Patricia Barbee and Justin Cummins

[00:03] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Hi, my name is Justin. I am 32 years old. Today's date is September 7, 2023. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia, and I'm here with Patricia, my partner, for today's interview.

[00:21] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Hi, my name is Patricia, and we will be chatting about numerous things. Thank you, Justin.

[00:34] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Awesome, Patricia. So, could you briefly describe your childhood?

[00:43] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Okay. I'm a Boston kid. Those are my memories. As President Lincoln said, if a cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make them biscuits. But I grew. Grew up in Boston. That's for me, that's everything. Everything. And today's one of the few days I haven't spoken with anyone home in Boston. However, thanks to. To media, I know about everything that's going on in Boston and with the kids I grew up with and finished school with. And, yes, went to the oldest. I completed the oldest high school for girls in the country. It was established in 1852 as an experiment, because the men in those days did not think girls could think more than the 8th grade. And we started kicking butt in 1852 until the feds shut down all single sex schools. It was girls high school. The school got shut down in 1974. However, those who graduated from that school still gather annually, and we have scholarship funds and all that kind of good stuff.

[02:18] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's amazing. So would you say that that school impacted you and helped guide you?

[02:26] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Of course. Because in my class, there was 110 of us. And let me tell you, you have no idea what competition is until you get 110 girls together. And I was always the youngest. And for the longest time, I was the tiniest, and they thought they could rule. But let me tell you, I was the busiest little mouse you've ever seen in your life. And when it came to art and all that, I'm the one that designed our class yearbook, and my theme was around dhs in 180 days. Now, there used to be a movie around the world in 180 days. So I just adapted it for our yearbook. And there were shoes sketched all over the book. Why not? I had a gazillion pairs of shoes, and I used all my artwork and talents from, ever since I can remember, drawing and sketching and all that. Yes.

[03:32] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's amazing. So, growing up, what would you say you were, like, influenced to do with your life? Like, what were your goals?

[03:43] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Oh, my goal was everything. Every day, among other things. Let's see. Not in a particular order, however. You've heard of the NAACP? Well, it was founded by William Monroe Trotter. One of our neighbors was his sister. He had died. She ran the local newspaper and all the parents and the grandparents, the nanas and the papas, everyone knew each other, so we were always on our best behavior. And you've heard of Lewis Latimer, who worked on the electric bulb, but he didn't get paid properly because he worked for the Boston Electric company, and they didn't even spell his name properly on a street, which was behind our middle school. Yes. And you've heard of Reverend Martin Luther King. Well, I used to go to school on the weekdays and play with the girls and other folks on the weekends. And where would we go? We would go across the street or down the street to the 12th Baptist church, where Reverend King was an associate pastor and the lead pastor there was Reverend Michael Haynes. What if he would cross the street? He was Mike Haynes, who was the director of the Robert Goulshaw house. You've heard of Robert Goulshaw, the movie glory. Well, and, oh, golly gee whiz, all the other influences. Oh, you've heard of Frederick Douglass. Well, Frederick Douglass and Miss Trotter were friends. Yes, of course. You know, he was long out of before my life. Yes. But you see, these are the influences that I had. And my God, love. And my grandparents were not biological, but they were the only ones I had. And my grandpa graduated college in 1918 and my nana in 1928. So when you have all that, all those people, all those influences, and with the neighbors and everybody kept tabs on all of us kids. And we had nine grandpas in the neighborhood that were always hiding out from the nanas. And what they would do would keep tabs on us kids. None of us ever got hurt. We never got into any mischief because we knew that the nanas somewhere, whether it was that day or five days later, would have something special first kids in the backyards. So we had a fabulous time. And, oh, my goodness, I was into theater. I can't sing, but I used to be able to dance and act and all the plays at the Robert Gould Shaw house. And there was always something going on. And I, my mom was a fashion designer, and I could copy and mimic mom and all the things that she did. And I could be native beading. And what I didn't learn from mom, I have learned from the Robert Goulashaw house. And there were cooking classes there and flora arranging, because the flower shops in Boston would, on Wednesdays drop off to the Robert Gould Shaw house, the leftover flowers and all that. And we kids would decorate, shape, mold, and what would we do at the end of our flower arranging time as the golden ages. They weren't senior citizens then would have their weekly luncheon. As they would leave, we will present each one a bouquet of flowers, and anything that was left over, we kids could bring home. And let me tell you, I can take ferns and shape them and cut them and make them look like something special, because this is what we learned.

