Boots, Author at Run For The Wall®

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Boots

2026 SandBox Route – Day 3

Run For The Wall, Sandbox Route

SITREP May 26, 2026

Written by Mary (Peppermint Patti) Bogan

The morning started with the most beautiful sunrise with orange colors blended together like a melted creamsicle.

At the all-hand meeting a roll call was done with a list of names. They were Navy and Coast Guard names from 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom. All killed. Say their names. Never forget.

Another name. Kevin Ellenburg. Kevin’s mom and dad came to the run and are FNGs this year. His mom, Amy, spoke to us. He was a rescue swimmer and she said he had three characteristics.

Determination. Kevin was in Little League. His mission was to be a catcher for his brother, a pitcher, Andrew. Mission complete.

Resilience. He was a product of divorce. She is his bonus mom. His sister was his confidante, a bond like no other.

Loyalty. When he joined the Army his dad told him bring pride to the name Ellenburg on your chest. He was always the first to volunteer.

Amy closed by saying there were two who died for us …

One carried the flag.

One carried the cross.

One died for your freedom.

One died for your soul

Private First Class Kevin James Ellenburg. Say his name. Never forget.

We got on the road and went to the Indiana Veterans Home, which hosted us for breakfast. As we approached the lengthy driveway, it was lined with large flags. There’s also a cemetery for the veterans and their spouses who have resided at the home. Each headstone had a small flag at its base. The grounds are beautiful with a fountain and a memorial. Cut green grass extends for a long way. But always the best part is seeing the veterans. A few were out to meet us, but the morning was still cool.

Jim, a Marine, is the home mail carrier. He’s been here eight years and was asked if he’d do this job. They pay him $3 an hour. So he’s still working.

Ralph was a Navy man. He liked the little dog, Chipper. He was a Yeoman (male Secretary) for a weapons officer. He served on the USS Arcadia, a tender ship, and on the USS Josephus Daniels.

Visiting the VA homes can be hard, but we do so much good by visiting. Occasionally, you run into someone who doesn’t want a pin, and when you say thank you for your service, they respond with, “Whatever.” We are told not to take it personally, but you wish you had time to really make a difference for that one person. Most are so happy to see someone, to get a pin, a hug, or a handshake, and a few minutes of your time so they feel like part of the community again.

The last fuel stop of Sandbox is in Watseka, Illinois. The noise. The fuel team flaggers are directing bikes this way and that way to open pumps. The bikes are moving. It truly is chaos that quickly gets several hundred bikes fueled up and moved out to the staging area. It’s an art to getting it done.

They tried to break their record. The words, “C’mon. Pump!!!” were heard. The 9 minutes and 47 seconds for about 260 bikes didn’t break the record of 8 minutes and change, but it’s sure impressive.

One of the best parts was that the fuelers were all wearing swim shorts, providing some levity for a very solemn mission.

The group went to Legion Park in Watseka for lunch. And there, RC Clutch presented plaques and patches for the Leadership teams.

From lunch we headed to the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles, Illinois. The mission.

People looked up names, others made etchings, and some just needed a hug. It’s an emotional time for those with someone on the wall, and there are a lot of tears shed. Those tears mean someone loved is not forgotten. Say their names. Tell their stories.

Sandbox Route completed the mission by laying a plaque on the wall and making a flag presentation. Wall to Wall. Mission complete.

It’s the last day of the Sandbox Route. There’s a sadness as our riders, our family members, will now scatter to the winds. Safe travels.

Peppermint Patti

SITREP Writer

Sandbox Route

(For more photos, go to my FB page. Patti Bogan. All of the Sandbox days and Midway are there.)

“Make no mistake about it: Operation Desert Storm truly was a victory of good over evil, of freedom over tyranny, of peace over war.” — Former Vice President Dan Quayle

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Boots

2026 SandBox – Day 2

Run For The Wall, Sandbox Route

SITREP May 25, 2026

By Mary (Peppermint Patti) Bogan

Our day started at the Mall. Breakfast, our mandatory meeting. It’s something expected and we get safety briefings about construction and so on. Information is good.

A bio is read every day of one who died. It’s hard for the reader to get through without tears. Kevin Lucas … may we never forget. Say their names.

Top related a First Responder story about BK, a third generation firefighter. He died yesterday in a fire. But he helped save five people. We said his name.

We have a Gold Star family going with us. Their son is Kevin J. Ellenburg. U.S. Navy. We said his name out loud. He will not be forgotten.

