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Sandbox Route Coordinator News – August 2019 Pt. 2

I wanted to take a moment and attempt to bring a bit of clarity to the process that Sandbox will follow regarding matters of rider registration, walk-up registrations and rider platoon assignments. I know that many of you have questions as to when registration for Sandbox will open and how it will be handled. So I want to make sure that you are getting information that is accurate and from the horses’ mouth (as they say).

On the matter of Rider Registration. The rumors that you may have heard that Sandbox will be a “capped” route are true. During the Recon of Sandbox we uncovered aspects of the route that we determined will need an additional year or two to develop before we can take large numbers of bikes. Building out a new route requires us to balance many different issues. Things such as rider safety, our impact on the communities that we visit, the capability of the organizations hosting us and the safety of the general public are all of paramount concern in this process. As such, we decided to take a measured growth approach to this.

We have decided to open registration for Sandbox at some point after October 1, 2019. The precise date will be based on many factors that are at play. Rest assured that we will give everyone ample lead time to prepare for this. Once registration, for open riders (non-leadership or otherwise designated riders), starts it will be on a first-come-first served basis. So pay attention to start dates and times as slots will fill fast.

On the subject of walk-up registration and registration payment. ​Sandbox Route will be a pre-registered/pre-paid only route. ​ ​No​ registration payments will be accepted in person.P​ayment may only be made at the time of online registration.​ Verification of pre-registration documents and payment will be made at our scheduled overnight stops ​only​. Joining the route during the day will ​not​ be permitted.

On the matter of platoon assignments. Sandbox will be using a system that differs from the other three (3) routes for this process. Once you register for Sandbox your information will be sent to the Platoon Coordinator (Chief of Platoons). This person will, soon thereafter, assign you to a platoon based on the information gathered in your registration submission. Things such as years on RFTW, preferred formation riding style, size of the platoons and other parameters will be used in this decision. Once the decision has been made (which platoon to assign you to) there will be a notification sent to you with this and other information. Soon thereafter you will be contacted by the Platoon Leader of the platoon that you are now a part of. Your platoon leader will be your point of contact throughout the year. You can expect your platoon leader to hold regularly scheduled teleconference meetings as we progress to May, 2020.

Lastly, we have filled the previously open State Coordinator positions in West Virginia and Illinois. However we are still seeking candidates in Maryland and Virginia as well as Assistant State Coordinators in all of our traveled states.

For any position please submit your name and information to the ​Sandbox Volunteer Sign-Up​ . Please continue to stay connected to the ​Sandbox Facebook Group​ page, and the RFTW Forum for current information relating to the route.

Sandbox is pushing the envelope and attempting to build its own culture and way of doing things. We look forward to you joining us as we extend the RFTW mission into today’s current era of conflicts.

WALL 2 WALL

M.D. “Senior” Miller
Senior
Route Coordinator Sandbox Route

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Sandbox Route Coordinator News – August 2019

Hello All RFTW Family, Friends and Future RFTW Riders,

Sandbox Recon 2019 is officially in the books and the page has been turned to Sandbox Route 2020. Much was learned from the Recon and all will be applied, from those learned experiences, in 2020 and beyond. So where are we now and what is going on with Sandbox at this time?

It is my distinct honor to have been re-confirmed by the RFTW Board of Directors to once again lead the Sandbox Mission. I am proud to serve the leadership team that will lead the Sandbox riders. I consider my service to this team, the riders and the RFTW mission to be one of the most impactful experiences of my life. I approach all aspects of my duty keeping in mind the potential impact that this mission will have on others.. I have been fortunate to have ridden on three of the four routes on RFTW. My previous positions have included Road Guard, Medic and Route Coordinator. Each of these positions have given me specific insights into the mission and how it all comes together. I cherish these experiences and I look forward to making sure that your RFTW experience is just as memorable for you.

The leadership of Sandbox is currently being formed. Those team leaders, that have been selected, to this point, are beginning the process of working through the much talked about Sandbox Volunteer Sign-up Database for potential candidates to fill the numerous leadership positions that I have directed for 2020. If you are interested in applying for leadership (in 2020) and have not already signed up…..I urge you to do so without delay. I have instructed all of our staff to utilize this sign-up database as their first place to pull candidates from. I will tell you that we are actively seeking out candidates that have a background in writing, media relations and journalism. As well as former military drill instructors, Honor Guard members or similar civilian backgrounds. Lastly, we are looking for potential State Coordinators in the states of Illinois, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia and Assistants for all the States we travel in. If you or someone you know might have these backgrounds or experiences …we would love to hear from you.

Sandbox is unique in that it not only begins after the other routes have completed their missions in D.C., but it is currently made up of leadership persons from all of the cross country routes. As new riders are brought into the RFTW family and they join Sandbox from D.C., the (Sandbox) ranks of leadership will begin to be filled with riders that have never been on the mission from CA to DC. This is something that will have its growing pains as we all get used to this new dynamic. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the impact the current generation of veterans and patriots has upon Sandbox and the RFTW mission.

One of the major reasons for building and ultimately deploying Sandbox was to further grow the RFTW family with riders that represent the current era of conflicts. In keeping with this, it was decided, from the onset, to direct this mission to the Middle East Conflicts Wall (MECW) in Illinois. From the Vietnam Memorial Wall to the Middle East Conflicts Wall……Wall 2 Wall! It was further decided to shorten the duration of the mission from the ten (10) plus days that we dedicate to our CA to DC missions. The reason for this was so that younger riders could participate in a mission from beginning to end without significant impact to their jobs, military service or other careers.

We hope that these designs will invite riders to join the Sandbox mission. The interest and excitement that we have heard thus far has been tremendous and we expect for 2020 to be an amazing mission. A mission that sees a significant number of FNG’s that start their RFTW experiences in D.C. Just the thought of this is pretty special.

