ALL MY LIFE I'VE FELT PRIVILEGED TO HAVE HAD GOOD FRIENDS AROUND ME, PRIVILEGED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THE KIND OF WORK I KNOW AND LOVE THE BEST. I HAVE BEEN BORN IN A COUNTRY WHOSE IMMENSE BEAUTY AND GRANDEUR ARE MATCHED ONLY BY THE GREATNESS OF HER PEOPLE.
FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, I HAVE TRIED TO EXPRESS A DEEP AND PROFOUND LOVE FOR THESE THINGS; TO BE ABLE TO
SAY WHAT I FEEL IN MY HEART. I KNOW MOST OF YOU
FEEL THE SAME AS I DO ABOUT OUR COUNTRY.
NOW AND THEN WE GRIPE ABOUT SOME OF HER IMPERFECTIONS, BUT SOMETIMES THAT'S GOOD. ESPECIALLY IF IT GETS US WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE OFTEN TAKE TOO MUCH FOR GRANTED, AND HAVE A TENDENCY TO FORGET THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT AMERICA. MY HOPE AND PRAYER IS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS AND LOVE OUR COUNTRY FOR WHAT
SHE REALLY IS, AND WHAT SHE STANDS FOR.
MAY WE NUTURE HER STRENGTHS, AND STRENGTHEN HER WEAKNESSES SO SHE WILL ALWAYS BE, A LAND OF THE
FREE, AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
SINCERELY,
JOHN WAYNE
JOHN WAYNE WAS BORN MAY 26, 1907, IN WINTERSET, IOWA. HIS CHRISTIAN NAME WAS MARION MORRISON.
ONE OF HIS FIRST AND AWARD WINNING WESTERN MOVIES WAS "STAGECOACH" WHICH WAS FILMED NEAR
SHIPROCK, NEW MEXICO.
HIS LONG AWAITED ACADEMY AWARD WAS GRANTED FOR THE FILM "TRUE GRIT" WHICH WAS FILMED AT
RIDGWAY, COLORADO.
HIS LAST FILM WAS "THE SHOOTIST" DEPICTING A GUNFIGHTER WHO WAS DYING OF CANCER. THE
THEME OF THE FILM CAME TO PASS FOR "THE DUKE."
ON JUNE 11, 1979, JUST A FEW DAYS PAST FATHER'S DAY, JOHN WAYNE LOST HIS BATTLE WITH CANCER.
JOHN WAYNE WAS BURIED IN PACIFIC MEMORIAL PARK, CALIFORNIA.
HIS GRAVE WAS LEFT UNMARKED AND WITHOUT A HEADSTONE FOR 20 YEARS.
FATHER'S DAY 1999, HIS GRAVE WAS FINALLY HONORED WITH THIS ENGRAVED WESTERN THEME HEADSTONE.
DLS 5-9-2000
"THE SHOOTIST"
A GUNFIGHTER DYING OF STOMACH CANCER. WHILE ON THIS MOVIE SET, JOHN WAYNE LEARNED THAT THE MOVIE THEME WAS