We say their names out loud because as long as they’re recognized they will not be forgotten.

Then we went to the St. Clairsville City Hall (Belmont County) for a Memorial Day Ceremony. It was described as a Norman Rockwell kinda event. And that’s true.

As we rode to downtown the street was lined with flags. Many houses also have flags. What a wonderful day to be an American.

The bikes get parked on the street, several wide, and we wander over for opening statements and presentations. Retired Major General Batts was the Keynote Speaker. He had so many accomplishments, medals and titles it would take a whole page.

He said it was initially called Decoration Day and was meant to lay flowers on graves of fallen soldiers. It’s become commercialized now and people have forgotten what Memorial Day is. He said it’s a loss of respect and dignity. It’s not about buying a barbecue or lawn furniture, or running to the beach. It’s become to the average citizen a distortion. It’s lost so much meaning of what the day is supposed to be … a day to remember those who have fallen. A day to express gratitude. It’s about those who have died.

Of course the band and the Flag Corps are highlights. These young people are so accomplished it’s a privilege to hear and see them. In addition, there was a firing salute and the playing of taps.

St. Clairsville is a historic town and a beautiful one. It’s small-town. It has a huge Memorial Day event remembering our fallen and parades in Fourth of July. All the things many of us grew up with.

We present plaques to those who have helped us get here, who have fed us, who have had an event that we could be a part of on this special day.

A couple of us stopped at an overpass to take video/photos of the pack coming through. Then we played catchup.

The motor police blocked ramps but there was also a rolling roadblock that was a thing of beauty. The motor police went back and forth across all the lanes of traffic effectively backing the traffic up behind them. It was like a choreographed dance with flashing blue lights.

Vehicles behind us were four across, covering all the lanes. The vehicles behind us were lined up like in a NASCAR race waiting for the flag to drop. It was really kind of cool.

After lunch at the VFW 5434 there was a breakout group to a memorial in Greenfield, Indiana. Again, small town America and their beautiful memorials. There’s nothing like it.

Plaques were presented and Siren sang the National Anthem. It was moving. A beautiful day. Memorial Day.

Later there were two fire trucks on an overpass with a huge

flag hanging between them. How could you see that and not be patriotic and proud to be an American.

Sandbox Route ended the day at Hunter’s Moon Harley in Lafayette, Indiana. There was food and plaques were presented. But the highlight was a guest speaker, a Gold Star mom. Gold Star families have gone above and beyond by having a family member lost in the line of service.

Special guest speaker, Pam, found it difficult to speak. She said it’s hard to express even 19 years later. Her youngest son at 22, Cody was a great athlete. He loved his family. He rose to the top when he joined the Army. He would have made a great general. She said she was so proud of him.

He’d just been home for R&R 15 days before he was killed. Many families don’t get that time.

She said she’s honored that we honor and remember them.

Corporal Cody Andrew Putman. Say his name.

Sandbox presented the family a shadow box with a flag and medals. A great way to end a RFTW Sandbox Memorial Day.

Peppermint Patti

SITREP Writer

Heroism: “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Boots

2026 SandBox SitRep – Day 1

This year will be a little different. Patti (Mary) Bogan and Arnie (Ammo) Harman will be contributing to the SitRep writing, and I will be posting their pieces. I will clearly note the author so they receive full credit for writing about their experience and observations from the 2026 SandBox Run. It’s not an easy job to ride with the Pack and have to concentrate on tracking events and writing about them later on, often not getting enough sleep. Hat’s off to both with a big Thank You! for the work.

From Patti Bogan:

Run For The Wall, Sandbox Route

SITREP May 24, 2026

Today the Sandbox mission began. Sandbox defines the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and involvement in the Gulf. This mission is considered Wall-to-Wall, from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C. to the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles, Illinois. The route and destination serves to honor those who have sacrificed or have made the ultimate sacrifice in our nation’s most recent conflicts.

This year is the 35th anniversary of Desert Storm/Desert Shield. There were 382 U.S military personnel killed in these conflicts. We ride for them. We ride for those who can’t. We will say their names out loud.

Staging began at 0500. People are awaking at 0330 or so to make sure we are staged in the proper areas, get breakfast and get on the road by 0700. It’s organized chaos that works.

Raining. Still. Everyone is in rain gear so it’s hard to know who’s who.

Breakfast and staging was at the American Legion Post 176. They had a full hot breakfast.

Taz, our Outreach Coordinator, had a special guest for us. We heard from a Red Star Foundation member and widow Sarah Braegger. Her husband was Travis “Griz” Boyd.

