"Man's drive pays tribute to war dead
By Scott Huddleston
San Antonio Express-News
If you see a '93 Mazda 626 cruising down Loop 410 bearing an American flag and a wood frame with the names of South Texas soldiers killed in Iraq, don't dismiss it as a crazy stunt.
It's Richard Barnes Jr.'s heartfelt attempt to keep San Antonians mindful of soldiers in Iraq.
"Some might think he's a kook for doing this," Wayne Lund, a disabled Vietnam veteran, said. "But with San Antonio being the military city that it is, I would think at least 75 percent of the people will understand."
Barnes plans to circle the city at least 53 times on the city's inner loop this weekend, covering as much as 2,800 miles ‹ the approximate driving distance between New York and Los Angeles.
His supporters include Hilda Guardiola, whose son, Sgt. Michael Paul Barrera, 26, of Von Ormy, died Oct. 28. Barrera's tank was hit by an explosive device in Baqubah, Iraq.
"It's just a great honor to have him do this and to include our son in his tribute," said Guardiola, who planned to see Barnes start his drive today at 5 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Plaza, near Municipal Auditorium, 100 Auditorium Circle.
Guardiola, whose son was one of 17 South Texans killed in Iraq to date, said she fears her son's sacrifice will be forgotten. Supporting Barnes is part of her grieving process, she said.
"Everyone is there when it happens and when there's a funeral," she said. "But as time goes on, people forget."
Barnes, 55, has been unable to hear or speak since birth; he issued a written statement about his epic drive.
"This weekend I want to bring to the attention of the local population and the (news media) the many, many sacrifices that our soldiers and their families make to ensure that we are safe in the name of freedom," he wrote. "Let us also pray for those soldiers wounded, both physically and psychologically."
His drive also is in memory of his father, Sgt. Maj. Richard Barnes Sr., a World War II veteran and Japanese prisoner of war who served for 30 years in the Army. He died in 1990.
Barnes plans to take rest breaks during his clockwise marathon drive on the loop and hopes to finish sometime late Sunday.
He attends meetings of the All-American Armed Forces Parade Association, which stages an annual downtown parade in May as a veterans' tribute. The group donated $50 for Barnes' gasoline, and several of its 40-50 members chipped in.
Barnes drew national media attention in 2002 when he drove his Mazda to Washington for Veterans Day. A homemade 100-gallon fuel tank attached to his car raised the concerns of police after he parked near the U.S. Capitol.
Police briefly seized his car but didn't file charges.
His mother, Hedwig Barnes, 77, said Barnes works part-time driving senior citizens to various appointments and was a machinist for a Kelly AFB contractor for 20 years.
He lives with her and his 16-year-old daughter.
She said her son has driven to Canada by himself to visit relatives.
Although she's concerned about traffic he could face today, she said she hasn't tried to talk him out of his automotive tribute.
"I think that if he feels he has to do this, then that's what he should do," she said.
shuddleston@express-news.net"