Author: Ted "Boots" Kapner

The Board of Directors is pleased to welcome CR rider and former Army member Tai “Hitch” Harmon to the Board.

Hitch will be filling our vacant Social Media Director position. She brings a wealth of experience to the BoD, and we look forward to working with her as we move into the future. If you have been following our new podcast Run For The Wall with Boots and Hitch, I’m sure you have already seen the positive impact her contributions bring to our Mission and to Run for the Wall.

Welcome Hitch!!!

Hello from sunny, rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny Prescott, Arizona!

Yup, it’s August for sure. And in the off season I have been working on a number of things to improve and enhance the Run For The Wall online presence and interaction with our ridership, supporters, and future FNG’s.

The Official Run For The Wall Forum is Back

You asked and we delivered. We just launched the official RFTW Forum on a new platform. Check it out at https://forum.rftw.us. We pre-seeded the forum with some popular topics but feel free to add new threads as needed. We have a group of moderators who will be monitoring forum activity. We want to keep this Mission focused. If you have rants or raves, praise or prose about RFTW matters this is the place. However, this is not the place to air out political/ideological issues.

Run For The Wall Events Calendar

We just launched a brand-new feature on the website – The RFTW events calendar, which can be accessed at https://rftw.us/events. We will be posting everything from local RFTW meet-ups to RFTW reunions, to HFOT and veteran’s support functions. We need your input to add more events to the calendar. To add events, scroll to the bottom of the events calendar main page and click on the button that reads “SUBMIT AN EVENT”. All events submitted will be manually reviewed for relevancy and legitimacy prior to publishing. Again, we want to keep this Mission focused.

Monthly Recurring Donations

Run For The Wall would not exist without the generous support of our donors. As requested, we have created the ability to now make monthly recurring donations to RFTW. This can be accessed at https://rftw.us/donate/ at the bottom of the page or directly at https://rftw.us/shop/donations/monthly-recurring/.

Stay Tuned In

We have more new and exciting Public Relations campaigns in the works that are targeted at reaching a broader audience of veterans, motorcyclists, supporters, and future FNG’s. We have one in particular that will be launching later this month… But, you will have to wait for that… So stay tuned!

If you have questions or comments, (good, bad or ugly) send them to public.relations@rftw.us.

Be strong and courageous,

 

Ted “Boots” Kapner
Director of Public Relations/Communications
Assistant Road Guard Captain- Central Route

The Board of Directors is looking to fill the vacant position of Director of Social Media.

This is a critical, sensitive position with a 3-year commitment that requires certain skills to further the public persona of RFTW with an eye towards attracting new riders. We live and work in a hugely electronic environment, so knowledge and familiarity with computers, social media platforms, video editing and production, etc., is paramount.

The successful candidate will have a background in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and similar tools like Zoom. Knowledge and demonstrated experience in actively participating and posting on a variety of social media platforms, to include Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and others is essential. The successful candidate will need to be closely attuned to the Bylaws and SOPs of RFTW and be willing and able to actively assist the other Directors on multiple social media programs and platforms. Occasional training sessions with route volunteers to ensure an understanding of our social media objectives may be required. Public speaking ability is critically important.

The Director of Social Media is responsible for content continuity across all social media platforms and RFTW social media accounts. This includes producing and creating video reels and written posts, in conjunction with other Directors monitoring various social media accounts for inappropriate content (to include RFTW online forums), and presenting a positive public image intended to attract riders more attuned with using various social media venues. Provides annual and before Run training for route social media coordinators, photographers, videographers, and sit-rep writers to ensure they understand and comply with a positive, mission-focused public presentation representing Run For The Wall in all they do. Works closely with the Director of IT website creator/maintainer to ensure our public presentation is consistent across all venues. May be assigned other duties as determined by the Board or BoD President.

