Author: Alan "Xbox" Steiner

I want to update everyone on the new products that I’ve been waiting on from our suppliers so that I’m able to ship your orders.

For those of you that have pending orders, thank you very much and I appreciate your patience as these items ramp up and get through production. The new Run shirt will begin shipping out Tuesday, 9/30 so for those of you that have a shirt on order, you can expect to see them later next week. That hat is about another week after that so orders that have both will ship when the hat is ready. Finally, I received the new challenge coins from the supplier but there is an error in the version I received so these have to be redone. Production has started but likely 2-3 weeks out. So, for anyone with orders that include the new 2026 challenge coin, unfortunately it will be towards the middle of October before your shipment is sent. I apologize to all of you for any inconvenience but I want to be sure that you are receiving the best quality and that the products are meeting the specifications.

In addition to the above product updates, I want to let you know that Angie “Den Mother” Holterman is taking on more responsibility within merchandise. She is now responsible for all orders and shipments. I will be leaving out of country on Wednesday, 10/1 for the month of October, so Angie will be your primary point of contact during this time. You can reach Angie directly at angie.denmother.holterman@rftw.us.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me at merchandise@rftw.us or Angie. Again, thank you for your continued support and patience.

Sincerely,
Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

Beginning September 1, 2025, the online store will transition to Square for all merchandise purchases. This change will add new payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and others as well as provide deeper integration with the Point-of-Sale systems that are used in the trailers during the Run. By doing this, it will improve the efficiency when preparing merchandise for the Run each year since the inventory and products will already be integrated into the same system. While everything is being done to ensure a smooth transition, I do expect that there may be issues and ask for your patience and understanding. If anything comes up, please let me know by sending an email to merchandise@rftw.us. I will do my best to address issues within a 24 hour period and if I can’t, I’ll let you know.

Also, look for new 2026 stuff coming your way for opening day of 2026 registration on September 11. As we recognize the 35th year to the end of the Gulf War, there will be new limited editions of a challenge coin, patch and other items. I will send out additional details in a future communication as we get closer to registration opening.

Thank you everyone for your continued support of Run For the Wall. Is it May yet?

Best regards,

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

Hey everyone. I wanted to let you know that the online store has been reopened. With that, please note that any shirt or head gear order will ship the week of July 7th since these items are currently in transit back to our supplier. Also, there is a new addition to the store which is a brand new official Run For The Wall challenge coin. This has been redone with new graphics and colors to enhance the previous version. You can find the new challenge coin here.

To close, as a welcome home from this year’s 2025 Run For The Wall, all shirts are on sale at 40% off the regular price from today thru July 4th. In addition, free shipping will be available for orders over $50 vs. the current $100.

Thank you everyone for your support of Run For the Wall this past year and I wish everyone a fun, enjoyable and safe summer.

Best regards,

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

For those of you that are interested in riding to Riverside National Cemetery (RNC), I want to provide you with a few details of what you can expect.

We are honored this year to have a special guest speaker, Mr. Tom Crosby who was a WWII POW. Tom was born in the Philippines to American parents who were working in Manila before WWII started. Tom and his family were taken by the Japanese military to a detention facility at the University of Santo Tomas where he would spend the next 37 months in captivity. On February 3, 1945, General MacArthur’s 1^st Cavalry Division rescued Tom and his family, along with 3800 other prisoners. Tom came to the United States where he later joined the Navy during the Korean War and currently resides in San Diego, CA.

The ride to RNC will depart from the Elks on Tuesday, May 13^th. 4-wheel vehicles, Slingshots and bikes or trikes with trailers will not ride with the group and are to proceed directly to RNC and park at the RNC Staging Area near the Medal of Honor (MOH) memorial. Do not park in Nimitz Circle. The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, May 13^th

07:00 – Breakfast is available at the Elks.
07:30 – Staging in the Elks back parking lot.
07:45 – Mandatory riders safety briefing.
08:00 – Depart Elks to RNC by escort of RFTW Road Guards.
09:00 – Arrive at RNC Nimitz Circle in front of the MOH memorial.
09:10 – 09:30ish – RNC Presentation and Tom Crosby to speak to the riders.
09:30ish – 11:00 – Jim Frost will lead the group within RNC to visit the POW/MIA memorial, Veterans memorial, Gold Star memorial and others as time permits.
11:00 – Depart on your own back to Ontario.

Please ensure you arrive at the Elks in plenty of time. The ride will depart promptly at 08:00 from the Elks and you must be there no later than 07:30 to stage and be able to attend the safety briefing.

Enjoy the ride and RNC!

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

This newsletter is a somewhat lengthy but contains a lot of important information regarding merchandise operations in Ontario, while on the Run and in Springfield. Please take a few minutes to read the entire newsletter so that you’ll have an understanding of what to expect.

To kick this off, almost all of the merchandise is now in transit to Ontario. What this means is that while the online store remains open, it has limited inventory and there is a chance that supply may run out on certain items. So far this hasn’t been an issue but there is risk depending on the volume of orders between now and when the store shuts down for the Run on May 1st. If an item is not available online there is a very good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for in Ontario, or while the trailers are on the move during the Run. The exception will be any prior year pins, patches and apparel that has a year associated with it. These items are not stocked in the trailers and are not resupplied once inventory runs out.