She said that we need to tell the story. Travis was a soldier, a father and a husband. His battles did not stay on the battlefield. They came home with him. Travis was more than his pain. He loved his children. But PTSD sometimes made him seem so far away.

In one broken moment, she said, he believed that his absence would protect the ones he loved. And in that broken moment he committed suicide. (If you’d like to know more about Sarah and Travis check out her Facebook page.)

The Red Star Foundation is a relatively new organization that is dedicated to helping the families of military service members, veterans and first responders who have lost a loved one to suicide.

The ride got off and two of us stopped at an overpass where a couple of folks were waiting to see the run go through. It’s always awesome to have family supporting the riders. And you get to meet some very nice folks.

Then it was gas and go to follow the Ambassador and Outreach teams to the Patriot Park Memorial.

It was a beautiful ride. A winding road, with rolling hills and the greenest of grass.

There was a huge painted barn. The paint was peeling but you could tell it had once been a gorgeous site along this road.

Then there was heavy fog. It was eerie as we kept rolling toward the Flight 93 Memorial. Misting rain added to the mysterious feeling.

We visited the Post 9-11 U. S. Armed Forces Memorial. It’s called Patriot Park. There are more than 7,000 heroes and more than 7,000 flags. There were photos of many who have died in the war on terrorism. It’s a solemn display and brings home the number of lives lost to this war.

As people wandered through the area and read about those who have been killed, the wind started to blow, gently rippling the flags. It was as though they knew we were there to pay our respects.

From there the group went to the

Flight 93 Memorial. There’s extreme sadness. And extreme gladness. Sadness for the lives lost. Gladness for the lives saved. The sun came out as if to celebrate that we were here to honor, pay our respects and say their names.

Many remember. Four aircraft. Three crashing into the World Trade Center’s two towers and one into the Pentagon. The fourth, UA Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. Nearly 3,000 people died that day in the deadliest terrorist attack on American soul.

That day the passengers on Flight 93 passengers fought back to keep the flight from making a deadly attack on another target, the Capital Building. While it still crashed the passengers heroic efforts stopped the terrorists from making an attack on their target.

The site of the crash is serene now, covered with grass and trees. A lone 17-ton piece of sandstone marks a visual reference. But it’s the marker for all of the unidentified passengers and crew. The flight came in about 25 feet in front of the stone, at 563 mph.

The Wall of Names distinguishes each of the 40 passengers in individual marble panels. Say their names never forget.

The weather has been cooperative up until shortly after our afternoon fuel stop. The closer we got to St, Clairesville, Ohio, the worse it got. Heavier and heavier rain. But a great event awaited us.

Dinner was fabulous at the Ohio Valley Mall and was followed by recognition of those who have provided for us and a donation to Sandbox. There was a live auction with the big item being a quilt … Stars and Stripes … that went for nearly a grand. There were a number of other items and it was quite lively.

“The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don’t always return. Those who don’t return become a part of the clouds. They become part of everything.” — Paulo Coelho (from The Alchemist)

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Live Streaming Link for Captain Ronald Forrester – DC Services on Friday

A new message from Karoni “Hoops” Forrester regarding her dad’s services in DC.

We want to make sure everyone who wants to participate in viewing the services of this hero has that opportunity.

Aloha!

Live streaming should happen at the link below for all three services:

Friday 11:30 ET – Dignified transfer / plane arrival

Monday 1:30 ET – Funeral service

Monday 3:00 ET – Graveside service

https://www.interfaithfunerals.com/obituaries/cpt-ronald-forrester-usmc

Love you!

Karoni

Posted on July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Sandbox Route Coordinator Newsletter – July 2024

Sandbox Route Coordinator Newsletter- JULY 2024

Posted for Bill “Cob” Brehler (by -rb)

Welcome to the Sandbox Route, Run For The Wall XXXV. 2025 is the 35^th anniversary of the Run For The Wall, the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and the 4^th year of the Sandbox Route. Although Sandbox is the newest and shortest route, it is just as important and meaningful as the other three routes.

I want to congratulate Heidi “BLUE” Hansing for her outstanding accomplishment as the 2024 Sandbox Route Coordinator. I truly enjoyed working with Heidi and want to thank her for her nomination, which led to the BOD appointing me to serve as the Sandbox Route Coordinator 2025. I am humbled and honored to serve in this position. I would also like to thank my wonderful wife, Terri, who has always encouraged and supported me in everything I do. That being said, I would like to give a shout-out to all the military spouses who support their loved ones and endure the long separation periods so that their heroes can carry out their missions in defense of our nation.

