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RFTW Southern Route Newsletter January 2026

RFTW Southern Route Newsletter January 2026

Run For The Wall Mission

To promote healing among all veterans and their family and friends

Call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War & Missing in Action (POW/MIA)

Honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA)

Support our military people all over the world

I trust that everyone had a joyous Christmas and had a safe New Year’s Eve celebration.  As of 1 January 2026, we have 133 days left until KSU!  Personally, I am anxious to hit the road.  My Executive Team, my Team Leads, Platoon Leaders, and Assistant Platoon Leaders are all working hard to ensure we have places to sleep, fuel stops to keep us going, people and places to visit, and a warm welcome from the communities where we stop.

REGISTRATION

If you have not registered, this month is a great time to do so.  The Early Bird Registration ends on 31 January 2026 and costs $100.  After that date, the registration fee will be $120.  Those who are riding the Sandbox Route, the Early Bird cost is $40, and after February 1, 2026, the fee will be $60.  So, finalize your registration now and save $20 on each Route.

VOLUNTEER

We are still accepting Volunteer Forms for any of the positions where you would like to be a part of.  Right now, our Fuel Team needs a few more people as well as our Staging Team.  If you are interested in becoming a Road Guard, the Road Guard Captain has a waiting list in case Murphy shows up and a Road Guard has to drop out.  You have to have at least one “All The Way” under your belt to be considered as a volunteer.  The route also needs another medical person or two,  a Sit-Rep writer, and a social media person.  If you have any questions about these roles or what’s involved, please contact me, and we can discuss them or put you in touch with someone who can speak to the role.  The volunteer form is available here: www.rftw.us

PRE-PAID FUEL

If you are interested in the Pre-Paid Fuel program, here’s the skinny.  We’ll be adding $10 to the price of last year’s cost, to a total of $160.  If we don’t have any donated fuel, stop the cost for paying at $10/stop, you would be paying $240 for the cross-country routes.  The donated fuel stops have not been confirmed yet, but as soon as the info becomes available, I’ll get the word out.  If you do decide you do want to go with the Pre-Paid Fuel, there are a couple of ways to pay.  The first and most recommended is through Zelle, which most banks use.  Mark your payment to southern.route@rftw.us.  Please, do not forget the dot in the address.  The second way is by a check made out to:  Southern Route Pre-Paid Fuel and send it to the following:

Run For The Wall, Inc.
ATTN:  Southern Route Pre-Paid Fuel
50 Fourth Ave, Unit 1445
Dayton, NV  89403

Make sure that your payment is made out to:  Southern Route Pre-Paid Fuel.  If there is an overage, those monies will help defray the cost of the fuel for our chase trucks, the hydration and support vehicles.

If you choose to pay at the time of registration, it will be CASH ONLY – NO EXCEPTIONS!!

COOL INFO TO KNOW

The Hotel lists for all routes have been published on 1 January 2026.  Southern Route riders; be careful and read each night’s listing carefully.  The host hotel in Case Grande will not take reservations until 10 January.  Please do not call them until then.  We don’t we don’t want to upset them enough that they won’t welcome us back in the future.

Start taking longer rides and hydrate.  Give your bike a good, hard look and ensure that tires are good, your drive belt/chain is in good condition.  Start to develop a load plan for your bike and load it up and go for a ride so you can adjust to riding with a load on your bike.  Listen for any strange noises and have them checked out.

The 2026 Run For The Wall is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  Angie “Den Mother” Holterman has pins and decals to commemorate this anniversary.  Go to the RFTW Store on line and see what she has put together thus far.  She’s doing great stuff!

Thank you everyone who will be riding with the Southern Route this year.  I am looking forward to KSU in Ontario and I am humbled that I’ve been chosen to lead the Southern Route.

Until Ontario, ride safe and spread the RFTW word.  We will always welcome FNGs.

David “Buzz” Mullen
SR RC 2026