As we get close the end of April, this is a good time to remind you that the online store closes from May 1st thru mid-June. The reopening is based on when the trailers return to Ontario and merchandise is unloaded and shipped back to the suppliers to restock. A notice will go out when the online store is open again.

While in Ontario, there are several important things that you should be aware of. Some old news, some new. To begin, there will be two trailers open for sales again this year, one at the Holiday Inn and the other at the Elks. Days and hours vary based on the schedule below:

Day	Holiday Inn	Elks
Saturday	10-5	Closed
Sunday	10-4	12-5
Monday	9-5	9-5
Tuesday	9-2	9-2

Regarding Springfield, the merchandise trailer will be open from 9 – 5 on Friday and 9 – 2 on Saturday at the American Legion Post 176. Please keep in mind whether you’re just hanging around the trailers or shopping, there is no smoking anywhere nearby as a courtesy to the merchandise team as well as our products, especially apparel. Also, all sales are final therefore no exchanges or refunds. You’re welcome to try on a shirt while you’re at the trailer but once it’s paid for and you leave, it’s yours.

We are now required to charge sales tax on all products sold in California. This will include Ontario and Blythe at 8.75% and Needles at 7.75%. There will be no tax anywhere else on the Run and does not apply to donations.

Another thing to keep in mind is that we are not a bank so anything larger than a $20 bill will not be accepted. We’ve had issues in past years where someone comes to buy a pin for $2 then gives a $100 bill. We can’t support change like that as we have limited cash resources. Thank you for your understanding.

For the first time we’ll be offering a selection of Amsoil products in the trailers for $10. There is a very limited supply of different V-Twin and Metric oils, V-Twin primary and transmission fluids and we’ll carry their Mudslinger.

Finally, don’t forget about Nelson-Rigg for your upcoming luggage needs. They are offering a whopping 30% discount on all of their products and will also be at the Elks this year to assist you with any luggage and cover needs. Also, they will be raffling away some of their products so be sure to check them out! The online link is here. Be sure to use the promo code RFTW.

Well, that’s it for now. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Ontario. May is almost here!

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

Welcome to March everyone! We’re 2 months, 14 days from kickstands up and thought I’d drop a few words regarding some general information and updates for merchandise. So let’s get right into it.

First, I want to welcome Angie “Den Mother” Holterman. She is helping me with all things apparel and picked up the order processing for apparel and working with our supplier. This gives me more time to focus on inventory management, Run fulfillment, new designs and ensuring that I can provide you with the best customer experience. Thank you Angie for stepping up to help in this valuable role!

I posted in the Forum an issue that has resurfaced again regarding shipments. As a reminder, all apparel ships directly from our supplier with everything else shipping from RFTW separately. This means that any shirts or head gear you order will come separately from everything else, such as patches, pins, etc. When I receive an order, it is reviewed with all apparel items extracted out and put into a special formatted spreadsheet for our supplier. This spreadsheet is then provided to the supplier twice a week for fulfillment. Everything else will usually ship the next business day so depending on the day of the week, so you may get your complete order on different days. Also, some items will ship 1st Class Mail and not express so these may take 1-2 weeks to get. Please be aware of this.

Regarding shirts there are a few things I want to mention. First, the 89’er long sleeve shirt that has the original artwork from the first 89’er t-shirt, was a one time buy. The shirt is a limited edition and will not be reordered. So, if you’re interested in the shirt, consider buying online to secure yours otherwise there is a chance that your size may not be available in Ontario or during the Run. Speaking of the Run, I am planning to increase inventory this year to hopefully offset demand and not have the shortages that were experienced last year. Finally, an update on the stock status. For the exception of the safety green shirt, all other shirts are now fully stocked. There is still a backorder on the safety green shirt and I do not have a commitment from the supplier on a delivery date yet. Once I have that I will be sure to let you know.

Something new this year is that all sales in California will now be taxed at 8.75%. This includes Ontario, Blythe and Needles. This does not affect online sales or sales in any other state. As a result, please consider using a credit card for any purchases in California. This is not a requirement but will simplify and speed up transactions, especially in Ontario. That said, cash sales are always welcome!

Last up is that I have been working with Nelson-Rigg on a special deal for everyone. For those of you that may not know, Nelson-Rigg sells luggage, tank bags, covers and rain gear for motorcycles and riders. I have used their stuff for over 20 years and stand by their products. They are great quality and most of the stuff has a lifetime warranty. So, effective immediately, if you login into their website here, and order any of their products, use RFTW as the promotion code at checkout and get a 30% discount! They also have free shipping for anything over $50.

To close, I want to thank all of you for your continued support of Run For The Wall. This is a special year given that it’s our 35th annual Run as well as the 50th Anniversary of the end to the Vietnam War. Do you know why this year marks the 50th anniversary to the Vietnam War and what the last battle was? If not, look it up and familiarize yourself. Remember our mission, why we ride and be respectful of each other. Something that we’ve lost in recent weeks and the rhetoric is uncalled for. We’re all here to ride for those who can’t and those that never made it home. Remember that.

Respectfully,

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us