[08:10] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's amazing. Growing up in that type of community where everybody looks out for each other. I mean, that's. That's so rare nowadays.

[08:19] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Got one special. When we would leave elementary school, we would hear someone yell out, Nat King Cole. You've heard of him, right? The singer? Okay. And he would be around the corner. I could go home either to the left or to the right. And I was always the slowest thing because I'm running. And that King Cole would be in the. It was the most gorgeous building there, all glass front barbershop. And he would be sitting and running his mouth with the guys. And when I got to be a teenager and in high school, our phone rang one night, and we kids wouldn't. Well, we grew up, only adults would answer a phone. And I was doing my homework, and I. In my room, at my desk, and the phone rang. Mom answered. And I could hear her talking, and I'm doing whatever I had to do. And then I heard her stop talking. And she called me to the kitchen, because in those days, everybody had a phone on the wall in the kitchen. And mother said to me, tomorrow, this was a Thursday. Tomorrow you will go to the West Roxbury, VA residential hospital and do volunteer work. And my eyes popped. And I don't know if your mother ever gave you one of these. Swing that index finger in your face. You will not say another word. And she says, don't tell me you don't know where, where it is, because I know when you were in day camp, you would go out there to the freshwater beach. Couldn't tell, you know, here she is remembering stuff I didn't, you know. And she said, okay, you will. And I know you have money, and you will come in from school and you will have your snack, and you will take the bus and the train and then the bus out there. And don't tell me you don't know. And your cousin will meet you at the bus stop, and you just get off the bus stop and walk toward the building. So I did. And what I. My new job, that's in quotes, was working with the heroes of World War Two in Korea. They were all amputees one way or the other, you know. And whether or paralyzed. And the famous artists that would come into Boston would come out to the hospital and give them private shows. And there were, I don't remember all the artists, because it was. It was maybe two, three times a month I would go out there. It was always on Fridays. And Nat King Cole was out there three times that, I quote, worked with. And, well, we were called pushers, you know, nowadays that's a bad term. But there was five of us girls, and we'd go to the wards. They didn't have private rooms or anything back in those days. And we would go and get some hero in a wheelchair, push him to the auditorium, run back, go get another one. And I would average ten to eleven, first show, along with the other girls. And there were seats across the back for us. And we never knew who we were going to see until it was announced or the person just comes onto the stage. And that King Cole was the nicest person. I never saw him walk away from any of the heroes. Yes. And then we could tell, of course, you know, at the end of the day, when we got back home, what we saw, who we worked with, we couldn't tell ahead of time because we didn't know what we were going to do except show up and be pushers. Yes. That's.

[12:17] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's so cool. Was this your first experience with working with veterans?

[12:26] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Yes. Yes. And I must add, last year I was honored to walk the bridge in Selma, Alabama, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, to honor my husband on the 54th anniversary of his death, because my husband was. I'm ahead of myself, was one of Doctor King's foot soldiers, and he never got a chance to walk the bridge with the rest of him. And you've heard of John Lewis? Well, John Lewis worked with my husband when my husband was running the desegregation programs in Nashville, which was his home. But anyway, a gentleman drove from Texas to pooler to pick me up, to drive me back to Selma, Alabama, for the warmest reception I've ever had in my life, and to walk the bridge and all that. And on the way, going to Selma, we stopped in Montgomery to see the history of Montgomery that you will see in the movie Selma. And within the first 15 minutes was my husband's street lieutenant. He's represented in the movie. And I was driven around Selman. I could see the places that are in the movie, and that's depicted in history. And there's a Rosa Parks park, National park. And we stopped there. But as we were leaving, going from Montgomery to Selma in the car, what do we see? A huge building painted to honor Nat King Cole. Well, I lost it. He was a child of Montgomery. That was his hometown. And I'm still smiling. Yes, I had my. We took the cameras and had photos made of me standing in front of the murals. Yes. Beautiful.

[14:22] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow. It sounds like your late husband had a very. Had a lot of experiences. And you've had a lot of experiences. I don't think. What was your late husband's name?

