Rambo’s ‘hometown,’ Bowie, Ariz., celebrates

Quick trivia question: Where is John Rambo, the one-man vigilante army from “First Blood” and its sequels, from?

The answer: Bowie, as in Bowie, Arizona, about three hours southeast of Phoenix, with a population of 653.

And to Bowie, that distinction is more than the answer to a trivia question. So much so, in fact, that the town is proclaiming Wednesday, Sept. 18, as “Rambo Day.”

To put it another way, “As we work to increase Bowie’s economic footprint, this national exposure as John Rambo’s hometown is priceless to us,” said Nancy-Jean Welker, the president of the Bowie Chamber of Commerce. “We are deeply grateful for and proud of this distinction!”

The fourth movie in the franchise, “Rambo: Last Blood,” opens Friday. Sylvester Stallone once again plays Rambo, and once again co-wrote the script. According to Lionsgate, the studio producing the film, Rambo calls Bowie “home” in the new film.

“Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission,” reads the studio description. Which, when you think about it, except for the “final mission” part, could describe all the other “Rambo” movies, too.

The official Rambo Day Proclamation recognizes Rambo as “one of the most iconic and recognizable characters in cinema history,” and goes on to say that he “has long fought against the injustices and cruelty throughout the world, defending the powerless and standing up for his ideals, his country, his brothers-inarms, and now

So ... this time it’s personal, evidently. The proclamation continues: “The message carried by Rambo is a timely and cautionary one, showcasing the true cost of battle, the dilemmas faces by those who seek vengeance, and the virtue of protecting the downtrodden.”

Technically true, if perhaps a little more complimentary of his motives and methods than we sometimes see onscreen, particularly in the sequels.

Bowie isn’t the only place taking part in a Rambo Day, by the way. According to a release from Lionsgate, the studio producing “Rambo: Last Blood,” Los Angeles is also proclaiming Wednesday as Rambo Day, and there are other contests and promotions (and no, the cities were not paid to make the proclamations).