"Americans All," Bob Hinds [Transcript]

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Thats [sic.] our idea, we’re all Americans. Throughout all of Latin America Latins seem to have distorted opinions about Americans of the North. Through a conglomeration of misguided information and superficial associations we North Amercians have emerged in the eyes of the Central or South Americans as “Ogres”, the horrible men from the North. The characterization given to us by the Latin is the snob, the exploiter or the ignorant tourist. Something must be done about eradicating these false views.

In our project of good will we feel we are making a small inroad into this tremendous frontier of false impressions. We are a small group of only 7 students but if what we have done can serve as an example of what can be done than [sic.] the problem can be solved. What is required is for more young Americans, sincre [sic.] of heart, to travel and take part in projects that involve personal relationships with the Latin American. Our travels with the amphibious duck “El Pato Valiente” is just one little link in what can be a big chain.

We have been traveling by land and sea in our amphibious vehicle for eight months and will return to the United States around the middle of July. The last lap of the trip will be from Brazil to the States by boat and although arrangements have not been complete yet we hope our loyal “Valiant Duck” will be returned to the states also, where it will be displayed to promote the idea of good will that has motivated the trip. To continue the promotion of establishing better inter-relations between all Americans the “Duck” will be driven across the United States stopping at towns along the way to speak for Rotary Groups before resuming university studies in September.

We try to act as personal representatives of the United States. We try to spread good will by action rather than by talk. Whenever possible the crew, which is comprised of Bob Hinds, group president, Tom Twomey, Mechanic, twin brother Dan, Treasurer, George Burrill, Historian, Fraser Shaw, Cook, Walter Kutrieb, Navigator and Colin Reid, Photographer, visit Latin American Universities. The objective is to contact students and contact them we do. The “duck” which has now traveled over 12,000 miles acts as a magnet and soon after arriving on a Latin University Campus we are mingling with students and planning a program for our visit. Some of the fellow sing and play the guitar well and we have a pretty good basketball team among the seven of us so we are ready to go to town.

Basically most students throughout North and South America have the same aims in life—the same dreams for the future. Rather than lecture about our ideals we try to extend good neighborliness aby demonstrating a sincere interest in and understanding of Latin Americans which are conveyed [sic.] by personal conversation and entertainment media. I act as the comic Emcee who introduces the group and its aims—in Spanish—The way I fracture Spanish adds to the light and amusing atmosphere that we strive for. Informality and comedy cut across a lot of Barriers—politics are completely ignored. Walt Kutrieb and Fraser Shaw strum a mean guitar while singing gay North American tunes, and the rest of the group contribute to the comedy pantomine [sic.]. skits which satirize the United States and effectively places the audiences at ease [sic.]. [One of our favorites is a takeoff [sic.] on an American love seen [sic.], with one of the guys dressed as a girl who is rowing away madly in a rubber life boat. While her swain relaxes away on his guitar singing romantic love ballads.]

Whenever possible we try to dramatically demonstrate the common denominator between North and South America, portraying the same basic idea in two contrasting skits. One of the fellows representing a Latin American toreador will heroically battle an imaginative bull, while another student, representing a North American cowboy whoops and hollers with his painted pony. Our performances aren’t meant to be win [sic.] Academy awards—they are aimed at winning mutual understanding and promoting good will through laughs and fun.

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We climax our program with presenting our University banners to the school we are visiting. This usually makes for a grat [sic.] hit and developes [sic.] a closer feeling between the audience and ourselves. We then set on the stage seven chairs, explain that here is our duck and proceed to start up the motor. Soon we are on the road in front of five or six hundred students. With an electric guitar playing a “Peter Gunn” type beat we bob up and down to the rhythm and explain some of the problems of our journey. We take them through the rough roads of ten countries, up the mountains and then into the water in Panama. Onward we go until we reach the University we are then visiting. We then apply a personal touch and tell of some of the things we have noticed at this particular school, it may be pretty girls or beautiful campus but whatever it is it makes a great hit with the students. Adding a few light songs as we travel along our entire group gets into the act and soon we are not alone in our travels. With everybody smiling, our duck in pantomine [sic.] heads away from the University and we all stand up to wave goodby [sic.] to new friends of the School we are visiting.

 “Vamos a jugar basket”, (trans.) “Lets play basketball”; with the stadium filled up with spectators we are a bit jittery. The town is Cuenca, Ecuador, a small city of 100,000 in the Southern part of Ecuador. Not to [sic.] many Americans ever visit Cuenca and the Brave Duck was a big thing. The whole town turned out to see the game between the “Gringos”. Seven hundred entered the main entrance and almost twice that number jumped over the walls to get in. There were so many people watching the game that we couldn’t form a set shot circle around the basket because fifty kids had formed there [sic.] own circle around us. When warming up, everytime where [sic.] we scored a basket there would be a loud cheer from the 2,000 spectators. When the game started, the spectators lined up five deep, tried for front line seats and considerably diminished the size of the court. Hundreds hung from the rather week [sic.] balcony stairs and in the excitement we waited for one to fall off. With the throwing up of the ball the game started and the roar of the crowd we felt that we were subjects of an Antonio Rocca wrestling match. We were not playing against any expert ball players but they were fast—and rough.They played basketball like football and our strict rule of first class sportsmenship [sic.] was strained to the utmost. The crowd loved it. Dan and Tom our two crack ball players were down then up. Get that ball! Never mind that foul, remember we’re in Latin America. At half time the score was low 17 for Cuenca, 16 for the American Universities, but the score by no means showed the energy expended; it was a fast game. Our strategy now was to hit more from the outside, it was murder going in. Tom, on the side flipped in three pretty ones straight, and they got a little rattled. A lucky trick drive shot and the game started to go our way. Nip and tuck grinding out every point we held our own. A smooth set shot from the outside put the can on the lid that had a string tied to it that brought hundreds of screaming kids down upon us. Literally carried to our dressing room, our clothes seemingly wanted as souvenirs, we barely escaped a group of girls.

 We are no experts in either music or basketball but Latin America can use others than just experts. We sincerely hope that the young people our own age, the University student [sic.] from the United States, will direct some of his ingenuity and ambition to our friends to the South.