May 27, 2023 – In Washington DC

  May 27, 2023 – In Washington DC

It was a beautiful day.  Started at 57 and hit the mid 70s.  Today we headed to the Lincoln Memorial for group pictures. 

Remember when we were at Angel Fire Memorial and the Huey, I told you I would ask for a bio from Scooter. He kindly sent this to me.

Rank: Staff Sergeant

US Army 1976/1979

4th infantry division

Desert shield/Desert Storm 1990/91

Kosovo 2001/2002

Afghanistan 2003/2004

New Mexico National guard 1979/2006

Radio Communication

non rated crew member flight instructor UH-1 Huey UH-60 Blackhawk flight

Thanks Scooter for your service!!!

We met Joe Hudson , "Gump", several years ago. He is a POW.

U.S. Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, one of the soldiers captured in An-Nasiriyah, Iraq on March 23, 2003

Hudson was one of the 33 U.S. soldiers in an 18-vehicle convoy caught in a 60- to 90-minute attack on the 507th Maintenance Company at Nasiriyah during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Hudson, who was one of seven U.S. soldiers -- including five from the 507th -- captured by Iraqi forces. After 22 days and at least seven moves from several prisons, a city jail, private homes and a storage facility, help had finally arrived.

He is part of the Outreach team on the southern route.

****************88

As we get started, we see 13 people holding bios. They are the bios of the 13 service members killed in the Kabil attack. The bios will be collected and handed to the Sandbox RC to be taken to the Middle East Conflict Wall in Marseilles, IL,

The Wall there is the first of its kind to give honor to the fallen by name while a conflict is ongoing.  Names on the wall include fallen heroes from such diverse locations as Panama, Lebanon, the Balkans, Grenada, Somalia, terrorist attacks in Italy, Greece, an Israeli attack on the USS Liberty and the current conflicts in the Middle East.

We start to settle in for the group picture. Gunny is right in the middle of it all. He should be very proud of all he has done to keep the memory of Vietnam and all veterans that have not yet been brought home. Do not leave anyone behind.

Kim starts playing Star Spangled Banner and everyone starts singing.   It echoes thru the plaza.

Michelle gave me her last selfie with the crowd.

The picture of the full group.

After the picture, we walk down to the apex of the Vietnam wall.  This is where the plaque is placed signifying the mission for Run for The Wall is complete.

People are looking for names of families , friends..…

If you remember, Duana the chaplain gave us dog tags made from the inmates.  We have found their names and left the dog tags at the wall.  All items left at the wall are gathered and stored.

As we walk down, you can see the bio paper or the MIA or KIA that people have been carrying across the country. They place them at the bottom part of the panel where their name is listed.

Items are placed below the panel as remembrance and tribute.  The NPS collects, catalogs, and preserves these objects as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection.

It has been a very long journey to get here.  Plaque at the apex of the Vietnam wall.

MISSION COMPLETE!!

When you are an FNG you have an FNG pin.  This allows everyone to know you are a first-time rider and you get lots of hugs.  Once you have reached the wall, you have someone turn your pin upside down to signify you have completed.

THE WALL

Somewhere on this incredible journey, we had a speaker that said this and it really stuck:

Teach all to honor those that protect our country. 

Always be loyal to those serving. 

And never leave anyone behind. 

So therefore, the Run must never stop.

POW / MIA Poem

We need to remember them every day.

They went to fight in a place so far away,

They gave their all when their country sent out a call

Not ever knowing that their name would end up on the wall,

No matter how we honor them no matter what we do

We should always remember that they paid the highest price 

For the red, white and blue.

So when you look up at the flag flying in the wind on a clear blue day

Remember it’s there because of the

POW and MIA

*****************

I hope this blog has given you some idea of our mission. It is a grueling trip.   Long day, short night, 4;30 AM wake up calls…. This starts to wear on you.  Our trip was only 10 days.  Think of our troops in extreme hot and cold days.  They have a lack of sleep, long days......they stand to keep us safe a lot longer than 10 days.

