Author: David "Buzz" Mullen

RFTW Southern Route Newsletter September 2025

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

It’s not quite May yet, but we’re heading that direction.  As of 1 September, we have 254 days until KSU and are looking forward to gathering in Ontario.  I hope that everyone had a safe Labor Day.

Those of you who participated in the Angel Fire Reunion, I trust it was a moving time in remembrance of those we honor.

In this year’s Run, we honored the 50^th anniversary of the last battle in the Vietnam War.  On next year’s Run, we will be honoring the 35^th anniversary of the beginning of Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  Our Director of Merchandise, Alan “Xbox” Steiner, has pins, coins, and wristbands that will be sold at the merchandise trailer and probably online.  When these items are ready for sale, I’ll post it on the Southern Route Facebook page and Xbox usually posts this information on RFTW Facebook page, so be on the lookout for information to be posted.

I spoke with Phillip “Juice” Tutton, the honcho for this year’s Texas Rider’s Reunion, and he’s still taking registrations.  Remember that registration fee is $40 up until 15 September 2025.  After that date, the fee will be $50.  If you wish to pay cash, send in your registration and you’ll be able to settle up when you register at the YO.  Registration for the Texas Rider’s Reunion is through a PDF form that is available HERE.  There’s not a web site for this gathering so registering this way is best and works well.  As we gather in Kerrville, please remember the devastation that occurred in the area and the families that lost loved ones in the flooding.  The donations that were collected by The Run totaled $4900 and were given to local charities located in the area.

Registration for The Run can be found at rftw.us and will begin at 0846 Eastern on 11 September 2025.  That link is not alive yet, but it will be on 9/11.  Early Bird registration fee is $100 until 31 January 2026.  After that date, the fee will be $120, so register early.  Sandbox Route fee will be $40 through 31 January 2026 and after that date the fee will be $60.

If you’d like to volunteer, you can do so at this site:  Volunteer Form.  Please send them in as quickly as you can so the Platoon Coordinator can fill the positions.  We have a couple Platoon Leader positions open and we’re looking at some candidates now.  Assistant Platoon Leader slots are open as well as Tail Gunner positions.  There are many other positions available looking for volunteers.  We need a SitRep writer, a Social Media coordinator, and we have some medical staff, but we could use a couple of more folks, along with some other roles that help the organization for funding and helping keep us all stay organized.  Please consider this if you’ve been on the run before and you’re looking for a way to contribute to our mission.  The sooner these positions are filled, the sooner we can begin to plan the route itinerary and what will take place at each of our stops.

Thank you everyone for your interest in riding in the Southern Route 2026.  I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Ontario and along the Route.

Ride safe!

David “Buzz” Mullen
SR RC 2026

SR August 2025 Newsletter

Run For The Wall Mission

To promote healing among all veterans, their family, and friends

To 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 stationed all over the world

Greetings, everyone!  I trust that everyone had a safe and celebratory Independence Day.  I had a very enjoyable holiday with my family.  The picture above shows we know how to honor, respect, and have fun.

As of 1 August 2025, we will have 283 days until KSU, so start planning your preparations for The Run.  Plan for any services your bike will need, check your tires, and start thinking of the items you’ll need to take with you.  You’ll also need to prep your body for the 10-day mission.  Start by taking rides with increasingly longer mileage as doing this will acclimate your body to the daily mileage we’ll be riding.  It’s never too early to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  Hydrating will be a daily item in all meetings from platoon to Southern Route morning meetings

All those in leadership roles will need a GMRS radio for communication in the pack and in your teams/platoons.  If you have a GMRS unit and not in a leadership position, you can listen only.  And if you are monitoring, you’ll be able to anticipate what will be happening.  For more information about the GMRS radios, check out the good information shared by Kirk “Pretty Boy” Olsen and others on the RFTW forum.  You can find a link “here”.

