would serve 50 families. They ended up serving 600!

         Interestingly, the wife was a brother of Jeff Bradley, a friend of mine, who once owned the newspaper serving my hometown area of Wadena, Iowa.

         Another big winner was Megan Johnson who has had over 20 surgeries on her face. Rather than bemoaning her looks, she wrote a children’s book about what it is like to be different. She also started Megan’s Mission to help homeless people. She is just 19.

         There was a gray-haired gal who had collected over 6,000 pairs of exhausted gym shoes and recycled them to the homeless.

         There was a woman who made quilts for homeless babies. Plus a woman whose son had been murdered by gang members. Rather than being mad, she reached out to youth criminals to provide positive programs for them.

         A man named Billy Shore started a program called Share Our Strength (SOS), which now has 110 employees, which provides food for homeless folks. The program is in its 15^th year.

         Pro football player Warrick Dunn was honored for his work. His single mom was killed when he was 18 and he had six younger brothers and sisters to raise, which he did. He then started a foundation to help people in similar dire circumstances.

         The doctor-father of a boy with Autism started a camp for autistic you. A florida doctor organized teams of medical folks to accompany World War II vets on honor flights to D. C.

         Big national award winners were Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

         Nancy had a wonderful interview with Sen. Mike Enzi. I liked a bumper sticker Enzi had, which read: “I am Pro-Choice, on light bulbs.” Enzi has been championing the effort to keep Americans from being forced to use only those new types of bulbs.

         Diane Enzi stopped by and she and Nancy shared cancer survivor stories. Diane said she has now made the five-year mark, which is a pretty good reason to celebrate.

         Although we were in Washington just a few days, we did get to see a few things. The Contemporary Indian Art Wing of the Smithsonian was interesting.

         I love the D. C. subway called the Metro. By far the easiest way to get around the nation’s capital. 

         Our trip to Washington, D. C. was wonderful and I was sure proud of my wife. 

         We started and ended our trip at the Omaha airport. We were in western   Iowa for my mother in law’s funeral. 

         The flooding is amazing around Omaha-Council Bluffs. I-29 both north and south out of the area was closed because of high water.

There is so much water coming down the Missouri River that they predicted it would stay this way until September.

         “Some people spend a lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Members of the U. S. Armed Forces (Marines) don’t have that problem.” – Ronald Reagan. 

         It is gratifying to see the high regard people today hold for the members of our armed services, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

         However, it was not always that way. Folks of my generation who served in the Vietnam War were not celebrated enough.

         Perhaps the following can help that out a little.

Retired Thermopolis publisher and Vietnam vet Pat Schmidt wrote the following tribute. He addressed this as a letter to a deceased comrade named Duaine Wales of Powell:

Dear Duaine,

“Wow! Something we never expected has happened. Today many other veterans and I were welcomed back home from and thanked for serving in the Vietnam and Korean wars.

“If I could have changed just one thing during the ceremony in Cody it would have been to have you there, the only person who served in the Fourth Infantry Division in Vietnam with me in 1966-67, that I have seen since we returned. Remember, 44 years ago, celebrating by running down the halls of Oakland Army Terminal on our way out of the Army, anxious to get back to Wyoming and civilian life?

“One of the warnings we were given as we left the Army was repeated by several of the speakers today as a shameful moment for America: ‘Don’t wear your military uniform. There are people who are upset enough about the war to take it out on returning soldiers.’

“We didn’t think that would be the case when we got home to Wyoming, but, boy, did we have stories to tell when we met a few weeks later.

“We both received medals shortly before leaving Vietnam, and I remember telling you that, despite having a picture of a two-star general pinning a medal on me on the front page of the Greybull newspaper, almost everyone asked where I had been? Both of us had just a few people who talked to us about Vietnam, and I don’t recall even discussing the idea of someone thanking us. I remember being refused entrance to the veterans’ club in Greybull because I hadn’t served in a recognized war. (Thank goodness that changed as the “conflict” dragged on past a decade.)

“Duaine, you would have been stunned by the scope of the program Thursday. Wyoming’s new governor, Matt Mead, gave a resounding speech thanking us for serving, even apologizing for the state taking so long to welcome us home. The event was a result of a bill approved by the legislature to set aside every March 30 to honor those who had served America in wartime, particularly Korea and Vietnam.

