Guest blog post by American Legion Auxiliary Department of Minnesota member Mary Hendrickson
 
My husband and I were on a road trip returning to our home in northern Minnesota from a bowling event in Las Vegas. We encountered a major blizzard, closed roads, detours of detours, and numerous four-legged wild animals who insisted on crossing the road in front of our car. 

After a gruesome 10 hours on the road, we limped into a small Wyoming town. It was past 7 p.m. All the stores were closed. There were no fast food businesses in sight. We were lucky to get a room at the local motel. I asked the motel owner where we could purchase some food. He had two suggestions: the lone open gas station had candy and chips. There was one bar downtown with a small grill. They might still be serving food this late.

We opted to try the bar. Being rather cautious about approaching new places, I took a deep breath and opened the bar door. As I had predicted, patrons at the bar, a group of pool players, and three young couples sitting around a table stopped to look us over. This was not a good start! 

The bar was a long rectangular room with a long wooden blank wall on the left side, a small bar on the right wall, a pool table in the back, and a few dusty, scattered tables here and there. We slid into a small, two-chair table against the long wall. We were famished and thankful when a waitress said we could order cheeseburgers.

While waiting for the food, I did a running dialogue about how this bar could be improved with a little decorating. This long wooden wall needed some ranch or rodeo memorabilia to spice it up. I envisioned a lasso, a branding iron, cowboy hats, some rodeo posters, etc. My husband mentioned there was a small photo frame hanging halfway down the length of the wall. I remember saying something like, “Wow! What an amazing decorating job!” 

Our cheeseburgers arrived. They were thick, juicy, and mouth-watering. Mentally, I gave a large gold star to Wyoming beef. The cheeseburger and cold drink from the bar were slowly making me human again. My enthusiasm for tomorrow’s road trip was coming back. Maybe this would be the day we found the ultimate Western gift shop. Retail therapy would definitely brighten my spirits. My friends would be fascinated by my leather and sterling silver purchases. I could hardly wait to tell them about our surreal road trip.

It was time to return to the motel for some much needed sleep. While my husband was paying the bill, I got a sudden desire to find out what was in that lone photo frame. What was so important that it ended up being the only hanging item on that long wooden wall? 

On my trek down there, I imagined I would find a photograph of a local guy on the national rodeo circuit or possibly the longtime bar owner or a well known local character who had frequented the bar on a regular basis for the last 40 years. 

What I found in that simple frame stopped me in my tracks. A surge of electricity and a wave of emotions literally pulsed through my body. Inside the plain frame was a thank-you letter from the local American Legion Auxiliary unit. They thanked the bar for hanging the American flag on the front porch attached to their bar building. 

I was so ashamed at myself for ranting and raving about the bar décor. I felt pride in the ALA unit that had sent the bar that letter. Maybe individual bar patrons had read it and decided they needed to display an American flag at their home or ranch. I’m sure other businesses in that community had received a similar thank-you note for displaying a flag or even a flag decal at their place of business.

Yes, the American Legion Auxiliary impact is active and visible, even in a small town bar.