My name is Bill Brehler. I served almost 28 years in the US Navy, and I am a Vietnam-era veteran as well as a Sandbox-era veteran. I served on board five Submarines. I was the Chief of the Boat (COB) on USS Swordfish SSN 579 and USS Helena SSN 725, as well as the Command Master Chief on USS Duluth LPD 6 and Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 3. On Run For The Wall, I have served as Tail Gunner, Platoon Leader, and Platoon Coordinator on the Midway route and as a Fuel Team member and Assistant Route Coordinator on the Sandbox Route.

I am very excited to announce that the BOD has approved Leo Rachmel as the Sandbox Assistant Route Coordinator. Leo is a Sandbox veteran who served over 21 years in the US Army as a Military Police Sergeant First Class, with three combat tours in Iraq. During his eight years with RFTW Leo has served on the Staging Team, as a Road Guard, LEO Liaison, and Road Guard Captain on Midway Route and as LEO Liaison on Sandbox Route. Leo brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Sandbox Route. His easy-going nature, calm demeanor, and servitude leadership style make Leo the ideal RFTW leader.

So, who can participate in Run For The Wall? Anyone and everyone who rides a two or three-wheel motorcycle. Many of the riders are veterans and active duty, but many others are not. Anyone who believes in our mission and supports our military is welcome. We have riders of all ages, including mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, daughters, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, and friends of veterans, as well as patriots and supporters. RFTW is an amazing motorcycle mission and an experience you will never forget. Many riders are so affected by the run they come back year after year.

So why Sandbox? Since its inception in 1989, Run For The Wall has been a mission To promote healing for ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action, to honor the memory of those Killed in Action from all wars, and to support our military personal all over the world. For the last 34 years, riders have gathered in May to ride across our great nation, promoting this mission and remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately, many of the Vietnam Veterans are getting older and finding it more and more difficult to ride a motorcycle 3000 miles in just 10 days. RFTW is too important and meaningful to allow it to “age out.”

“It has been the vision of the Sandbox Route’s Route Architect, Mary “Cupcake” Pittman, that this particular route makes a spirited effort to grow the RFTW family. Further opening the RFTW arms to active military, veterans, and civilians of eras that came after Vietnam was always a vital aspect of this route’s design. To bring Vietnam-era veterans together with their comrades-in-arms from today’s generation is vital to the success of this mission, and it was a focal point in the planning and development of this route. Wall 2 Wall!”

In 2019, Maurice “Senior” Miller led the Recon of the Sandbox Route, visiting the Flight 93 Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, and visiting towns and cities in between on its path to the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles, Illinois. This wall has almost 8,000 names of heroes who have been lost in our nation’s conflicts in the Middle East since 1967. Unfortunately, the Middle East Conflicts Wall is a living memorial, and names are continuing to be added to this memorial each year.

Since the Recon Run and the Inaugural Run in 2022, led by Billie “Bugs” Dunlap, Sandbox has continued to evolve and grow. One of the main reasons Sandbox has been kept to a three-day mission (over a long weekend) is to allow younger generation military and civilian personnel, who still need to work, a chance to participate. Ideally, the experience and new friendships that develop from the Sandbox Route will stay with them and encourage them to participate in the Coast-to-Coast Routes when they can.

I know it’s not until May, but the planning and organizing for RFTW 2025 has already begun. If you are interested in being a part of the Sandbox team, please fill out a Volunteer Application form. There are some very exciting changes on Sandbox for 2025…more to come.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Bill “COB” Brehler