“Somehow we veterans have to learn to work together, not to try to build up the efforts of those who fought in one war at the expense of those who fought in another. The stigma is there still for those who fought in both Korea and Vietnam. They’re the two wars America didn’t win, the first ending in a stalemate and the other in a withdrawal.

“The program ended with the dozens of veterans in attendance walking through a line and being welcomed home and thanked by Gov. Mead, state legislators, state elected officials and current members of the Wyoming National Guard.

“You and the others who have died since the war weren’t forgotten. The governor mentioned that regrettably it was too late to thank you but made it a point to honor all of you.

“Duaine, you don’t know how much I regret that we didn’t stay in closer contact. When I heard of your death, I called your mother at a nursing home in Powell to express my condolences. Rightly or wrongly, she blamed your death from cancer on contact with Agent Orange in Vietnam.

“I recall there were 20 of us drafted from the north end of the Big Horn Basin in November 1965, so, considering the length of this war and including Korea, there are thousands of BHB Vietnam veterans who didn’t attend

“I don’t know if anyone else from outside Park County attended the program in Cody. I attended mostly because of you. Similar programs will be held next March 30 in other communities; hopefully the momentum will continue and a way will be found to insure that all veterans of all wars will be welcomed home and thanked.”

Your friend,

Pat Schmidt

         In truth, I can get pretty sappy in my old age.

         The mask I like to wear is that of the all-knowing journalist or the experienced hard-nosed businessman.

         The reality? As I have gotten older, it is amazing how sappy I have become. 

         My eyes start to water during some of the scenes in the movie Field of Dreams, even after seeing it a half dozen times. The scene where his dad comes on the field, well, gulp . . .

         A week ago watching my friend Charlie Krebs walking around the track at the Lander Relay for Life holding hands with his 11-year-old granddaughter had that effect. Her love for her gramps was so obvious. Another sappy moment for me.

         As the emcee at that Relay it is my job to organize the music. It is hard to not choke up when we play Celine Dion’s Because You Love Me or when the Pretenders sing I Will Stand By You.

         Since this is a time for me to fess up, it is okay to admit here that some BeeGees songs really get to me, especially I Started A Joke. HeckI even like some ABBA songs. Yeah, I know. Pretty darned sappy.

         Classic movies like Gandhi, Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia all have scenes can make me choke up. Titanic is in a class of its own when it comes to bringing out sappiness.

         Our eleven grandchildren really can make me sappy. When Wolf and Hayden say, “I love you, Pop Pop,” well, it sure tugs at my heart.

         When Daylia asks me to give her advice on a story she is writing or talking about photography, well, it sure feels good.

         Grandson Braley Hollins in Dallas and I sure enjoyed watching the Mavericks beat the Heat in the NBA finals. We talked on the phone after every Mav victory. Great moments to remember.

         Our other grandchildren offer up these kind of sappy moments like Mallory starting college, Mae playing softball and writing newspaper sports stories and Royal being such a nice sensitive boy while being a darned good athlete, too.

         Watching Aftin run track and appear in plays and Ezra growing into a nice young man rank up there, too.

         And then there are the youngest, Fin and Emery, who as four year olds, just make an old man sappy (and happy) by offering up those great hugs.

         As I write this, we are in Iowa attending the funeral of my mother-in-law. Viola Musich was just about as good a mother-in-law as any man could have deserved. 

         It always seemed like she took the sides of her four sons-in-laws over her own daughters, much to their chagrin.

         She was a wonderful cook, making incredible fried chicken. She also loved to make me cherry pie and cinnamon rolls that would melt in your mouth. No wonder I gained 40 pounds after getting married, as Nancy cooked the same way as her mother, back in those days.

         Not long after first meeting Nancy, I was a struggling college student who did not even own a car. My school was in the next town, Denison, so I would have to hitchhike a ride to Harlan, Iowa. Once there, Vi would feed me very well and make sure my laundry was done.

