Author: Boots

Day 7 – Tuesday May 24, 2022 Southern Route

Today we went from Meridian, MS to Chattanooga, TN. We started at the Agriculture Pavilion in Meridian.  Of course, we were fed good stuff.  Always lots of food but it’s all so good and appreciated.  Everyone seems to enjoy taking care of us as we journey across the country.  We always have a big Thank You for all these great people and truly appreciate the number of people coming out to support us.  The laundry was ready for pickup!  An amazing service.  The big news of the day was the rain.  We were rained on for a couple of hours all together but it was a fairly warm rain.  We all had our rain gear on so it wasn’t a big deal.  It slowed us a little but we went through and got to where we needed to be.  We had some fuel stops, we left Mississippi, went through Alabama and a small part of Georgia to end up in Tennessee.  A total of 317 miles.  We had LEO escort in Alabama but not in Tennessee.  Going through Chattanooga there was quite a bit of traffic but we all made it through without incidence.  It’s hard to describe but if you’re a rider, and you’re with a friend or two, you can make it through the traffic areas without too much trouble but when you have a group as large as ours, it becomes a challenge and that’s where our Road Guards do a fabulous job of getting us through these difficult areas without an incident.  The reality is you have different skill levels with riders that don’t know each other’s driving habits real well.  The size of the group is so large, even broken up into platoons, it’s a challenge because we’re trying to stay together yet some cars are trying to squeeze into our group to make an exit and it can become a challenge.  Most of us are experienced enough to know when to let people through and when not to so with the guidance of Road Guards and Tail Gunners, we did well.  Thanks Guys and Gals.  Dinner was at the White Lightening Harley Davidson Dealer.  Great pulled pork sandwiches and goodies.  Then onto the hotels.  I had some other details I wanted to pass on but my sources haven’t forwarded details yet, hopefully I can update later tonight or tomorrow.  Till next time – Boots out.

R “Boots”
USAF ’72 – ’75

“Accept the challenges so that you can
feel the exhilaration of victory.”
General George Patton Jr.

Below are some words from a gentleman, Frank L. Vance, that read to us during one of our fuel stops.  It was very touching.

People like my Father and all Soldiers make me very proud to be AMERICAN. My wife’s father was  in the Navy during WWII. My father graduated Glider Pilot flight school from South Plains Air Field. He served in the European Theater. His name was Frank L. Vance  III. They have a Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock , Texas  at South Plains Air Field that Honors all Gliders Pilots. There was a picture of his 306th TCS in the museum, the same picture we have at his house.
My father passed on Dec.30th, 2013.He was a WWII Glider Pilot. He was in the Army/Aircorp 9th Corp,442nd TCG,306th TCS. He flew CG-4A  Gliders and C-47’s in Holland, France, Belgium and Germany. His main mission was Operation Market Garden. Many British and American men died in that battle. He received the Air Combat Metal for his Service. He was my HERO and my BEST FRIEND. He always said the HERO’S were the ones that gave their lives during the war. He said he was not a HERO. I always thought he and all men like him were HERO’S. I’d like to share a poem I wrote a few weeks after he died. It’s called “Soldiers Pain” Thanks, Frank L. Vance IV, Dedicated to Frank L. Vance III and all soldiers:

Soldier’s Pain

He is my eternal flame,
Many have come before and after,
but they are all the same

Young girls and boys protecting the world
and always taking the blame.

They didn’t ask to be in this
situation, but do their job
because they love their nation.

They never have time to cry
or be afraid, something we
take for granted every day.

I owe a great amount of appreciation
because my father was part of
the Greatest Generation.

There’s a place in my heart for all the
families that are mentally and physically
so far apart.

Many lose their life and some
come home to their husband and wife.

The ones that are sane settle
back in society and sustain,
but the ones that gave and
saw pain will never be the same.

If they make it back sane
I think they wonder why we all complain.

So, if you see a soldier
give them a hand shake and
a hug because freedom is
not free and they sacrifice
everything for you and me.

We will never know a
Soldiers Pain because they
risk and give their lives for our gain.

