I don't know who took this picture of him...I might have, or it might have been one of you trooprallys. But when I look at this picture, it captures him perfectly.
Look at him. He is standing erect. His shoulders are square. In one hand he is grasping a pole. No question what is at the top of that pole. He is facing a possible adversary, the other hand points for emphasis.
His face is serene. There is no trace of hatred. No trace of fear. No trace of anger.
On top of his head he wears a hat. If you look closely at that hat, it says: Halliburton
veeram and I always marveled at that hat. We loved it. It was perfect. The hat was only one single weapon in an arsenal he marshaled against our foes, but it was the one weapon, that for us, epitomized Dr. Raoul.
He never mentioned it to us when he talked, but veeram and I still laugh and grin at the memory of his bearded face under that Halliburton hat.
He knew with a surety, that just a glimpse of the name "Halliburton" was enough to induce spittle-lipped cursing in his weaker adversaries, and an air of distraction in those who were trying to skewer him. And we always thought he took a special, unspoken pleasure in wearing that hat. It was a totem to him, and, at the same time, anathema to liberals. The duality of it probably pleased him. It was so easy to wear, yet caused much consternation in the hearts and minds of those who opposed him.
veeram and I would talk about it on our long rides home on Sundays. We imagined a stealthy Dr. Raoul walking up behind a pink t-shirted, sign carrying liberal to just within hearing, and whispering sotto voce with one hand cupping his mouth from the side: "Halliburton!"
Like a dam, long straining under loads it was not meant to hold, the liberals would come apart at the seams when the word registered in their brains.
How we admired him. And how little we knew about him He seemed like a very private man to me.
I would like to think that Dr. Raoul had the DNA of our founders in him. I can easily imagine him back in 1772 in Colonial America. I think he would have been right at home there, facing off with the British.
Dr. Raoul, Fair Winds and Following Seas to you. It was a privilege to have met you and stood with you.
Godspeed, My FRiend.