Tony Thurmond: “John Wayne, ``The Duke''. The mere name evokes in people around the world powerful images and fond recollections of the…”

“John Wayne, ``The Duke''. The mere name evokes in people around the world powerful images and fond recollections of the late actor and great American. Though he has been gone for 17 years, his spirit clearly lives on through his many movies and in the minds of his millions of fans. On August 17th, hundreds of people who admire this great man will gather in Los Angeles, CA to pay tribute to an individual who is a legend and an institution. Americans are a tough lot. We are a nation that was founded by men and women of great courage, strength, and morals. It took tough and determined people to win our independence from the British; to fight for the cause of the Confederacy or the Union; to tame the wild west; to twice lead the world to victory in two vicious global wars; and, to have led the fight against forces bent on subjugating the freedom loving people of the world under the corrupt doctrine of godless Communists. Americans are individuals who admire self-reliance, honesty, and fairness, and without question, John Wayne was someone who personified these traits as a man, and who brought these qualities to the silver screen through his prolific career as an actor, director, and producer.”