[14:41] PATRICIA BARBEEE: John Wesley Barbee B a r b e. He's the one that made me a Barbee doll.

[14:50] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's amazing.

[14:52] PATRICIA BARBEEE: And yes, I've been wearing pink.

[14:56] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Did you go see the movie?

[14:58] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Not yet. I'll wait and let it come on tv because there's no way I'm going to get into a theater with a bunch of happy kids. And I promised myself about 1520 years ago I was never going to sit inside a theater again because it was a friend of mine. We met in Savannah to see a movie, and it was the worst experience. And I said, no, no, no. The only way I'm going in there, garden, some of the saints are gonna have to walk me in. And we've not gone. I've not been in the theater since.

[15:34] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow.

[15:35] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Yes.

[15:36] JUSTIN CUMMINS: So, if it's okay for me to ask, how did you meet your former partner?

[15:43] PATRICIA BARBEEE: You mean my husband. There was former husband.

[15:45] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Sorry.

[15:46] PATRICIA BARBEEE: I had partners in business, but. No, no, no, no. I was an underage drinker. I never. Okay, I never pledged sorority, so I could party with everyone. And most of my friends were in their twenties and, you know, and mid twenties and college students or grads or whatever. And in Boston every year, there would always be some kind of summer festivity for the frats and the Soros. And one year, gotta tell, they rented out the ground floor of the Logan airport hotel, motel and everything. You know, for changing, for eating, for liquor, for swimming, for towering and everything. And I'm standing near the front and I knew not to get wet because I wasn't going to explain to my mom where I've been and, you know, a little bit to sit and up drives this beautiful black vehicle. And out comes Diana Ross and the supremes. Okay. That's who dropped by to say hello for a minute. And then the next year, it was a Boston harbor cruise out to the international date line and back. They were on this ship they rented for the night with the DJ and the liquor and the food. No, I mean, it was fabulous. And I had a little sip. Zip. And the ship came in about two ish and I got home three ish in bed, four ish, and at seven on the dot my mother had a pot and a slotted spoon and she had crossed from her side of the house to mine and she told me I was getting out of the house right then and there. I said, wait a minute, I pay half the price to be here. She says, the only thing you're legally old enough to do is drive my names on this place. So she threw me out of the house and I was dressed Boston properly with little sunglasses. And I knew if I went to the baptist church, it's like now about 730. Mom wouldn't even let me have a glass of water. And I did brush my teeth. That was it. But she made sure I didn't. I wasn't sipping water or anything. And so I got to the baptist church. I knew where it was like a mile and two tenths of or whatever from the house and I knew. Comfy spot in there. And I went in there and I went to sleep. And at the end of the service I heard the organist hit this big crescendo and I heard the pastor ask all visitors to stand. And from where I could see, it was, I said, a marine. Not bad. From the time I was a little kid, I was in love with marines, mailmen and firemen. And sure enough, I call myself tipping out of the church from a side aisle. And one of our neighbors caught me. Wait a minute. I want you to meet someone, I said. And she said. And he was standing in the middle of the back and the church. And I said, hello, how are you? And I kept walking. I got to the glass door and there's my mom's bestest friend. She says, uh huh. Look at you. Did you get thrown out of the house? And I said, yes. She says, you were out with Stephen and the rest of them, weren't you? And I said, yes. And she says, I want you to meet someone. And she grabbed me by the hand and she walked me back inside and that was this marine. And she introduced me to him and she says, you're taking a moment to dinner. She took my left hand, put it in his right hand and that was it. Well, I've abbreviated the story. Yes. And I. We got married twice. We won't tell anybody. And I stopped drinking for him. And after he was gone, it was over eleven years or more before he even had a drink. And that was yes.

[20:16] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Was it the dress blues that attracted you to him?

[20:20] PATRICIA BARBEEE: No. Hey, listen, he could have been out there in khakis and being a Marine, I didn't. But, you know, I never saw him in work clothes. He was the admiral security aboard the USS Waspenne that used to pick up the astronauts in the splashdowns in the Gemini series, and before that was the Mercury series. And you've heard of an astronaut named John Glenn, right? Okay, John Glenn. Okay. You know, all marines are brothers, and they're a family, and everybody knows the other, even if they've never met. John Glenn found me here in Georgia to pay me a personal visit to discuss John Wesley Barbee and the NASA programs and all that kind of good stuff. And there are folks who've died, and others will die angry with me because I did not invite them to be with me for my visit with John Glenn. That was between us and the facilitator. Yes, it was a member of the democratic National Committee and knew about me and my husband and all that. And, yes.