Here are a few fun facts about our trip
 - Temperature ranged 32-107

 - We traveled in 14 states + Washington DC
 - From Loveland, OH to Ontario, CA to DC to Loveland, OH – 6402 miles
 - Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

We did not pay for meals on our mission. Every town we stayed in welcomed us, fed us, and prayed for our safety.  The support, encouragement, respect that the Americans have for the mission is incredible.  There is an unbelievable amount of time hanging banners, kids making bracelets, making pocket patches, hanging flags on the overpasses, closing down streets, organizing volunteers for meals, setting up fuel stops. and the list goes on.

100s, 1000s of hours given by so many to make this happen: route coordinator, state coordinators, missing man coordinator, staging team, fuel team, hydration team, road guards, medical personnel…..and the riders themselves.  The logistics to get that many people across the country has to be done by so many

We continually asked each other: What time is it? What time zone are we in? What day is it? What state are we in?  But there is one thing we knew the answer to: what was our mission?

Mission Statement of RFTW : To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world

I have sent many quotes thru the last 10 day.  Here are my last two:

         U - Unselfish

      S - Service to

      A - America

It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.

Rather we should thank God that such men lived.

                      General George Patton

On the Run, we said the Pledge every day.  I see our flag and have taken pictures of it all week. Every time I see it waving in the air, it is telling me I am free.  And that right is protected by our men and women.  Let's continue to try and bring them all home.

HOW FAR ARE WE GOING???  ------ ALL THE WAY

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

I especially want to thank my husband for such an incredible journey.

One more set of prayers please, and that is to get everyone home safely from DC, and continue to pray for all service men and women, past and present. 

I leave you with 2 songs that really hit home with our Men and Women that server: 

Proud to be an American (by: Lee Greenwood) 

If tomorrow all the things were gone

I'd worked for all my life

And I had to start again

With just my children and my wife

I'd thank my lucky stars

To be living here today

Cause the flag still stands for freedom

And they can't take that away

 And I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I gladly stand up

Next to you and defend her still today

Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota

To the hills of Tennessee

Across the plains of Texas

From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston,

And New York to L.A

Well there's pride in every American heart

And its time we stand and say

That I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I gladly stand up

Next to you and defend her still today

Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

American Soldier (by: Toby Keith)

I'm just trying to be a father

Raise a daughter and a son

Be a lover to their mother

Everything to everyone

 

Up and at 'em bright and early

I'm all business in my suit

Yeah, I'm dressed for success

From my head down to my boots

 

I don't do it for the money

There's bills that I can't pay

I don't do it for the glory

I just do it anyway

 

Providing for our futures

My responsibility

Yeah, I'm real good under pressure

Being all that I can be

 

And I can't call in sick on Mondays

When the weekend's been too strong

I just work straight through the holidays

And sometimes all night long

 

You can bet that I stand ready

When the wolf growls at the door

Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady

Hey, I'm true down to the core

 

And I will always do my duty

No matter what the price

I've counted up the cost

I know the sacrifice

 

Oh, and I don't want to die for you

But if dyin's asked of me

I'll bear that cross with honor

'Cause freedom don't come free

 

I'm an American soldier

An American

Beside my brothers and my sisters

I will proudly take a stand

 

When liberty's in jeopardy

I will always do what's right

I'm out here on the front lines

Sleep in peace tonight

American soldier

I'm an American soldier

 

God bless the USA.

NEVER FORGET !!!!!

May 26, 2023 - Day 10 - Lewisburg, WV to Washington DC

  May 26, 2023 - Day 10 - Lewisburg, WV to Washington DC

This is our last meeting. 

We say the pledge and pray.  Pray for dry roads and for the Lord to keep us all safe.

Paul asks if there are any blue star and gold star families.  We have several.  All are thanked for their service.

He asks if there are any FNGs there.  It is over half of the crowd.  They all get hugs AND he says there are always positions needing to be filled so come back next year.

