RFTW Southern Route
Southern Route Spotlight
Allow me to introduce Steve “Dragon” Edmonds
Steve has served and supported Southern Route for many years. I met Steve during his years as the Staging Team Lead. For those not aware of what the Staging Team does let me enlighten you. They are the first people you see in the morning at our assembly area, usually in the dark! Armed with their numbered placards they work to get us organized for KSU. Steve has retired from Staging and now rides with our Ambassador Team. This is another group that doesn’t spend much time with the pack but rest assured, they have an enormous positive impact as they meet and greet many of our supporters on the overpasses across our nation. I’ve known Steve to be a quiet man, always looking for ways to support the riders and our Mission. His work behind the scenes is hard to quantify, but I assure you, if you cross paths with him, you will ALWAYS be greeted with a smile, a handshake, if you are lucky, a “Welcome Home,” and quite possibly a hug.
A few words from In Steve on how RFTW Southern Route came to be a part of his world. “A couple local riding buddies had done The Run, I think as Road Guards, and pointed me to the RFTW website. I liked the idea of 3 routes separating, riding across the states and all meeting at the same place 10 days later. Getting an FNG tag, lots of “Welcome Home” from all these strangers that were almost instantly friends sealed the deal for me!” Between his responsibilities in Staging and now as an Ambassador, Steve finds great joy in meeting new riders and supporters. He holds all our FNG’s in a special place, as he knows they are our future. Making people feel welcome while maintaining his special friendships keeps Steve energized. When you see him, make sure to shake his hand, give him a hug, and a great big Welcome Home!
Thank you, Dragon, for your dedicated support of Southern Route and your service as a Vietnam-era Army Veteran!
Captain James “Jim” Steadman, USAF
MIA 11/26/1971 – Laos
Jim Steadman was 26 years old and married to Penelope. Together, they had a 4½-year-old daughter, Karin, and a 9-month-old son, Michael. Jim was with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon, Thailand. He was a Night Owl with the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, on his second tour and flying his 317th mission. In the very early hours of Thanksgiving Day, 1971, Jim Steadman was listed Missing in Action over Laos.
Though it wasn’t planned, Capt. Jim Steadman and Capt. Robert Beutel ended up flying alone that fateful night after the other aircraft scheduled to fly aborted due to mechanical problems. There were no eyewitnesses to their loss, and no emergency beacons or radio calls. We know that Owl 08 reached the target and was working the target area, but it never returned to base. Search and rescue efforts continued for three weeks after Owl 08 disappeared. No parachutes, fires, or fresh wreckage were spotted. Owl 08 had vanished.
Jim graduated from Central High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1963, earning perfect SAT scores. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with the class of 1967. Jim attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Alabama, where he proved himself a highly capable pilot and graduated at the top of his class. He was slated for F-111 training, but the program was having problems with crashes, so he moved to F-4 training at George AFB, California, where he trained as a weapons systems officer before his first tour at Ubon. After completing that tour, Jim returned to George AFB to train as an F-4 pilot. His return to Ubon was delayed a few weeks while he awaited the birth of his son and relocated his young family to Colorado. At Ubon, he served in many roles, including squadron historian and instructor pilot, and in his downtime, he played tennis and guitar. Jim wrote many letters and exchanged many audio cassette tapes with his family while he was at Ubon.
Jim’s family remains actively engaged in his case, attending government briefings and pressing the government for answers and to keep its commitment to the fullest possible accounting of our MIAs. His daughter, Karin, will travel to Laos this November in search of answers about her father’s fate.
Never forget that they’re not all home yet. 1,565 Americans are still missing in action from the Vietnam War. Please keep Capt. Steadman and his family in your prayers this Thanksgiving. Tell Their Stories. Live a life worthy of their sacrifice.
He is remembered on Panel 2W Line 73 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Never Forget
Respectfully,–
Dave “Double D” Davies
2027 RFTW SR
Assistant Route Coordinator