[21:32] JUSTIN CUMMINS: That's so wild. But, yeah, I'm honestly amazed. That's such an interesting story.

[21:42] PATRICIA BARBEEE: I'm just a Boston kid. Nothing amazes me.

[21:47] JUSTIN CUMMINS: So can you tell me a story about you guys that may be something that, like, maybe your favorite memory of you guys being together every day?

[22:01] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Okay. Here. Okay. Honey got transferred from Boston to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, so we had a chance, not that I was so thrilled about it, to move from Boston to New Jersey. And I'm leaving out names and all this kind of stuff. And we had a house. It was a quick deal, you know, to get a house. And from the back of the house, we could look out. We were on Third street, and we could see the Delaware river. And so, honey, I'd been to that house before, but honey had never been there until we were. He flew down on two weekends. I came to. It was our anniversary that we moved out of Boston on Monday, the 5 June. And I flew down, our belongings left, and I flew down to the house and all that. And then honey shows up, and one of the things we enjoyed doing, I got a car. And we didn't walk up to the Delaware, where there was a little seating area with one bench. And this was about a half a mile or so from the house. And we parked on River street, which is, I guess you consider street one. And we get out the car, and we walk down the little path to sit on the bench. And this was fun. And we're sitting there, and all of a sudden we go, and he's looking around, and I'm looking around. What it was, the eels were fishing, and they would be snapping up the fish. And that was always a fun thing to do. And then we would get in on Saturday mornings, we get in the car and we go to this Columbus market in Columbus, New Jersey. It was maybe two acres or whatever of fresh veggies and fruits and all this and new to bakhtikas. So we could get out because that place would be jammed, let's say, by eleven or in the morning, we'd be out there first thing. And of course, you know, the choice of pickings and get back to the house. And we would fix this, that and the other. He was a fabulous cook, but he didn't know how to clean up as he, as he cooked. And I said, that's okay, and I will go to my desk thinking, yes, he just wanted to be in the kitchen with me to see how I would. So he would be rinsing whatever and putting, drying and putting whatever. But these are some of the great thoughts that we had. And just to go for walks and to have adventures around New Jersey. That was, that was more fun than being in Boston because, hey, we'd leave that. Oh, we'd leave the house usually on Thursdays. Back then, it was $5 per person to go to the movies in downtown Boston, or just about any movie. And we would get on the bus, it would be a quarter and, or maybe $0.50 or a dollar, depending upon where we were going into downtown to watch a movie. Now, these I don't remember. However, on Thursdays, we would be dressed fabulously and we would take the bus to the terminal, get on another bus and get off at Boston Symphony hall. And it was $2 each. And we would have the most fabulous evenings of gorgeous music and by the Boston Pops or the Boston orchestra itself. And I always had my favorite spot to sit. And the first time I ever saw a marine band concert was when I was in elementary school and we went on a Sunday. Those teachers loved us and we had to get on the streetcar. This was before everything was buses. And we would go to Boston Symphony and what do I see? The marine Corps band. That just added to my love of marines. Yes, but those were our fun nights. So for, let's say, less than $10, honey and I could go have the most fabulous evening. And when we get back to the house, we go. Did you see how they were watching us? And I knew exactly where I like to sit. Low seats first tear up in the middle only helped five would hold five people. And first time it took honey days is, you know what happened to Lincoln, don't you? I said, yeah, not going to happen here. And we would sit there. Yes. And we would enjoy. We'd have a straight eye shot of the orchestra, you know, fabulous. And that was our Thursday night fun when he didn't have to work on Thursdays. And for me, it didn't matter. I would go to business on Friday anyway. Yes, but those are some of the fun things that we would do. Oh. When he got transferred down to North Carolina, he would drive or ride 8 miles, I mean, 8 hours back to New Jersey to spend the weekend a long time. And the only time I ever saw my husband upset and hurt was April 4 of 68. That's when Reverend King got murdered. And he was. When honey came home, he was inconsolable. Because when that man didn't want some popcorn and some sprite, he was sick. And to see his face was so drawn and what can I do? That was his friend. That was his buddy, you know, that he'd worked with out of Atlanta. Because honey went to Morehouse. And this is how we met. Reverend King and going to Ebenezer. But me, for me, I'm a little kid, you know, I came up to about middle of his tie, you know, Reverend King's tie was a little. And I'm looking up at him and I wasn't impressed because he was just Reverend King. Yes, but that was my husband's friend. That's who sparked my husband to doing the work that he did.