         Nancy and I were married 45 years ago at the ages of 20 and 19 and my long love affair with her family started back then. A wonderful group of caring people, they were all guided by the strong unselfish hands of this matriarch.

         The whole clan gathered a couple of years ago to celebrate her 90^th birthday. She hated being fussed over but all the attention was well deserved. A good time was had by all.

         Deaths in a family and funerals are sad times but they are also celebratory times. In this case, we are also celebrating seven children, two dozen grandchildren and another two dozen great-grandchildren. Viola loved them all and doted on all of them. She will be missed.

         In my case, it just brings out my sappiness, all the more.

         But at this age, it doesn’t seem to be a problem to admit it any more.

         As the number-two producing state in America for natural gas, you would think that Wyoming would have established a foothold a long time ago in the establishment of natural gas-powered cars and trucks.

         But, alas, it had not.

         Thanks to the last Legislature, though, the landscape for such vehicles is changing in the Cowboy State. And it is about time.

         Back in July of 2008, I wrote a series of columns lamenting why Wyoming did not grasp this concept? Gasoline prices were sky-high back then and it just made sense for Wyoming to copy neighboring Utah’s successful attempts to establishing a CNG (compressed natural gas) industry.

         Attitudes have changed in the last three years and legislative leaders and Gov. Matt Mead both have embraced promoting CNG, albeit on a limited scale to start.

         Personally, I have a CNG project that we have been mulling over. Our family drove Suburban and Denali gas hogs for decades but in recent years we have downsized because of the high price of gasoline.

         I am looking for a high mileage but well cared-for big rig that I can convert to CNG. It would be a fun experiment and would provide a good test vehicle to see if these vehicles are what they are touted to be. We will keep you posted.

         With Wyoming being one of the largest natural gas producing states, would it not make sense for us to be a leader the USA in usage of vehicles powered by this abundant substance?

         As gasoline moves toward $4 per gallon and a natural gas-powered car runs on $1.25 per gallon-equivalent cost, well, would it not make economic sense for us to push for this development?

We are finally seeing a few new natural gas stations. There is even one being planned for Riverton. There are reportedly 500 vehicles now running on CNG in Wyoming.

         Big news across the country is the vast proliferation of hybrid cars and even the appearance of all-electric cars. Yet, here we are in natural gas-rich Wyoming with product that we cannot even get to market. Why not jump into this fray and lead the nation with this type of development?   

Up to now one of the biggest problems has been the lack of fueling stations. Wyoming should pioneer such a network.

In the meantime, a Canadian company has developed a home system where you can re-fuel your car overnight using your own natural gas system in the garage. It is a slow process, though, as the gas is pumped at 3,600 pounds per square inch in order to become CNG and fit in the tank. Ideally you need filling stations, though.

         Another downside is that reportedly in extreme cold, the efficiency suffers, but it is a small price to pay for the overall, year-around benefits.

One of my coffee buddies told me about his son-in-law who lives in Brigham City, Utah and commutes 144 miles a day to his job in Magna, Utah.

         He said the fellow expects to save many thousands of dollars a year when he takes delivery of a Honda Civic GX car. It burns compressed natural gas rather than the gas hog Toyota Sequoia he has been driving.

         Honda has been making these cars for some time. In fact there are about 172,000 natural gas-powered vehicles in this country today. And over eight million worldwide. So the technology is proven.

         This technology works very well for big-city buses although one drawback in small cars like the Honda Civic is that the CNG tank pretty much wipes out the trunk space.

         Another downside is that the CNG cars are not available just anywhere. Next-door Utah is a big booster of these kinds of vehicles. That state has promoted the construction of more than 750 special service stations featuring CNG. More than 100 Utah businesses and government agencies are using vehicles powered by compressed natural gas.

         So how do these cars work? An airline pilot named Jeff Church of Los Angeles has put 53,000 miles on his 2003 model. He says with his home unit, he only pays 98 cents per gallon for fuel. He says it is the perfect vehicle for folks who drive a lot of miles.

         Last time I checked, Wyoming people actually drive more miles per-capita than just about anyone in the country. Plus big pickups and SUVs probably outnumber cars in our state. Any way to convert these gas-guzzlers to lower costs would be pretty inviting.