Real American Hero

As a little kid I had an "A-Team" three-wheeler that I wore into the ground, racing around the block, terrorizing kids while singing the "A-Team" theme song. \nThursday I finally had the chance to meet the man who once ran through a brick wall on screen.\nI approached the line expecting Mr. T to be cocky and arrogant, but I walked away with the realization that this tough guy is even stronger than anyone gave him credit for.\nThe legendary star of the "A-Team" and "Rocky 3" appeared at Blockbuster Video, 1255 S. College Mall Rd, to sign autographs and take pictures with his fans.\nThe scene resembled a rock concert. People of all ages were lined up around the store, chanting his name as Mr. T put kids in headlocks and picked up grown women. He looked just like he did in the '80s: same Mohawk, the weighty gold chains around his neck, a diamond watch and rings, his earrings and the cutoff shirt with the red Converse shoes.\nA Blockbuster manager estimated that Mr. T greeted 500 people. They had to turn away another 100. He was supposed to sign only from 4 to 5 p.m., but as he told the crowd, he couldn't let them down.\n"I appreciate you coming out to see me," Mr T says. "I had to leave at 5 to catch a plane to see my mother, but I promised I'd stay for you all. I can't say no."\nAnd he stayed until 6 p.m., and he signed, and he smiled and thanked every last person who waited for him. He was gracious, friendly and loving. Not like the bad boy he played on the "A-Team."\nMaybe that's what cancer did to him. He was diagnosed five years ago with having T-cell lymphoma, a leukemia-like cancer that affects the blood. He took this as a blessing.\n"Every morning I get up and I got to fight the cancer. I take a special medicine. And every night when I go to bed I fight my little demons.\n"I say, 'Do I want to get up and face the world tomorrow?' And I get up in the morning and I say my little prayer: 'God give me strength today, not so I can lift 500 pounds, but strength so that I can motivate somebody. Somebody listening to my voice needs to be inspired.' And that's why I speak." \nTalking with Mr. T was almost overwhelming. I had a red "A-Team" lunchbox that I toted to school every day from first to fourth grade. \nNow here I was talking to my childhood hero. And he was humble, and he was thrilled that the people of Bloomington came out to see him after all these years.\n"I was moved by the people who came out to see me ... that they still love me. That's why I couldn't leave at 5. We're gonna rush, we're gonna drive a little fast, but we'll get there. But because the people love me, I wanted to give it back to them."\nHe says he doesn't do action movies anymore. No. That's not whathe says God wants him to do. He is a deeply religious man. Mr. T told me his message is this:\n"In life, this is a fate test. I tell everyone that I believe in and love God, but my fate had to be tested, my friends' love for me had to be tested. Five years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and I'm still here. That's not by luck. God didn't heal me so that I could go out there and shoot basketball or be tough-tough."\nPam Thrash of B97 had Mr. T on her noon retro '80s radio show. He was brought to town because he was friends with one of the intern's fathers at the station. And she told me how inspiring he was to her.\n"Normally we play music in between the interviews, but we just let him talk, and he talked for the entire hour. When he was done, I wanted to go run a marathon. He was that inspiring.\n"He didn't want to promote anything, but he had a message to spread of hope and believing in God."\nBy the end of the signing session, Mr. T's red cutoff shirt was soaked in sweat. He talked about how this was a workout for him, kissing the women, pretending to hit the guys and letting the grown men hop up on his back. But he was polite, apologizing for the sweat and greeting the 500th person like he was the first. \nI expected him to be brash and tough, but he was playful and loving.\n"My toughness is basically an act. That's what I do. I perform," he says.\n"But in real life, I'm a humble guy: Believing in God, praying, trying to help the less fortunate. That's what I'm about."\nI expected Mr. T to be here to promote some movie, but he was here just to promote inner strength and hope for everyone.\nI expected his Mohawk would be gone, his hair would be gray and the muscles would have shrunken. But he looked exactly the way he did 15 years ago. This man has aged gracefully.\nHe told me about his purpose in life: \n"I had only one goal in life: that was to buy my mother a house and pretty dresses, because she used to clean other people's floors and she never had a new dress. That's why I'm going home now to see my mother. I'm 48 years old, but I'm a tough, big overgrown momma's boy.\n"My mother isn't proud of me because I'm a millionaire. She is proud of me because I'm still concerned for the less fortunate. She's proud of me that I still pray, still give food and clothes to the homeless." \nLooks can be deceiving, and in the case of Mr. T, I'm glad.