[28:41] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow.

[28:43] PATRICIA BARBEEE: And how he. How did he get into the Marine Corps? The cluckers ran the draft board in Nashville and they had him drafted. And Honey said he had done some research. And if you were drafted, you had a us in front of your name and your butt would get kicked all the time. If you went into the army, or I guess he said army, you'd have an Ra in front of your social, your service number. But if you went into the Marine Corps, you had no letters.

[29:22] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow. I didn't know that.

[29:23] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Yes. I don't know what they do now. But then no letters.

[29:30] JUSTIN CUMMINS: So that's why he chose the Marine Corps, so nobody would know if he got drafted or not.

[29:34] PATRICIA BARBEEE: That's right. You couldn't be drafted into the Marine Corps.

[29:40] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow. I didn't know that. So what was his. Once he joined the military, were you. Did you know him before the military or.

[29:50] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Nope. Okay. That's right. Hadn't been drinking and mom threw me out the house. Underage drinker. I wouldn't. I never would have met him. And yes.

[30:09] JUSTIN CUMMINS: So he gets stationed at Camp Lejeune.

[30:13] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Yes. And then they sent him off to the Mediterranean on a med cruise, and he was gone about five months. And one of, when he came back, he lit up, like, he lit up from the inside. He had an aura on him, because he was telling me how he walked in the footsteps of St. Paul. And my husband, being a Baptist minister, this is, you know, he just lit up. And when he would talk about it and when he would speak. Yes. You paid attention to what he said, even me, you know, I was in awe of his words, because I would. I never dreamed of knowing anyone who had walked in the footsteps of St. Paul all around the Mediterranean. And while everybody else, I guess, was off drinking and he was doing research for it and for his studies when he came back. In his bible and his writing and all that kind of good stuff. Yes.

[31:20] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Wow. That is some dedication, for sure. After that deployment, is that when he got sent to Japan?

[31:31] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Yes. When he came back, he was back. He came back in February. He got orders for Okinawa, Japan, into June, but he hadn't seen his dad in a while, so he left May 28 of 68 to spend a week with his dad in California, Long beach. And then from there, he flew out to Okinawa, Japan, to work security, because, well, aboard the wasp and all, I don't. I guess, and maybe board the Chilton. He was always security for the admiral there in Boston. And so I saw. I said, don't tell me a story. Going to Vietnam? He said, no. And he laid out all of his papers on our dining table, and he says, okay, you start from here. Pick it up, you put it down. You go around. And there was Vietnam was no place listed. And it was security work at Okinawa, Japan. The Marine Corps brick. But then he came home sealed in glass from Vietnam. And I have yet to receive his personal effects. No. I got his wedding ring and his watch and his dress uniform, and that pretty much about it. And I'll never know what happened to his personal effects.

[33:05] JUSTIN CUMMINS: I'm sorry to hear that.

[33:08] PATRICIA BARBEEE: But whoever stole them, the word is karma. Yes. That's the only thing I can think is thievery.

[33:18] JUSTIN CUMMINS: What would you say? I know we're getting close to a five minute warning, but what would you say you would want the world to know about him?

[33:35] PATRICIA BARBEEE: He was a fun person, and we enjoyed each other's company, and he loved his popcorn and his sprite. And popcorn. I'm fine. Don't like the smell. Sprite. So he could go. And he had his own den, study, whatever. And we had a house rule what you bring in there, you bring out. Yes. I didn't keep up with them and didn't empty his wastebasket or anything because if I'd emptied the wastebasket, it would have been something he'd want later on, you know, papers with the, you know, notes he may have taken. But he was a fun person, and we enjoyed each other's company, and we. Yes.

