President’s Message – February 2026

It was 4 degrees this morning, and I have been anxiously awaiting a favorable weather forecast. On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter. I never did like groundhogs…

As we inch closer to KSU, I know you hear us time and again reminding everyone to get in shape for the Run and to ensure their bike is ready for this Mission. Yes, we have Chase trailers on each route, but they are only there to help you reach the next forward dealership. They are not there to get you to D.C. or to the Wall, so it is incumbent on everyone to help ensure you and your bike are ready!  Riders are responsible for their motorcycle, much like they are responsible for their lodging expenses.  While we are exceptionally fortunate to receive donations and the support of many volunteers along the way, each individual is still responsible for their own travel.

There has been some discussion about why CR and SR are meeting at Marshall on the last day. As we experienced last year, the LEO escorts did a fantastic job clearing traffic for our ride into DC. Safe to say, at least for CR and SR, it was probably the best escort we’ve ever seen. For them to stop up to 6 lanes of traffic on Interstates so we could safely move through and merge across traffic was an incredible task. Following the Run, our D.C./Arlington coordinator, along with our RCs, met to discuss ways to make this part of the journey even safer. Our LEO escorts suggested we consider merging these two routes just before entering D.C., and Marshall was the natural place to do so. From Marshall into Springfield, we can maintain our Route identities and make our arrival into that wonderful Friday traffic even safer. Hats off to the planners.  Safety is always our top consideration, and we believe this adds another element to the safe completion of our Mission.

I’m sure you have seen in past messages that we are still searching for a new Treasurer.  Our difficulty in securing someone for this position reflects the challenges our RCs are also facing in securing qualified volunteers to assist on their Routes.  The Treasurer is a Board member and an officer of the corporation and is critical to the continued success of RFTW.  While we have looked at a couple of options, we constantly work to keep costs down.  If we must hire an accountant, or have someone act as a “bookkeeper” and then have our books audited regularly, along with completing our annual taxes and IRS Form 990, the costs could be considerable.  If you are interested in discussing this position, I encourage you to email the current Treasurer at Treasurer@rftw.us or me at president@rftw.us. Our current Treasurer’s term ends at the end of August, so we would like time to ensure a new person is thoroughly familiar with how the BoD works and how our finance and accounting procedures are structured.

In last month’s newsletter, we published a reminder about our Benevolence Program.    Back in October 2008, the BoD established a process “for the administration of gifts made by RFTW to selected charities whose mission and values are consistent with those of RFTW and to individuals in need whose personal actions reflect RFTW values”. As we have done in the past, once the “bills” are paid, we look towards helping other qualified charities and individuals who share our organizational values.  Recently, RFTW raised funds to support the Veterans Center in Kerrville, TX, which, in turn, was assisting veterans and their families affected by the floods.  Additionally, each year we ask RCs to submit the name and contact information of an FNG who may be eligible for a small monetary award to help cover the cost of participating in the Run.  The eligibility requirements for a registered individual are:

• Should be an FNG. For individuals seeking monetary awards to offset the cost of participating in the annual Mission, the committee will give preference to first-time riders/participants.
• Should be a current serving or recently separated from service.
• Award money shall be used to defer costs for participation in the Run.
• The amount to be awarded will be calculated on a daily rate, based on the number of days on the Mission.
• Daily amounts will be determined each year by the Board of Directors.

Names must be submitted to the RCs, and the names are then sent to the BoD with the RCs’ concurrence before the annual February Face-to-Face.  This means the RCs will need to have names and nominations ASAP since the February Face-to-Face is less than three weeks away.  If you know of a deserving individual, please ensure they are comfortable with submitting their name and circumstances, and then move the nomination to the appropriate RC.  Nominations do not need to be extensive; name, contact information, intended route, and a brief paragraph describing the circumstances of the need. Time is rapidly running out to get a nominee into the RC!!

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in our See’s Candy Fundraiser.  We were able to raise just over $100 this year.  Every little bit helps, and we sincerely appreciate your support!!

As previously announced, our registration fees increased on February 1. If you have not yet registered, please do so soon. By registering before Ontario, you contribute to the planning process our State Coordinators (SCs) and RCs go through. Our SCs are still out there working with local communities to secure food and fuel donations, and our RCs are working to align platoon numbers. As of last week, our registered riders were down 14% from last year. This will likely result in fewer platoons on each Route. Interestingly, the 65-69 age group remains our largest group of participants, and the 60-65 year age group is our largest group of FNGs. We’ve had several discussions about how to attract more younger riders. Our RFTW Podcast with Boots and Hitch reaches an ever-increasing number of interested folks, and we’ve had many RFTW riders reach out to members of CVMA, VFW, AmVets, and the American Legion. We are confident we understand why younger riders are not riding, but we need your help to continue spreading the word. Our Day Rider program, suggested by one of our elder statesmen, continues to offer a viable alternative for someone who wants to ride for only 3 days or less on the road. Registration for a Coast-to-Coast route is now $120 per person; SandBox is $60 per person, and the Day Rider rate is $100 for C2C routes. For more details on Day Rider Registration, see the recently published Registration Newsletter here.

Speaking of our podcasts, the RFTW Podcast with Boots and Hitch: if you have a podcast idea, please email pod@rftw.us.  Boots and Hitch both welcome your ideas!!

As expected, spam and phishing emails continue.  I hope no one has fallen victim to these traps. Please keep a few things in mind: A leader in RFTW will NEVER ask you to buy gift cards for them. We don’t do business that way. Every invoice is processed through our Treasurer. Bob doesn’t handle gift cards. More importantly, check the sender’s email address. We conduct business correspondence ONLY using our official RFTW email. You can help reduce this spam. If you get a suspicious email, especially if it’s not from our official addresses, you should be able to report it as spam or phishing through your email system. We encourage you to do so. Also, as I often do, my preferred email reader lets me mark emails as junk, and if I get another from the same address, it goes directly to trash. Another issue not related to email: protect your online identity by ensuring your user ID is unique and that you’re not using the same password across multiple sites. Using your firstname/lastname as a user ID might be convenient, but that’s the first step someone takes to hack your account. Even using lastname/first initial—or some variation—is not enough to keep you safe.

As a final thought, as you prepare for the upcoming Mission, please consider shopping at the RFTW Shop and take a look at what our sponsors have to offer.  Amsoil, Nelson-Rigg Gear, and Klim Riding Gear all offer substantial discounts in support of RFTW and our riders.

POW/MIA Recovery Update (as of 1 February 2026): The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) continues its dedicated efforts to recover and identify remains from all conflicts.  As of this update, there are still 1566 unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, along with six missing from the Gulf War and Libya. Our four-part Mission begins with the call for accounting – those servicemembers are our friends, their families are our families, and they deserve our support.

Let us dedicate ourselves and our efforts and remember to keep our focus on the Mission. It is why we ride!

It is not the worst thing to die in war; it is not the worst thing to be missing in war. The worst thing is to be forgotten in War.

‘No one left behind’ is more than just a standard we strive to meet. It is a way of life. It is part of our Mission. If you or someone you know finds themselves struggling with mental health, please know you can contact the VA Veteran’s Crisis Line by dialing 988, then pressing 1, or texting 838255 to speak or chat with a qualified responder.