Route Coordinator

RFTW Sandbox 2025

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Boots — 1 Comment

Southern Route 2024 SitReps – Day 11 – Run For The Wall

Day 11 – Southern Route; Washington, DC

Day 11 is in DC. Before going into the Day 11 events, I want to try and say a big Thank You to the so many people that are volunteering to be part of this organization and help this Run to be what it is which is the most organized and, “one of the largest and longest runs in the world”. There are so many volunteer positions that don’t get as much recognition, but we couldn’t do this without them. There are the stagers that make sure we are properly staged in our platoons after any stop but mostly a fuel stop. There is the fuel team that fills 300 bikes in less than 20 minutes. There are the Road Guards that keep us safe, the Ambassadors that are riding in front of the pack thanking people that are up on the bridges and other locations to cheer us on and the Ambassadors are up there handing out the pins and making it clear we appreciate the support of these locals. There’s the Platoon Leader, the assistant Platoon Leaders, the Tail gunners, the nurses fixing us up, The Chaplin’s that are helping anyone deal with emotions or problems they have on this journey, I mentioned earlier the Chase Team that is always ready to pick us up if we have a mechanical problem and not stuck in the middle of nowhere waiting for a tow truck, The Hydration Team, we wouldn’t make it without the waters and Gatorades this team is always making sure we’re drinking up. Of course, there’s the Route Coordinator and Asst RC that work for many months prior to make sure every position is filled and competent people are trained to do what they do. There are Leadership support people (Bonehead, Double D and others) that are keeping the communications going and materials ready for the run, Fund Raisers to keep finances in the black, Thank You Lisa and Tina, Honor Guard coordinators that make sure memorial stops are respectfully honoring the memorial as it stands for the heros it was created for and becoming teachers to show riders how to march if they didn’t have that practice in the military, Registration people that not only work at it all year and in Ontario, but every morning as we move across the country when people join when we are close to their home. There’s the Missing Man group so the purpose of our run is closer to our hearts, making it real that we are riding for those that can’t. The advance team, the Photographer (yea Jerry!), the outreach team that arranges all the outreach opportunities and coordinates who goes on them as they separate from the pack. Also, the merchandise team to open up the trailer and raise funds for the run, the state coordinators that spend a lot of the year prior setting up the hotels, the events at places we have meals to eat along the way which are always free to the riders. I’m probably missing some folks here and not describing the roles as well as it should be but it’s a long list of volunteers that are important to this run and doing all of this work for 4 routes. THANK YOU ALL!! It was a great run this year and we couldn’t do it without you.

Onto Day 11

We arrived yesterday afternoon and finally had a full nights sleep. My schedule is different than regular riders as I try to get the posts up at the end of the day. Today was pretty cool. It started early as we had a ticket to be part of the group that was going to the Arlington National Cemetery. Normally, motorcycles are not allowed into Arlington. RFTW was allowed to bring 75 motorcycles into Arlington so efforts were made to have as many FNG’s as possible to be part of this opportunity. We were up early, 4:15 AM to get packed, fueled up and in line at the host hotel. We rode to Arlington without LEO escort but we did have our road guards. We went to a section where we learned about a group that was shot down and KIA together. One of our members realized the Bio of the hero he was carrying all the way across the country was one of the guys on this memorial wall. With as many hero’s that are buried in Arlington, that’s seems more than a coincidence. After this moving experience, we went to the Lincoln Memorial for the group picture. This includes all 3 routes and many that will continue on to the 4^th route, to Versailles Illinois, the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall. The Sandbox Route leaves Sunday morning. After the picture was taken, we all went to the Vietnam Veterans Wall to pay our respects to those we know and love. It’s also a place where the FNG buttons are turned upside down to signify the mission was completed and these folks are no longer an FNG but can refer to 2024 as their FNG year. I was honored to turn over the button of a good friend that shared hotel rooms with me as we traveled across the country on this run. It’s been a moving experience with so many wonderful people. Many we’ve known from previous years and many new friends we’ve made as we traveled together. It’s an experience like no other. Again, Thanks for reading.

Boots

USAF, ’72 –‘75

The reflection pool and the Washington Monument in the background.

The wreath Laying at Arlington Cemetery.

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Southern Route 2024 SitReps – Day 10 – Run For The Wall

Day 10 – Southern Route; Lynchburg, VA to Washington, DC

Day 10 seemed like a long day. We rode 256 miles and we did have rain for an hour or two but nothing that wasn’t easily handled. Everyone had rain gear and we all came through just fine. And, this was the only rain worth mentioning on the whole run. We had a nice breakfast at the Tree of Life Ministries with some presentations and then on the road. Lunch was at the Doubletree hotel parking lot before the last leg of 66 miles to the Host Hotel, to the Holiday Inn in the city of Arlington. That was the highlight of the day, pulling into the Host Hotel. Everyone was very excited, we were not the first route to pull in so there were greetings from the first route and lots of people greeting and many friends getting together to celebrate. Gunny piped up to remind the FNG’s “This is Run to the Wall, NOT Run to the Holiday Inn! Do not turn your FNG buttons over yet! “. After hanging in the hotel we all meandered to our respective hotel or room to get ready for the next day, Saturday.