For the division challenge, the army won. The platoon challenge was won by platoon 1. YEAH bragging rights until next year.

Someone asked if there are any women on the wall.  There are only 8.

He hands out the last 2 names to be carried to the Wall.  There are still so many not found but they have not stopped looking.  That is why we ride.  

We have formed a bond that will last a lifetime.

Paul said today is the "final exam".  We have been riding all week for this last day.

Next year's Run starts in June. State coordinators are key to keeping updates on changes in their state.

Jenny presents Paul with a plaque and thanks him for all he did for the Run. Many people have no idea what it takes and the amount of planning that goes on before the Run even starts.  THANKS PAUL!!

Gunny thanks all for keeping the missions going. He said the Run is like a family reunion.  We are all family no matter how much of the Run we do.  He said when we get to DC, his friends are waiting for us at the Wall.  Many of his fellow service members are on that wall. 

This gentleman is an FNG and a Vietnam veteran.  He wrote a poem the had most of the crowd in tears.  He captured just about every aspect of the Run. It is beautiful.

You have your tissues ready?

Concluded with: 

HOW FAR ARE WE RIDING???

ALL THE WAY ????

HOW FAR ARE WE RIDING???

ALL THE WAY ????

AND we are going EAST!!

*********************

One aspect of the Run I have not covered is the missing man.  It is an honor and privilege to ride this position in honor of someone lost. The escort "Rides for those who can't."   

The name is put in the Missing Man position.  Every leg on the Run is covered. 

Missing Man

Formation:

Route Coordinator                    State Coordinator

Escort                                        Missing Man (space)                      

Missing Man Coordinator        Head Chaplin  

       

Here is how it looks on the road.

  Beautiful blue skies today!!  A bit chilly but this beats the rain we had last year.  

Cool windy roads.

WOW!!!!  Such beauty.  Everyone can look in their part of the country and see this great land we live in and find the beauty.  I have just put some of them in my blog to remind you how lucky we are to have all this. And the freedom to go anywhere to see it.

Road guards are ready to lead us.  They are all amazing riders!!!  As Pretty Boy stated before we started, their job is to keep a bubble around us to make sure we get to our destination safely. 

THEY DID!!!

Great job by the staging crew.  They love these big lots where they can set platoons next to each other.

Lunch stop is at the New Market Battlefield. 

Fun Fact:

A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz Sigel, delaying the capture of Staunton by several weeks. The battle is primarily remembered today for being the only time in American history a school's student body was used as an organized combat unit.

 Gomez is always there to bring us in.

Fun Fact:

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a general officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the Eastern theater of the war until his death. 

 Great day for an outside lunch!!!

Hard to believe there was a battle here.

Jenny and I occasionally discuss what layers to wear.  Do I put my heated gear back on (it was upper 50s) or put that back in the bike and just add a jacket?  Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Last minute direction.  This is our last leg into DC.  We have an escort but trying to get 300+ bikes thru 6 lanes of highway can be a challenge. 

 

A sea of hats.

OK one more where's Courtney?

Our escort!!!!  YEAH!!!!

Check this out !!!  It was under construction when we came thru last year.  Now we have an HOV lane, and it gets us almost all the way to our exit. And the part where we need to cut over, the police have closed the highway.  This was a piece of cake!!!!

What a reception.  They other 2 routes make it in before we do and always there in support.

Platoon 1 in DC. 

Pretty Boy got a new patch: DON'T FOLLOW ME.

BUT the mission is not complete until we get to the Wall tomorrow. 

Temps: 47-74

Route: I-64 E, I-81N, I-66E

Miles:257

Quote for the day:

  Heroes do not wear capes, they wear dog tags.

Here is a flag on the back of a helmet. It reminds me that I am able to ride on this mission because I am free and those that serve have preserved it for me.

REMEMBER: Please thank our men and women in the service as well as our police and firemen. A simple hand shake goes a long way and it only takes a minute.

Last post will be tomorrow.