Duking It Out Over John Wayne Photo on Fire Station Wall

John Wayne is getting a bit of a bad rap a few miles up the freeway from us.

Not that I’m the best candidate to defend his honor. Wayne died on June 15, 1979, a few months before I came to work in Orange County, so I missed all that local adulation for the actor, who lived in a fabulous waterfront home in Newport Bay.

I loved his westerns, but abhorred his right-wing politics. I always figured it would be terrific fun to watch a sunset at sea with him, because he had a deep love of the ocean. But I never bought into that hype about John Wayne representing the great American spirit of rugged individualism.

It’s that image that’s embroiled in a controversy in the city of Carson. If you haven’t heard about it, white firefighters in a Los Angeles County Fire Department station got upset after an African American battalion chief took down a picture of the Duke in his famous western garb.

The picture had hung there for 20 years, but the battalion chief has said he believed some of the nonwhite firefighters might consider it offensive. And, indeed, some of them have said they believe Wayne is the quintessential symbol of white conservatism.

But white firefighters were so angry that at one meeting they wore T-shirts that read: “Save the Duke.” To them, Wayne represented the rugged individualism that fit their own idea of what a firefighter should be.

The John Wayne picture is now back up, on orders from County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.

The picture, of course, only symbolizes a much deeper problem of racial tensions within the fire department. And I wouldn’t begin to offer an opinion which side has the more legitimate complaint. I’m just sorry John Wayne wound up as the closest target.

Seems to me the white firefighters should have offered to shelve the Duke in an attempt to show their nonwhite co-workers that they recognize--and are sensitive to--the need to defuse tensions. Take the first step in meeting someone halfway and you’d be surprised how it can lead to better communication. But I also think some others in the fire department have the wrong idea who John Wayne was, and what he represents.

The statement that bothered me most amid this controversy came from an African American firefighter: “When I think of John Wayne, I think of white, conservative Orange County. It sends a subtle political message that is what the climate of this station is.”

That firefighter certainly has touched on a problem that needs to be addressed by the county fire department. Still, John Wayne is getting painted with a pretty broad brush. And so is Orange County.

Anybody who’s spent any time in Orange County the last decade knows it is rapidly becoming diverse racially. Also, it’s always bothered me when people automatically equate conservative Orange County with racist Orange County. No one disputes that John Wayne ranked with the right wing of the Republican Party. But his image does not deserve to be blurred with that of racial demagogues like George Wallace or Bull Connor. The Duke is no David Duke.

Since this dispute began, I’ve read numerous books about John Wayne’s life. It grates on me to see how he wrapped himself in the flag for right-wing causes. And his views on women--well, he had a lot to learn there. But primarily, John Wayne was someone who cared greatly for his children, for his craft, and for his country.

Lauren Bacall appeared with Wayne in his last movie, “The Shootist.” It was about a man dying of cancer, and Wayne at the time was dying of cancer. Here’s what she wrote about him in her book “Now”: “It gave me remarkable insight into this surprising man. He had an incredible sweetness. I could totally disagree politically with someone like Duke--we’d never move in the same circle of friends--yet I could really connect with him, care about him.”

Regarding the firefighters’ brouhaha, a panel has now been set up to study racism within the department. I’d like to think John Wayne would have approved.

About That Airport: Orange County Airport was renamed John Wayne Airport just a few weeks after the actor’s death. But actually, the wheels were in motion to rename the airport for him while he was still alive. It was then-Supervisor Thomas F. Riley’s idea. John Wayne told him he’d be honored.

I told Riley, who is recuperating from health problems, about the firefighter controversy in Carson.

“I’m astonished,” he said. “John Wayne did a lot of things for this county, contributing his time and money to various charities. He just wasn’t the kind to talk about it. Any firefighter should be proud to display his picture.”

What About Eddie?: I notice from our files one strong note of dissent about naming the airport for John Wayne. Vi Smith, a county historian and journalist, and also a friend of mine, wrote at the time that the name change ignored the dedicated efforts of the late local aviator Eddie Martin to bring this county a major airport. Martin, with help from his brothers Johnny and Floyd, opened in 1923 what eventually became the Orange County Airport. I asked Smith this week if she still feels that way about renaming the airport.

“That’s still my view, but I suppose I’ve mellowed some over the years,” she said.

She and I agree, however, that the county needs to do more to honor Eddie Martin. The old Eddie Martin terminal at the airport has since been torn down.

The Forgotten Son: Last week, I wrote about Father Jerome Karcher and how his group was building a house for homeless people with HIV in Santa Ana. I mentioned that, in his own way, he was making the Karcher name well known, the same as Carl Karcher did with his fast-food chain (Carl’s Jr.) and his philanthropy. What I deeply regret failing to note is that Jerome Karcher is Carl Karcher’s son.

Wrap-Up: The other day, I watched one of John Wayne’s lesser-known films, “They Were Expendable,” about PT boat commanders in the Pacific during World War II. There’s a scene where the commanders learn that the enemy’s planes have landed on a nearby island. “Why don’t we go knock those babies off,” Wayne’s character says.

Only the Duke could say a line like that and really make it work. Maybe you have to see the movie, but it’s a line that sounds great coming from a big man only if that man is John Wayne. That’s why his picture was first put up on the fire station wall in Carson.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by call-ing the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail tojerry.hicks@latimes.com