There’s a story I wanted to pass on about one of our riders. It’s not so much a story about soldiers or family members battling the consequences of war but it’s a story of one of our RFTW family members and his working through healing of his emotions and his faith in God as he oversees our lives. I recorded some of our conversation and will transcribe it. This is about Matt Cobley and his son.

“My name is Matt, they call me SuperDad. My son is Matthew Allen Cobley II, he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on August 12, 2022. In the hospital, in surgery, they had to remove two sections of his skull, his eyes were fixed and dilated, they told me he was brain dead, and never coming back. I didn’t want to live, I walked in hell for 2 days until I saw God speak to my son and say he will recover. Since then, I stayed with him for the last 22 months, I lost my home and property and possessions, and I sleep in my truck outside the facility and I stay with him every day. And, he is recovering, slowly but surely. I’ve been there to help him, make sure gets everything he can, I advocate for him, I’ve saved him from unnecessary surgery, it’s been quite a run. And, I know God is with him every day and that’s the only thing that keeps me going, is Jesus Christ.” There are some pictures of Young Mathew below who was a good kid, a cool kid and once again will have a life in front of him. An interesting part of Matt’s story is with his cat, Big Sweet Billy. The story is: “Big Sweet Billy is my cat. He stays with me every day. He has opened a lot of doors for me. Because of him, they know me. I’ll go in there for my son, but he (Billy) meets everyone outside. He comes in to visit also, but before it was all hospitals and Mathew was on a respirator for 5 months and then Trach’s for another 9 months so that means you’re in a sub-acute facility and most kids are on vents so they don’t let animals in, they worry about infection etc. But now, he’s in a step down. Now, I’ve become friends with, well everyone that I can but the person in charge, she’s been texting me and telling me my son has been doing well but one of the staff members was giving me a hard time telling me you can’t bring that cat in here! And, I already had permission so she went to file a report and some other stupid stuff but she just didn’t like cats. I even have Service Cat designation and she tried to make a big deal of it but the person in charge shot the reports down and Big Sweet Billy is allowed to come into the room and sometimes he sleeps on the bed with Mathew and I while I read to Mathew so it all worked out. Without him, Billy, I would be alone, except for the Lord, but it’s nice to have that little companion. He worries about me more than I worry about him. And, he’s my best friend. The person that’s watching him now, sends me pictures of him and yesterday, he was sitting there staring out their window waiting for me to come back. And for Mathew, one of the staff members sent me pictures of him yesterday and he’s looking real good. We’ll get there, one of these days, I’ll bring him here on this run. You have to share this miracle with the world because he is a miracle and people need to believe in miracles.”

So, we have a miracle story of healing on this ride and we will all be pulling for Matt and his son, Mathew.

Thanks for reading.

Boots

USAF – ’72 – ‘75

Some rain in Virginia – this was at the Sheetz Gas Station in Fisherville.

A few folks at the Hilton Host Hotel celebrating.

More arrivals to the Host Hotel in Arlington.

Some presentations at the Doubletree Parking lot.

More presentations at the Doubletree Parking lot.

Big Sweet Billy in his motorcycle cat carrier. No, Billy wasn’t on the run with us but he does get to go for rides. One time Matt checked on Billy during a ride and he was batting a ball around while rolling.

Mathew II playing guitar before the accident.

Matt Conley on the Run for the Wall, 2024.

Billy the cat, a unique cat that follows Matt around like a dog.

Posted on May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Southern Route 2024 SitReps – Day 9 – Run For The Wall

Day 9 – Southern Route; Wytheville, VA to Lynchburg, VA

Another good day! Some rain threatened towards the end of the day and during dinner at the Harley Davidson of Lynchburg dealership, it did start raining but it didn’t last very long. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty good weather wise. Today we started at Wither’s Park in Wytheville. There were good breakfast sandwiches and the entertainment was outstanding. The entire elementary school came down with a large group singing to us. Being a grandparent, you learn how important these things are and how hard it is for kids to be taught and cajoled into putting on shows like that, but they did very well. Typical Wytheville, it seems like the whole town came out to greet us and wish us well. I had the honor to ride side by side with the Former Mayor of Wytheville, Mayor Crewe, from Wytheville to Montvale. We had a discussion, once we got to Montvale, about the difficulty of explaining what it’s like to be part of this run to people that have not participated. We agreed, you have to experience it to really get it. If you’re reading this and have not joined us, please consider riding with us for a day and become part of the RFTW family. We cross the entire country with 3 routes to choose from so chances are, you’re not that far away.

