Wherever he went, he took the flag with him. It sported a blue field emblazoned with the state seal which pictured a scroll where the motto “Oro y Plata” was written beneath a plow, pick, and shovel on a plain in the forefront of mountains, trees, and the Great Falls of the Missouri River, encapsulated with the backdrop of a setting sun. The cartoonish depiction was crowned by a bold MONTANA across the top in golden yellow letters.

For many years he rented apartments or small houses, but never owned anything. All the places he stayed were a temporary solution until he returned home. The flag was prominently displayed in the residence for guests to see and it often opened to good conversations like a worn key to an old, sturdy treasure chest. Whenever he left for any significant time it went with him. The flag travelled much of the United States and even accompanied him halfway around the world to a war-torn nation. It showed the miles journeyed. The wrinkles from long flights to Europe and the Middle East while folded and stored away in his backpack. Marks, large and small, acquired from wall corners, gear, dust, and dirt were like scars that over time created their own story.

Whenever people asked where he was from, he would beam a big country-boy smile while merely saying Montana. The reactions were mostly the same. He would get initial looks of wonder and interest that quickly transitioned to assumptions and beliefs about what a Montanan’s aura was like to the outside world. Unending expectations started with marksmanship and continued into outdoor activities. However, when others learned he came from a ranching family, the reactions were different. Suddenly, those asking strange or insulting questions looked over his unassuming figure and gave an odd look of bewilderment.

Even when his skills were rusty, yes, he typically outshot his peers. It did not always look impressive, but it got the job done. His reinforced work ethic ensured he came to the office early and maintained a dogged determination no matter the task. Leading Soldiers was easy. He could manage forty men and women; it was the cattle and horse herds with minds of their own and endless time at their disposal that challenged him. He loved to spend time with the animals but had hobbies and enjoyed other things outside the rewarding grind of ranching. While he knew a few things about cows and horses, he knew nothing about growing crops.

It meant a great deal to share the wonders of his home state, but he seemed to get odd looks from others wherever he found himself. When he went grocery shopping on weekends he caught stares out of the corner of his eye and was treated differently because he wore wranglers, boots, and a button-up shirt. The young people his age did not dress that way anymore, so why did he? His one concession to the outside world was his struggle to wear a cowboy hat. He occasionally displayed one during special times like holidays, but otherwise stuck to his small collection of well-fitting baseball caps.

The Big Sky Country was in his blood and always would be no matter where he went. He knew that after his time in the military he would come home and learn to be a Montanan again. There were things he missed and others he forgot, but undoubtedly, they would come back in time. Despite all the changes he witnessed from year to year during his visits, nothing would ever keep him from returning home.

What made the Treasure State so special was that it was unique. The mountains separated the state into regions, but the people kept it a tight-knit community. He could easily find himself somewhere meeting somebody who also knew a relative or a good friend. People trusted each other from the beginning, and they had to earn their way out of that bond. Wherever he went in Montana the wonders provided by nature were only a few miles in either direction, but they were also different. Such examples were the mountains that encased Missoula, the rivers that flowed through the Gallatin Valley, or eastern Montana’s growth from the Dakota badlands into the foothills of the Rockies. He represented that unique Montana blend because it was what made him who he was. Wherever he went and whenever asked he humbly answered that he was from Montana and proudly displayed it for all to see.