If you are good with bookkeeping and maintaining a checkbook, we can use you to assist the route with expenditures and deposits, donations, etc.  Both the financial lead and an assistant are needed.  We are continuing to accept Volunteer Forms for Platoon Leaders, Assistant Platoon Leaders, and Tail Gunners.  We are also looking for qualified participants to fill the Medical Team positions along with the SitRep Writer.  Please submit your applications as soon as possible.  A big thank you for all those who have submitted the applications already.

Registration for all RFTW Routes will open 11 September 2025, with the fees being;
$100 Early Bird, $120 Regular Reg (starts 1 Feb 2026), Day Riders (up to three days) $100.  I strongly suggest the Early Bird.

The Texas Riders Reunion in Kerrville is 26-28 September with a $40 registration fee.  Info is on the TX Riders Reunion Facebook page.

I am pleased to announce that Don “Doc” Wood will be our Road Guard Captain again this year.  Doc was my Road Guard mentor and continues being a mentor to me both as a Road Guard in 2024 and as the ARC in 2025.  Thanks, Doc!

I am humbled to be the Route Coordinator for the Southern Route in 2026.  My senior leadership team is solid and experienced.  Together, with all my riders in the Southern Route, we will continue the mission in 2026.

David “Buzz” Mullen
Route Coordinator
Southern Route 2026

Good day all!  I hope that everyone has returned home safely, recouped, and settled back into home life! This is David “Buzz” Mullen, newly appointed 2026 Route Coordinator for the Southern Route.  The Board of Directors has approved Kevin “Short” Short as Assistant Route Coordinator, and the Board is currently reviewing the nominees for Road Guard Captain.  Once the Board has reviewed my nominee, I will post that in my next newsletter.

A little about me:  I was born and raised in King of Prussia, PA, which is located about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia.  During my years in the Army, I decided to make El Paso my home while stationed at Ft Bliss.  During my time in service, I spent six years as an Infantryman and all the other ash and trash duties that came with it.  In those years, I was stationed at Ft Carson, CO, Joint Security Area, Korea, The Old Guard, and Berlin Brigade. I applied for and was accepted to attend Officer Candidate School.  After a few duty stations in the States and Germany, I retired in February 1992.

My FNG year was 2014, and since then, I have continued to accept various leadership roles in The Run.  TG, APL, PL, RG, and last year, I was the Assistant Route Coordinator.  A tribute to Lennie “Big Red” Hodson as he took on the role of Route Coordinator.  Never having the chance to be an ARC, he tackled the RC job and Continued the Mission.  Thanks, Lennie!

I have selected Kevin “Short” Short to be my Assistant Route Coordinator.  He has ridden with the Southern Route All The Way since 2019, Sandbox Route 2023, and Patti’s Posse ATW 2021.  He has held positions including TG, APL, and Platoon Coordinator in both the Southern Route and the Sandbox Route.

For those of you who wish to be in leadership positions, please submit volunteer forms as soon as you can, which can be found at rftw.us website.  Click on Southern Route, then click on Volunteer Sign-Up, fill it out, and send it in.  Those of you with whom I spoke during The Run will also need to fill out the Volunteer Sign-Up form.  You can accress the volunteer form HERE,

Remember that the Texas Riders Reunion will be held in Kerrville, TX, during the timeframe of 26-28 September 2025.  It is a great time to meet up with friends and riders.  Roger “Cowboy” Mead and Sam handed over the reins to Phillip “Juice” Tutton last year, and it was a great experience, as always

OUR MISSION

To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends.
To call for an accounting of all Prisoner Of War & Missing in Action.
To honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) in all wars.
To support our military people all over the world.

Remember that we are on the mission stated above.  We are not going to just ride across the country for the sake of it.  We ride to accomplish that mission!

Registration will be open on 11 September 2025, so please sign up as soon as you can, as it is of great importance to our state coordinators, as they need that information to give to our supporters on The Run.

Have a safe summer and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

David “Buzz” Mullen
Route Coordinator
Southern Route 2026