Then, we were off to Montvale for fuel and on onto the Montvale Elementary school. This school is an amazing school. There’s a new window privacy covering to the cafeteria that was added recently with the assistance of RFTW donations. Today, a good-sized check was given to the school from RFTW and they treated us very well. There’s something about the patriotism displayed by the kids that is heartwarming. Along with greetings, we had a nice lunch, we had a show put on for us with the kids singing beautiful songs and they all knew the words! There was a presentation from the local ROTC Honor Guard doing a funny bit from the old movie “Stripes” with Bill Murray. In case you don’t remember, here is a link to the original movie version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOzub_ghAbM&t=2s. It was well done and fun to watch. The school kids were great, they are learning the importance of patriotism. That’s something other countries are teaching their children, but it seems to be fading in ours and it’s refreshing to see it here and in Wytheville and Montvale. From Montvale, we went to the Bedford Virginia D-Day Memorial. This is one of the most significant memorials along the route and I never heard of it prior to my RFTW experience in 2019. D-Day was a significant turning point in World Wat II. The Allied forces stormed the Beach and accomplished what was needed to get the enemy on the run. Bedford VA was chosen as the place to construct this memorial because they lost more citizens, the towns children, per capita, than any other town in the entire country. It’s impressive, it’s a wonderful learning experience and it really makes you think about the consequences of war. There are 4,415 names on this wall, allied forces named from all the countries that fought in this battle and died. The four thousand plus names were collected over the month from when this battle started. Each and every name of all the soldiers that died in this battle, from all countries, are on the plaques pictured below. The artist and others that were involved in this park also have displays that are significant in displaying what it was like to be there, maybe just a little bit, but enough to take you out of your comfort zone to understand the impact of war and what it might feel like to be part of a battle like this. Seeing these displays, seeing all the names of soldiers that died to protect our freedom, it can be overwhelming. If you haven’t seen the series on Apple TV called Masters of the Air, it’s a high recommend. There are pictures below, I hope you enjoy. Tomorrow is our last day of traveling to DC as a group but we will be gathering at the Vietnam Veterans Wall on Saturday and head out on our own from there. Some are continuing onto the Sandbox Route which is a similar ride to Versaille, Illinois to the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall.

Boots

USAF – ’72 – ‘75

Montvale kids as we come into the school circle

Wytheville students coming from the school to Withers Park

The Bedford D-Day Memorial Wall with all the names of those who died in this invasion.

One of many plaques that are interesting reading

If you look close, you can see water spouts from “bullets” hitting the water close to the troops

The Montvale ROTC cadets putting on a show for us with a scene from Stripes

Our Route Coordinator recognizing the Montvale Principal and thanking them for their support.

The Montvale students singing songs to us

The Montvale ROTC Cadets putting on their show

The group of students in a panoramic shot

Another pic of the students as they are singing to us

Looking down one of the hallways of the school – lots of art work displayed

Our professional Photographer who is hard to capture in a picture as he is always moving around taking great pictures of everyone from so many angles, Go Jerry!

A seasoned office of the Virginia State Police getting an FNG button for his first time escorting the pack.

Our Risk Management Officer handing out bracelets to the children coming down the hill to Withers Park

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Southern Route 2024 SitReps – Day 8 – Run For The Wall

Day 8 – Southern Route; Chattanooga, TN to Wytheville, VA

Another nice day, everyone did well. We started at the Chattanooga White Lightening Harley Davidson Dealer. Of course, there was breakfast and our morning meetings. We had about 10 FNG’s join us today so we’re getting bigger as a pack. I decided to go on an Family Outreach which is typically a small group that goes to a place to meet a family that may have lost someone or an injured soldier. Today was kind of special. One of our leaders has a father-in-law that served in Vietnam and didn’t really talk about his experience in the war. Recently, he did talk about his experience and it was learned that he was right next to a soldier that was KIA by an explosive device next to where the Dad-in-law was. That gave his father-in-law a purple heart, yet no one in the family knew he was a recipient. The family we visited was the family of Jason F Lamb, the man next to the Father-in-Law when the explosion occurred. The Father-in-Law flew into the area to meet up with Leatherneck and us and he was able to meet the family. Jason Floyd had sisters there, grandkids and lots of other family members who all met at the cemetery of this hero who was KIA on May 4, 1970. SP4 Floyd, Jason F Lamb was born October 4, 1949 in Greeneville TN. He grew up in Chuckey, TN and rests at the Liberty Freewill Baptist Church in Chucky, TN. His tour of duty in Vietnam began on December 10, 1969. Jason was KIA while participating in a search and clear operation in the Nui Yon Thon Mountains, approximately eight miles southwest of Tam Ky City, Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam on May 4, 1970. At 08:30, Jason received a fatal fragmentation wound when an enemy explosive device was detonated. For his actions, he received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation, National Defense, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign Medals. He is commemorated on the Vietnam Memorial Wal and was 20 years old. We will remember Jason’s name.