By: Frank L. Vance IV      January 2014

Day 6 – May 23, 2022 Monday – Southern Route

This morning we started in Monroe Louisiana and ended up in Meridian Mississippi.  Another good day for traveling.  We had a little bit of rain drizzle for about 15 minutes and that was it.  It was refreshing and did not get those of us very wet that have fairings.  It was a total of 225 miles.  We started with a full tank and made 2 fuel stops.  We started at Sam’s Club parking lot with MacDonalds sausage and biscuit sandwiches along with some fruits and other goodies.  The first ride was very short as we went to the Monroe City Hall to have a wreath laying ceremony at the Veterans Memorial that is there in front.  It’s a nice memorial for locals that had given all for WWII, The Korean War and the Vietnam War.  I was pleased to see it etched in stone that it was the Vietnam War and not the Vietnam Conflict like they pushed in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s trying to avoid the idea we were at war and war was never declared!  We headed towards Jackson MS.  We had LEO escort the remainder of Louisiana and all the way through Mississippi.  Before leaving the Sam’s Club parking lot, we had a couple of the Motor Police do a little show for us on their Harley’s.  Very talented riders.  I’ll put a link to a movie to try and show case the riding.  I mentioned having their escort.  They basically shut the highway down not allowing vehicles to get on the highway in front of us and keeping them off until the entire pack had passed.  They were doing a bump and go where the police would block the entrance with their lights going, a RFTW Road Guard would stop and take his place, then the LEO would continue on to the next entrance with a few of his buddies doing the same thing with other entrances further up.  I was lucky enough to be close to the front of the pack and could see the actions which included 16 to 18 Motor Police riding side by side with all of them flashing their blue lights.  It looked like a moving island of flashing blue lights, then there was a bunch of Road Guards right behind them with their yellow and white lights flashing, it was a colorful morning and very impressive.  And, almost all the over passes had people waving at us with American Flags displayed.  There were quite a few of the smaller towns that had their firetrucks out there on the over pass with lights flashing and often big American Flags hanging off the ladder trucks.  We all felt pretty special.  It was a huge welcome from the State of Mississippi.  We crossed the Mississippi River, very large and continued on to the first fuel stop.  The escort took us off and back on claiming the highway to be ours again.  It was a fun time.  In Jackson, MS, we stopped for lunch at the Jackson Harley Dealer.  It started with a ceremony where the Quarter Master announced the celebrity military hero’s that graced us with the presence.  To mention a few, there was a Baatan Death March Survivor, a Tuskegee Airman, 32^nd Fighter Group, an Iwo Jima Survivor, a Prisoner of War survivor and last but not least, Michael Thornton, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.  Lt Thornton has quite a list of achievements as a Navy Seal and if you’d like to read a bit more, a link to an informative web page is: https://achievement.org/achiever/lt-michael-e-thornton-usn/

I was able to get a picture of Lt Thornton, myself and Flat Stanley in front of the dealership, it is below.  Most everyone on the ride is familiar with Flat Stanley but he’s a character from a beginning reader book series and the Montvale Elementary School in Virginia asked one of us to carry Stanley on the ride with us.  I was honored to do so.  Flat Stanley is a character that children will make in school, mail him to friends and family around the world and they will have pictures sent back of Flat Stanley having adventures.  Kids seem to really like the stories and anything to encourage reading is a good thing.  He’s easily Googled if you want to learn more.

From Jackson, we went to our final stop of the day in Meridian MS.  We were escorted to the Ag Center where they had a great meal laid out for us.  Smoked meats, veggies and potatoes with a long table of homemade deserts.  I have some pictures of the Smoker below.  They converted an old fire truck into a drivable smoker with a very large drum to smoke the meats.  Pretty impressive if you like smokers.  Another wonderful service is also offered here in Meridian.  Here we are on day 6 and we all have some dirty laundry.  There is a group that comes up from Florida and gives us plastic bags with our names on them to fill with our dirty clothes.  Tomorrow morning, the bags will be available for pickup, all nicely folded and clean.  Amazing people.  I understand they have a large truck that is outfitted with washer / dryer equipment, and they travel to disaster spots to help people that are without these services.  An exciting day.  Tomorrow, we head towards Chattanooga, TN.  PS – sorry I don’t know how to format these pages very well.  Being new at this role, I didn’t have much time to learn the nuances of formatting.

