It’s already October and Sandbox registration numbers are looking good. Currently there are 92 people registered compared to 77 this time last year. I encourage everyone to register as soon as possible so our leadership and the folks who support us can make plans.
The Sandbox Teams are really coming together, but we still need some help in a few areas. The staging and fuel teams are an integral part of making the mission a success. If you have served on one of these teams, you know how rewarding it is, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend you find out how satisfying it can be to know you are making a difference. Visit the RFTW website and fill out a Volunteer Application.
If you haven’t already discovered the new RFTW Podcast, you should check it out. Ted “Boots” Kapner, Director of Public Relations, and our new Director of Social Media, Tia” Hitch” Harmon (Congratulations), are doing a spectacular job putting together a series of very informative and entertaining videos. I look forward to watching each new one that comes out.
The Sandbox Route will be doing prepaid fuel again this year. There will be several ways you can pay, both ahead of time, and at registration. More details to follow.
The following history of the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial was taken from the MECWM website:
“Beginning in late 2002 demonstrations against the potential Iraq War were organized in many Cities Worldwide. On March 20th, 2003, the day after the United States invasion of Iraq had begun, protests of the war began to take place in Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Pittsburg, Portland, Boston, and Chicago.
On March 21, 2003, Marine Captain Ryan Beaupre, from St. Anne, Illinois, and his crew were killed when their helicopter crashed while ferrying in troops to secure the oil fields. The Illinois Motorcycle Community wanted to pay homage to Captain Ryan Beaupre’s family and hometown. They were able to organize over a thousand motorcyclists from local A.B.A.T.E, HOG Chapters, Veteran Groups, Chicagoland Toys for Tots, and other patriotic riders to join and participate in the 1st Freedom Run ride.
This event inspired Tony Cutrano, US Navy Veteran, and Jerry Kuczera to form The Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run Organization. Its mission was to build a War Memorial to Honor our Nation’s Fallen Heroes and remember the sacrifices placed upon their families. This would become a sacred ground to offer peace and comfort for our Nations Gold Star Families.
The Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run Organization acquired donated land from The MTCO Communications building along the banks of The Illinois River in the small town of Marseilles, Illinois. The Illinois Valley Building Trades, The Illinois Valley Contractors Association, Laborers Local 393, Operating Engineers Local 150, Cement Mason Local, Electricians Local 197, and Carpenters Local 195 provided donated man hours, materials, and earth machines to shore up the land and secure a safe foundation.
The ILMFR members used The Department of Defense for reference of each name to be etched on the panels and raised more funds to aid with etching each name. The blood, sweat, and tears and thousands of hours of labored love transformed this once uneven grassy land into the beautiful Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial.
The five black granite panels made up the etched names of those killed in combat from Panama, Lebanon, The Balkans, Granada, Somalia, Haiti, USS Victory, USS Cole, USS Stark, the terrorist attacks in Italy, Greece, Scotland, and the beginning of the War in Iraq. The second annual Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run goes down in history as the day an expected 300 to 400 motorcyclists evolved into over 15,000. The continuation of the U.S. led Coalition and The War Against Terrorism resulted in more U.S. casualties. The ILMFR.org vowed to dedicate the third Saturday of every June to their annual Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run. This was the first time a Wall Memorial honoring our Fallen Heroes had been erected and built 100% by volunteers while the United States was still active in a conflict or war. This was also the first time a Wall Memorial was erected, and it continued to grow as, sadly, more of our military men and women were Killed in Action. The once five black granite walls have grown to over 8,000 names of our fallen forever etched into 15 black granite walls, respectively known as:
THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICTS WALL MEMORIAL.
PROUDLY Built 100% by Volunteers”
We ride to promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends
We ride to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action
We ride to honor the memory of those Killed in Action from all wars
We ride to support our military personnel all over the world
We ride for those who can’t
Say Their Name Tell Their Story Never Forget
Bill “COB” Brehler
Route Coordinator
RFTW Sandbox 2025
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available. 
