This year will be a little different. Patti (Mary) Bogan and Arnie (Ammo) Harman will be contributing to the SitRep writing, and I will be posting their pieces. I will clearly note the author so they receive full credit for writing about their experience and observations from the 2026 SandBox Run. It’s not an easy job to ride with the Pack and have to concentrate on tracking events and writing about them later on, often not getting enough sleep. Hat’s off to both with a big Thank You! for the work.
From Patti Bogan:
Run For The Wall, Sandbox Route
SITREP May 24, 2026
Today the Sandbox mission began. Sandbox defines the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and involvement in the Gulf. This mission is considered Wall-to-Wall, from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C. to the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles, Illinois. The route and destination serves to honor those who have sacrificed or have made the ultimate sacrifice in our nation’s most recent conflicts.
This year is the 35th anniversary of Desert Storm/Desert Shield. There were 382 U.S military personnel killed in these conflicts. We ride for them. We ride for those who can’t. We will say their names out loud.
Staging began at 0500. People are awaking at 0330 or so to make sure we are staged in the proper areas, get breakfast and get on the road by 0700. It’s organized chaos that works.
Raining. Still. Everyone is in rain gear so it’s hard to know who’s who.
Breakfast and staging was at the American Legion Post 176. They had a full hot breakfast.
Taz, our Outreach Coordinator, had a special guest for us. We heard from a Red Star Foundation member and widow Sarah Braegger. Her husband was Travis “Griz” Boyd.
She said that we need to tell the story. Travis was a soldier, a father and a husband. His battles did not stay on the battlefield. They came home with him. Travis was more than his pain. He loved his children. But PTSD sometimes made him seem so far away.
In one broken moment, she said, he believed that his absence would protect the ones he loved. And in that broken moment he committed suicide. (If you’d like to know more about Sarah and Travis check out her Facebook page.)
The Red Star Foundation is a relatively new organization that is dedicated to helping the families of military service members, veterans and first responders who have lost a loved one to suicide.
The ride got off and two of us stopped at an overpass where a couple of folks were waiting to see the run go through. It’s always awesome to have family supporting the riders. And you get to meet some very nice folks.
Then it was gas and go to follow the Ambassador and Outreach teams to the Patriot Park Memorial.
It was a beautiful ride. A winding road, with rolling hills and the greenest of grass.
There was a huge painted barn. The paint was peeling but you could tell it had once been a gorgeous site along this road.
Then there was heavy fog. It was eerie as we kept rolling toward the Flight 93 Memorial. Misting rain added to the mysterious feeling.
We visited the Post 9-11 U. S. Armed Forces Memorial. It’s called Patriot Park. There are more than 7,000 heroes and more than 7,000 flags. There were photos of many who have died in the war on terrorism. It’s a solemn display and brings home the number of lives lost to this war.
As people wandered through the area and read about those who have been killed, the wind started to blow, gently rippling the flags. It was as though they knew we were there to pay our respects.
From there the group went to the
Flight 93 Memorial. There’s extreme sadness. And extreme gladness. Sadness for the lives lost. Gladness for the lives saved. The sun came out as if to celebrate that we were here to honor, pay our respects and say their names.
Many remember. Four aircraft. Three crashing into the World Trade Center’s two towers and one into the Pentagon. The fourth, UA Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. Nearly 3,000 people died that day in the deadliest terrorist attack on American soul.
That day the passengers on Flight 93 passengers fought back to keep the flight from making a deadly attack on another target, the Capital Building. While it still crashed the passengers heroic efforts stopped the terrorists from making an attack on their target.
The site of the crash is serene now, covered with grass and trees. A lone 17-ton piece of sandstone marks a visual reference. But it’s the marker for all of the unidentified passengers and crew. The flight came in about 25 feet in front of the stone, at 563 mph.
The Wall of Names distinguishes each of the 40 passengers in individual marble panels. Say their names never forget.
The weather has been cooperative up until shortly after our afternoon fuel stop. The closer we got to St, Clairesville, Ohio, the worse it got. Heavier and heavier rain. But a great event awaited us.
Dinner was fabulous at the Ohio Valley Mall and was followed by recognition of those who have provided for us and a donation to Sandbox. There was a live auction with the big item being a quilt … Stars and Stripes … that went for nearly a grand. There were a number of other items and it was quite lively.
- “The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don’t always return. Those who don’t return become a part of the clouds. They become part of everything.” — Paulo Coelho (from The Alchemist)
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available. 