IMG_5132  <—— Link to movie of LEO on bike.

Day 5 – May 22, 2022 Sunday – Southern Route

A great day where we avoided being rained on.  It looked threatening at times and after pulling into the hotel after dinner, it did indeed start raining a bit.  So, we were blessed with good weather for our riding today.  We started in Grand Prairie Texas and ended the day in Monroe Louisiana.  We had breakfast provided by a MacDonalds in the Grand Prairie Super Walmart parking lot where we staged for leaving.  There were 3 fuel stops with lunch at the Longview Texas Fairgrounds in Longview.  At the Fairgrounds is a large building that we take up a big chunk of as they feed us and entertain us.  Good sandwiches, lots of baked goodies with very warm greetings.  There’s a gentleman that sings to us with karaoke tracks running and it’s good entertainment.  We surely get that “appreciated” feeling along this route and today was another day to get that feeling.  Some of the troops went on an outreach this morning to the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Fair Park.  There are some pictures of that below with a wreath laying by members of our ride volunteering to be the honor guard.  After lunch we headed towards Monroe, LA.  Once we hit the Louisiana border, we had State Motorcycle Police escort us with them blocking the highway entrances to not have traffic coming into our long procession of motorcycles.  With the traffic stopped, one of our road guards would take that spot and the State Police Officer would head down to the next area that needed blocking and it continued all the way to our destination.  Those officers came to dinner with us at the Monroe Shriners Hall where we were all treated to really good Catfish, Pork or Chicken along with Coleslaw and Hushpuppies that had a bit of a spice byte to them – great stuff. Oh, then the long tables filled with baked goods.  We’re not going hungry this trip.  We rode 323 miles.  One of the fuel stops in the morning needs to be acknowledged is the town of Terrell Texas.  It’s a large store parking lot where after filling up with fuel, the local folks gather to greet us, give us drinks and snacks.  Along with the RFTW State Coordinator and her connections with the Daughters of the American Revolution, things were put together to make this stop a reality again.  With Covid over the last couple of years, it almost slipped the minds of important players but it did come together with the Mayor and City Council also proclaiming May 22, 2022 to become the official Run For The Wall day.  At the Longview lunch, they also declared that in the City of Terrell, May 22, 2022 is also going to be Run For The Wall Day.  Now we just have to work on the rest of the country!

The picture of a Bio in a sleeve in the parking lot needs a bit of explanation.  The Missing Man is an important part of Run For The Wall.  As we travel along on our mission, FNG’s have the opportunity to ride up front with the Missing Man platoon and ride for someone with a personal connection to them or choose one of the Missing Men that’s on a list, longer than we like.  Each leg of the journey (between fuel stops) is another opportunity for an FNG to participate in this honor to remember the Missing loved ones.  The formation is set up where the Route coordinator and the Assistant Route Coordinator are side by side, then the FNG is immediately behind the Route Coordinator with an empty spot next to the FNG representing the Missing Man.  After the FNG and the empty spot is the Missing Man Coordinator Judy “Not Airborne” Wormmeester and the Missing Man Chaplin Bo Pearson, also riding side by side.  We are riding to remember those that have been lost.  Tomorrow we go to Meridian Mississippi as we get closer to Washington DC.