After the Outreach, our group went onto the Black Wolf Harley-Davidson Dealership. Another large dealership where we were well taken care of and fed a nice lunch. Some presentations to our hosts and on to Wytheville, VA. Wytheville is the favorite town on this run for many of us. Not only do they turn out to greet us, they have been part of the run from the first run, 34 years ago. The majority of the town will be at the morning meeting and that is where the elementary school children put on a show. The ex-mayor has been part of the run for many years and often rides with us from here to DC. Last night we had a great steak dinner at the Moose Lodge with baked potato, salad all very good quality. Thank You Moose Lodge for wonderful hospitality! The auction that occurred later on raised some good monies to help other organizations. Gunny stood up and told some stories about the early days. He introduced a fellow Vet where he met this fellow rider years ago on the run where they were both displaying, on their windshields, the same 3 Marines that were left behind in a lot of confusion of getting out of a bad decision (battle) in Vietnam. That was quite a reason for a reunion dealing with the survivor guilt and sharing stories. A lot of moving stories last night.

So, all filled up with great food, we went to the hotel and it was a long and tired day. Thanks for reading. I might be adding more later on.

Boots

USAF – ’72 – ‘75

The Wytheville Moose Lodge just starting to fill up.

Withers Park in Wytheville. Best if you can zoom in and move around.

Lamb Family Grave site with a lot of family visiting.

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Boots — Leave a comment

Southern Route 2024 SitReps – Day 7 – Run For The Wall

Day 7 – Southern Route; Meridian, MS to Chattanooga, TN

Today, the weather is holding up. It was pretty hot and we had some long legs but we all did well. There was a lot of traffic when we got to Chattanooga but it was commute time so not a surprise. According to Google, the population for Chattanooga is around 200K. We started in Meridian, MS. Full escort towards the border and then in TN, we still had an escort but fewer vehicles. That’s why it was a bit more challenging getting into a larger city but we’re all getting used to riding with each other and those that don’t ride in groups very often are now experienced and navigating the ins and outs of dealing with the traffic situations like cars that insist they need to move over to the lane on the other side of the pack. We are set up in platoons with around 20 bikes per platoon with a decent space in between the platoons. That is on purpose so cars will have a gap to move through should they need to do so but occasionally, some are not aware of that fact and make it harder on themselves.

Our biggest highlight of the day was visiting the VA Hospital in Tuscaloosa, AL. The entire pack went there and had a chance to be welcomed by a large group(s) of neighbors, staff and even some patients. They fed us some awesome Mexican food which was provided by a local restaurant called Jalapeno’s. Real good food. Thank You Giovingo (owner). We got to visit some long term patients that are at the hospital and simply had a nice time. Great people there!

Then we started off towards Chattanooga, TN with a small jaunt through Georgia. A couple of fuel stops and we made it to the White Lightening Harley Davidson Dealer in Chattanooga. It’s quite a large dealership. Some pics below. They fed us a nice dinner, they had the service department open late to help anyone that needed work done, everything from an oil change to some larger jobs. Then off to the hotels to shower and rest. Today was a total of 311 miles but in the heat it felt like 450 ????.

One story to relay from this morning. I met a Vietnam Vet that lives in Meridian and we talked about some of his experiences in Nam and being part of taking hill 875. He’s been back to visit Vietnam 5 times and wants to go back one more time before travel is not feasible for him. His visits were interesting where he did some teaching while in Vietnam, but he was careful to not tell everyone he was a vet from the war. He still had a fair amount of Vietnamese language ability and could understand some of the conversations. Once they figured out his knowledge, he had a few people that were always shadowing him which was uncomfortable. And he was particular of where he would go as there were some places that were too emotional for him. Strong memories. I wish I knew he was going to get into those stories so I could have recorded what he was talking about and do a better job of relaying that here. He had some tears starting as he is reminiscing over these memories. It was an honor to hear these stories and I think it was cathartic for him.

Boots

USAF, ’72 – ‘75