May 20, 2025 – Day 7 to DC – Wentzville, MO to Corydon, IN

Today started out at 63 degrees. YEAH!!!  No heated gear.

Valor, Hitch's daughter, is helping out this morning's 50/50.  All the money raised is for the kids of Rainelle.  Not much longer and you will meet them.

This is the FNG class for Central Route.  WOW!!!  hope you all are coming back next year.

Time to head out for the longest leg of the day. 

2 miles to the first Vietnam Memorial in America (that is not a typo). Hahaha

As we leave, there is a daycare in this building.

Thanks teachers for bringing them out to support our veterans.

OH my are we starting with the allergies already.  

Thank you sir for your service !

(remember you all can say it too, it only take a minute)

As we get closer to the memorial, one of the schools is out and the kids line the street.

Really nice that the teachers embrace the Run and the history

There is a laying of the wreath presentation 2 of the Run riders.

The band plays the National Anthem.  WOW....

Here is most of the Central Route.  

3 of our bike platoons are on a break out to Perryville

Google:

Wentzville Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Wentzville takes extreme pride in being home to the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the United States. Wentzville was the first city in the nation to realize that the troops who served in Vietnam deserved to be honored.

As it stands today, the Wentzville Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of a single-column of red Missouri granite, topped by the carved figure of an eagle. Inscribed in the column’s base is:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial December 1967

“Whither thou goest, I will go.”

In 2015, my FNG year, I met Sue at the Wentzville Vietnam Memorial. Sue was in the Navy in 1955.

She served 2 years as coordinator of the women’s barrack.  She was the quarter bouncer. 

The next 2 years she served as a stewardess for the commanders. 

We see each other once a year and I still call her family. She is now 88. Thanks for being there.

Here is Sue with her daughter Sherry.

I went to Perryville last year on a breakout. They have a replica of the Vietnam Wall.  Here is some information that the guide gave me as we walked around.  I found it very interesting.

On the wall there are multiple panels.

• The panels start at the apex from 1959 and end there in 1975.
• Each panel has the name listed alphabetically with in the day of their loss
• So if you see : Jones, Murphy, Smith, Brown,.... Brown starts a new day
• The first panel has 700 names, and it took 5 years to get them
• Panel 2 took 5 months
• Panel 3 took 5 weeks

This place on the wall has the same exact name. It is 2 different people,

killed on same day and both from Missouri

A cross denotes MIA

• 15 was the youngest and 62 was the oldest
• 22 was the average age but most were 18
• 3 sets father/son
• 40 sets of brothers
• 16 clergy
• May 1968 was the worst month
• Coins left:

Penny – signifies that someone (veteran or civilian) has visited the grave
Nickel – signifies that the coin-leaver attended boot camp with the veteran
Dime – signifies that the coin-leaver served with the veteran in some capacity
Quarter – signifies that the coin-leaver was present when the veteran died

Did you ever go down the road and pass a beef processing plant where all the cows are outside?

Well riding a bike you can smell it before you ever get there. Part of the joys of being on a bike.

But then we get a little further down the road, and see all these hay bails....much better smell.

I am trying to appeal to your senses like we have when we ride. Did it work? Sure it did.

Yeah... we will have our escort thru St. Louis.

The famous Arch that St. Louis is known for.

Next head to Mt. Vernon for lunch.  They park us on the Airport tarmac.  

Great space and easy for the staging crew.

We are greeted by the middle school kids.  Nice to see so many towns bringing out the kids.

After lunch, there is a ceremony presenting award for thanking all who helped

and the singing of the National Anthem.  WOW can she sing it!!!!

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Lets head down the road for our last stop of the day. Fish dinner in Corydon, IN.

Ready to roll.  Look at the room.

Here is another job the road guards do. Start each platoon so they stay in the right order for the day.

Here it is easy because they were staged that way. In some or the parking lots, they have to be in multiple places.

Gorgeous skies today  and lots of people out on the overpasses.

Here are a few of our road guards as they pass by me. Since we have no escort, the roads are open.  They block the entrance ramp then circle to the front.

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Here is "Boots". Can you guess why?

Check out these bridges...few to many.

As we head down the road, I realize there are no other cars and every bridge has someone on it. Curt Gilman, Indiana state coordinator must have been busy since last year. 

The landscape has changed quite a lot from the last few days: hills and green trees.  Pretty cool riding these roads. 

Last stop for the day, Corydon for a fish dinner.  What another great reception.  I think it gets bigger every year.

Hard go believe this was day 7.  Our day to Rainelle  and DC is just around the corner.

Temp: 63-85

Route: I-64E

Total Miles: 290

Quote for the day:

Please tell him he is more than just a name on a wall