R “Boots”
USAF ’72 – ’75

Day 4 – May 21, 2022 Sunday – Southern Route

Greetings – Day 4 was another day of long riding with some impressive memorials to visit.  We spent the night in Odessa Texas.  We were treated to a great breakfast at the American Legion in Odessa.  Very nice people that took care of us well.  We then went to Midland TX to the Permian Basin Memorial.  It’s a slightly smaller memorial but the people that raised the funds to build it are very proud of it for good reasons.  It pays tribute to local warriors that have lost their lives from all branches of the Armed Forces.  It was locally designed by residents and pays homage very well.  They have a statue in the middle of three warriors, one carrying a wounded soldier to a helicopter and a third soldier assisting but also looking back to the wall with names of those lost that they can’t bring back with them.  It’s touching when you realize the story and intent.  One of our RFTW volunteers father is listed as one of those KIA in Viet Nam which brings home meaning of our mission to not let any of our warriors be forgotten.  You will be remembered!  We did have a wreath laying here.

We then went to the Big Springs Veterans Memorial.  This was also a very nice memorial and there was a wreath laying.

Then we were off to Colorado City, TX.  Colorado City is a small town that goes all out to give us a warm welcome and feed us a great steak and/or chicken with green beans and a fantastic potato salad.  I expect this is one of the highlights of their year to have the RFTW group come to have dinner (lunch time) with them.  The warmth and hospitality cannot be outdone, Thank You Colorado City!  We then drove more to get to the Dubiski Career High School where the students participated in preparing a great dinner and taking care of us.  Again, wonderful hospitality which included a bag pipe player, an honor guard and having your hand shook 20 to 30 times just to get into the building.  Some pictures are attached.  The weather has been hot, decent but hot.  We have a chance of rain in front of us but we keep moving with rain gear if that happens.  A few other things worth mentioning that are a critical part of this Run To The Wall is the support we get from the volunteers that help keep us organized.  There are unsung hero’s that race in front of us to be ready to set up the fueling stations, that stage us so we can take off in an organized fashion in the correct platoons that we were assigned to, the people that open up and hand us drinks so we can stay hydrated, the nurses that are ready to take care of us that need help along the way, the people selling merchandise to help raise funds for financing this run, road guards that are guiding us safely through traffic and I’m probably forgetting some but the number of volunteers is amazing.  Without each one, we would not have such a successful and well organized mission.  A huge Thank You to all of you helpful volunteers!  Today, we also had LEO escorts all the way through our travels in Texas for the whole day.  Again, much safer and faster.  Thanks to the local police and Texas State Police.

Thanks for listening.

Day 2 – May 19, 2022 Thursday

This morning we left Casa Grande, Arizona towards our destination, Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We had a light breakfast, had our usual morning meeting and one of the normal subjects is to stay hydrated.  This is always a big concern since it’s so common for people to be riding through the desert and not realize they getting dehydrated.  On the motorcycle, you are traveling at a good speed and the hot desert air is drying you off immediately so you don’t realize how much you are sweating and losing fluid.  By the end of the day, in Las Cruces, we heard NO ONE had become dehydrated to the point of being pulled from the ride!  Woo Hoo!!  That’s a big deal since the temps were over 100 and we did a lot of riding with a lot of people.  It’s amazing to be riding along and feel the heat emanating from the highway at 60 MPH.  We drove 352 miles today with gas stops and lunch at the Elks Lodge in Wilcox AZ, dinner at the Las Cruces VFW post #10124.  At one of the gas stops, we were taken care of by the folks of Marana Arizona.  Very nice people that greeted us with snacks and water, a goodies bag along with their time.  There was a color guard and a wonderful singer.  One of the long time supporters was honored as he was an active supporter in the very beginning of stopping in Marana for gas.  A movie is attached.  The movie and pictures are compliments of Leggs (Lori Ann Schaeffler).  We went on to Wilcox to fuel up and have a great lunch at the Elks Lodge with again, a very warm welcome.  It seemed like most of the town was out greeting us as we came in through the streets.  That is a welcome that wasn’t there for too many warriors coming home. The food was great – Thank You Wilcox!  Then we departed for Las Cruces, NM.  Dinner at the Las Cruces VFW was very good chicken enchiladas with rice and beans.  It’s a good thing we’re not counting calories out here.

Click Here to watch.  It will download and you will need to “open” the file —–>  Video

Boots

USAF ’72 – ’75

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that

we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival

and success of liberty.

– John F. Kennedy