Tim MakMay 8, 2023
I spent much of the last week thousands and thousands of miles away from Ukraine… on the winding country roads of rural America, heading out to West Virginia to get top tier body armor.
Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023

The constant turns remind me of a joke about the poor conditions of the roads in Ukraine, especially due to the mud during the rainier seasons.

Giant potholes — pits, really — litter the path ahead, especially in the eastern parts of the country closer to the frontlines

Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023

Here's the joke, relayed by a friend:

“Usually you drive straight when you’re sober… And you swerve when you drive drunk.

But in Ukraine, you drive straight when you’re drunk – and swerve when you drive sober!”

Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023

Here's the joke, relayed by a friend:

“Usually you drive straight when you’re sober… And you swerve when you drive drunk.

But in Ukraine, you drive straight when you’re drunk – and swerve when you drive sober!”

Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023

Being in West Virginia brings back a lot of memories for me. I spent close to five years as a combat medic in the West Virginia Army National Guard.

State motto: “Mountaineers are always free.”

Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023

It didn’t always feel especially free to me! I remember it as a difficult, taxing experience.

There was a time when I was working FT at NPR, spending weekends/summer drilling in WV – while writing a book about the NRA and volunteering for COVID testing in Washington, D.C.

Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023
But what I remember most was a sense of pride – a special sensation I got when I was driving out to West Virginia at four o’clock in the morning… or marching in formation in the cold… and the sun would begin to rise over the mountains...
Show threadTim MakMay 8, 2023
I would frequently play two songs when driving out to West Virginia: 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' of course (although there’s some vigorous debate over whether he was talking about the western region of Virginia, or West Virginia the state).
Show threadSayyadina 
@timkmak I know it's not the point of your story, but I wanted to share this since you mentioned it. My mom and some of her friends once met John Denver while backpacking in Colorado. He sat and hung out with them for a while (while telling them he was actually John Denver's cousin, which my mom didn't realize was a lie until she finally saw a photo of him years later), and he sang "Country Roads" for them and talked about how much he loved West Virginia the state. So I think that's the answer.
May 8, 2023 at 3:21pmWeb