[34:22] JUSTIN CUMMINS: What do you miss most?

[34:26] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Him being in the house. Yes. And, oh, and the phone calls. I just called to say I love you. Thank you. Goodbye. You know, back in those days, everything was a toll call. And he would call collect unless he. Oh, my relatives caused ruin, caused me heartache. They had him spoiled. The ship would come in. The wasp would come into Jacksonville. He would take the bus up to Savannah. Whatever. The relatives that I have off my dad's side mostly, and a couple off my mom's side, you know, just a real. They would regale him here. The ship would go. He would go back to the ship. It would go into Jacksonville, North Carolina. My mom's grand. My mom's uncle, my grand uncle, a fabulous retired army, would drive 70 some miles down to the Jacksonville, you know, camp Lejeune, pick him up, regale him. The ship would go up near DC, and that uncle's sister and husband were in the business. The husband's company was one of the backup caterers for the white House. They regaled him in DC. He'd get home to Boston, and once he had the nerve to call me, he was home. Oh, gosh, he was honored by the wasp and the playboy bunnies. That's a story that'll have to last another time. And I'm waiting for him to get off the ship, and I'm thinking, something's wrong when I find out he's there. You know, they've flown the playboy bunnies out to the international date line to regale him because he was the sailor of the month for that. And I would come to the house. I don't say anything. We never had an argument in public or anything. And I'm starving because I just knew we'd be eating, like at noon time or whatever. And I put the food on the table and all this kind of stuff, and he honey. Yes, honey. I said, let me go see what's wrong. I go, and he's sitting on the floor with all these piles of stuff where he's emptying all these sea bags. Now, I didn't know how much good stuff was loaded because sale of the month got all kinds of presents. And he says, let me tell you what I want to eat today for dinner. I said, excuse me. He says, well, auntie Emma always asked me what I want to eat. And I said, you see that doorknob over there? He said, yes. And I said, don't let it hit you. And I spun. That's it. Yes, that was it. He ate what I had fixed, and he enjoyed it. Oh. But when he came to the kitchen, you know, he washed up and all this to sit, and he did what he always did. He'd hold my chair for me to sit, just like, you know, if we were recording or whatever. And, oh, we used to love Howard Johnson's. I don't know if you ever heard of Howard Johnson's. And it was a Boston thing, and we'd go out and they would have fish suppers, and we thought we were going to miss that. But in New Jersey was exit five, New Jersey Turnpike. We'd go out there for Friday night seafood, just like we would have in Boston, only Boston. We would have taken the buses. Yes. Wow.

[37:38] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Well, like I said before, it sounds like you both had amazing lives, and it sounds like John was an amazing man. Yeah. And I believe truly that his legacy is living on through you and your efforts. I didn't do it at the beginning, but I want to thank you personally for everything that you've done in supporting your husband and also wearing that pin on your chest right now, the sign of a gold star spouse. That is amazing. And I thank you so much.

[38:18] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Thank you for honoring us.

[38:21] JUSTIN CUMMINS: Of course. Ian. Yeah.

[38:28] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Is there. Is there anything else you'd like to add? We have about a minute and a half left.

[38:32] JUSTIN CUMMINS: You know, is there anything that you.

[38:35] PATRICIA BARBEEE: Wanted to share about your life, your husband's life, anything else that you would find important to share? Now, I. And I also, I still honor him by working with the walks for the veteran. You probably heard about the walk that was taken from Tybee Island, Georgia, out to Santa Monica Pier. Well, the first night out, they stopped at my house. I hosted all the walkers, and then this has been a back and forth. And now next week, they're going to set off from Key West, Florida, to Forks, Washington. Yes. Walking, calling attention to PTSD and the 20 to a day and all that kind of, you know, sadness. But I was a part of this from the first, from the first step off in Tybee, and I'm being kept abreast of how things are going. And. Yes. So I. By me helping them, I'm honoring John Wesley Bardi. Thank you.

[39:48] JUSTIN CUMMINS: It's amazing. Well, thank you so much for letting me be a part of this. And thank you again for everything that you've done on behalf of yourself and your late husband.

[40:04] PATRICIA BARBEEE: I'm just gonna take 10 seconds of silence to end this, and then I'll end the recording. Just give me 10 seconds. It's.