In the coming weeks and months I will be making regular announcements on the progress of the route. You can also expect regular, more frequent, information to be passed down through our PAO on the Sandbox social media platforms as well as occasional pieces on the RFTW Forums. Things such as job postings, route information, auctions, etc. will be communicated through these mediums.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Sandbox and I thank you all in advance for your support of this mission and the future riders of RFTW. The Post-Nam era now has their Wall and because of the Vietnam Veterans they too have a mission that they can be emotionally connected to. This bridging of the two generations will ensure the story of the Vietnam Veterans and their Wall will continue to be honorably told for generations to come.

Respectfully,

Senior

RC, RFTW Sandbox Route

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SandBox Recon Route Coordinator News – May 2018

Hello All,
Well May is finally upon us. So…Is it May yet?! YES IT IS!

This letter will likely find many of you already on the road heading toward the west coast and ultimately into Ontario to begin the 31st annual Run For The Wall mission. I know that you all have prepared for many weeks and in some cases all year long for aspects of this mission. Preparations like motorcycle maintenance, logistical planning, financial planning and even (especially) your personal health maintenance. All a part of our ongoing commitment to to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.

I would like to give you an update on the status of the Sandbox Recon before we all meet up in Ontario;
– As of this writing we have a complete routing for the recon. This route has been published on the Sandbox Hub and is available for viewing. https://rftw.us/sandbox-route-hub/
– Please Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RFTWSandbox/
– We have been graciously invited to breakfast, lunch and dinner at each of our planned stops along the route. I have been told by these locations to be prepared for some amazing food and huge welcome’s!
– The vast majority of law enforcement jurisdictions that we will cross have promised to either escort us through or aid us in one way or another. Our Road Guard Captain and his staff have been in communication with these agencies and they have begun to establish lines of communication and relationships.
– Our commissioning ceremony, in Ontario, is in the final stages of preparation and it looks like it will be an amazing event that will truly mark the beginning of Sandbox. Please invite your friends and family to this event as it is open to the public. It will be held following the the ALL ROUTES Safety Briefing in the parking lot next to the host hotel on Tuesday at 1700 (5pm local).
– Sandbox has begun multiple fundraising efforts that will help us to support the activities of the route this year and into the future. The other routes have agreed to assist us in this effort by auctioning some of our Limited Edition Sandbox Route patches during their LA to DC missions. Mary “Cupcake” Pittman McElroy (Mary.pittman@rftw.us) is also handling the raffle and auction activities during the recon. She has posted information about this on the Sandbox Facebook groups. FYI she is looking for items that anyone might want to donate for these activities. Please contact her so that the logistics can be arranged.
– We have also set and internally published the Sandbox specific schedules for Ontario and Arlington.

Please take the time to visit the website and Facebook page of our Mission complete- The Middle East Conflicts Wall https://middleeastconflictswall.org/

https://www.facebook.com/MiddleEastConflictsWallMemorial/

As we are all heading out towards Ontario I would like to wish you all safe travels and Godspeed. I am very much looking forward to us all officially meeting for the first time (in person) as one collective unit that will forever be known as the Sandbox Recon.

How far are we going?!
WALL 2 WALL!

V/r,
Senior

#RFTWSANDBOX

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Sandbox Route (Recon) Coordinator News – April 2019

Greetings RFTW family,

I would like to take this opportunity to officially introduce you all to the newly formed Sandbox Route!

It is my true honor to be appointed by the Run For the Wall (RFTW) Board of Directors as the 2019 Sandbox Recon Route Coordinator. I am privileged to be given the awesome responsibility of leading an incredible group of RFTW Leadership personnel, with countless years of experience, on this mission.

This recon will cover states, interstates, roads and towns that have not yet been exposed to the RFTW mission. This is an opportunity for us to further the mission and grow our family, and to make more people aware of the POW/MIA issues that we, as an entire RFTW family are so invested in. We will help in the healing of veterans, including those currently serving and those families of our heroes Killed in Action. We will also establish relationships with individuals, organizations and political bodies that will soon learn about how we ride and why we ride. We ride with Heart and We Ride for Those Who Can’t!

Efforts have already begun to introduce the communities we will see and visit to the RFTW mission. We will continue in this effort up to, and until departure from Arlington, VA. Our staff of dedicated volunteers has been hard at work contacting members of all of these communities. Calls are being made to each area that we will touch and press releases will be published for each community we intend to visit or pass through.

It has been the vision of the Sandbox Route’s Route Architect, Mary “Cupcake” Pittman-McElroy, that this particular route make 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 in the success of this mission and it was a focal point in the planning and development of this route. Wall 2 Wall!

Sandbox Route will visit the Flight 93 Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania and visit 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 that have been lost in our nation’s conflicts in the Middle East since 1967. Unfortunately, names are continuing to be added to this memorial each year.

Our team of riders are incredibly motivated to undertake this mission. We know that we will be the face of the RFTW family in this endeavor and we intend to make you all proud. We have tirelessly planned this mission, and we intend to leave no stone unturned in this recon mission.

I want to thank everyone involved in this process. I also want to thank the countless people that have offered their support and prayers to us as we move forward. These sentiments have given us the fuel to press on. Thank you all!

I anticipate that all of you have many questions and comments. I also anticipate that many of you would like to join us on this mission. Due to the “recon nature” of this mission in 2019 we will not be taking members of the RFTW family beyond our team’s complement this year. I do encourage you to consider joining us in 2020. We have established a volunteer link that you can use to supply your information, if you would like to submit your name for 2020 (Leadership).

Thank you all once again for your support!

Wall 2 Wall!

Respectfully,
“Senior”
M.D. MILLER
Route Coordinator
Sandbox Recon Route