Specifically, the Director of Social Media shall also:

• Attend all Board of Directors meetings.
• Consistently promote the ONE MISSION with four routes concept.
• Prepare an annual budget for presentation and approval at the annual Face-to-Face meeting
• Perform all duties under the guidance of the RFTW President
• Promote RFTW in a positive manner on all social media platforms
• Serve as the Social Media contact for RFTW
• Collaborate with other Directors, when opportunities occur with website, marketing and sales opportunities. Communicating across the directorates is critically important to ensure our social media presence is consistent.
• Maintain a strong, engaged online presence.
• Managing RFTW online social media presence with strategic and operational roles, including content creation, user engagement metrics, and assisting in customer relationship development. While SM helps develop new customer opportunities, the Director of PR is responsible for customer management and relationship development, and the Director of IT is responsible for website and store development and maintenance.
• Must display creativity, empathy, problem-solving, analytical acumen, and a thorough understanding of social media and marketing strategies.
• Must provide a clear mix of definitive skills in marketing, strategy, communication, and an array of community-focused competencies.
• Ensure consistency across all platforms to build a strong, engaged community.
• Responsible for cultivating a positive RFTW image, fostering loyalty, and managing RFTW’s online presence across various social media channels.
• Assigning dedicated social media assistants

Appointment to the BoD places demands on your free time. We meet a minimum of once a month, often twice. There are occasional emergency online meetings with as little as 5 days’ notice. Occasional travel is required with certain travel expenses reimbursed. In July each year the BoD convenes Face to Face meetings where attendance is paramount. Our winter Fact to Face meeting may be in person or via video teleconferencing. We also meet Face to Face each year in Ontario prior to the Run.

The successful candidate will submit a resume outlining their skills relevant to those listed here, along with a brief description of their Run experience, social media experience, and the names of three references we may contact. Veterans are also required to submit an SSAN-redacted copy of their DD-214 that shows Character of Service (type of discharge). Once selected, the successful candidate will also have to submit to a Character & Fitness Examination (CFE), essentially a background check at the Board’s expense. Additionally, the BoD reserves the right to interview candidates for positions on the Board of Directors during the selection process.

Those wishing to apply should submit their package to Secretary@rftw.us no later than 30 August 2024. Questions can be directed to President@rftw.us.

If you want to serve Run for the Wall, this is an excellent opportunity to impact the future of our organization. We look forward to hearing from you!

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. (Check-in at 1:30 p.m.)
Location: Grace Church 855 E Barham Drive, San Marcos, CA 92078

Our next Home for our Troops will be on Saturday,  October 28, 2023 for a Community Kick off Event for Nathaniel Leonico in Escondido, CA.  While he was actually in the Navy, he was assigned to the 3/7 Marines as a corpsman.

Larry Medcraft, Central Route’s CA State Coordinator, is organizing the escort.

In addition, since Leonico  is a 3/7 Marine, and we have one in our mist, Nick Hengtes, Central Route Coordinator will be attending the event as the RFTW spokesman.

If you are in So. Cal. please plan to attend this important event to show support for our veterans.

HM3 Nathaniel “Randell” Leoncio

Escondido, CA

Originally from the Philippines, Nathaniel “Randell” Leoncio joined the Navy to serve as a corpsman with the Marines with aspirations to become a firefighter paramedic.

On Oct. 4, 2005, Doc Leoncio was on his first deployment, serving with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, when his vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Ramadi, Iraq. The explosion flipped the vehicle over, pinning HM3 Leoncio underneath. Fellow HFOT Veteran Corporal Neil Frustaglio, who was riding in the vehicle behind Randell’s, was the first to rush over to help. Cpl Frustaglio rocked the vehicle back and forth so HM3 Leonico could crawl out. Randell lost his leg right leg, but before he was evacuated, he directed the other Marines on how to treat himself and others who were injured. HFOT Veteran Cpl Travis Greene was also serving with HM3 Leoncio at the time of his injury.

Medically retired, Randell is now a prosthetist at Balboa Naval Hospital, where he treats many fellow HFOT Veterans. He would like to take his education further and get his Ph.D. in a related field, and get involved more with policy. “I love what I do, helping people like me walk and be active again,” he says.

Receiving a specially adapted custom home from Homes For Our Troops home will enable Randell to progress more easily in his career without the challenges of living in a non-adapted home. In his current residence, Randell often has to hop into the shower because it is too small for his wheelchair, and he has trouble reaching the cabinets in the kitchen. Though he currently manages these obstacles and is mobile within his home, Randell knows it will get more difficult as he ages and risks injuring himself further. “If I ever injured my left leg, I would struggle a lot to even get into our home,” he says.

In his free time, Randell enjoys spending time with his wife, Abreail, a Navy Nurse, and his stepsons. His main hobby is off-roading with his jeep, and he also likes camping, snowboarding, and working on cars.

When Randell moved to the United States at the age of nine, he settled in Southern California. He is choosing to remain in the state and build his HFOT home there to be close to family, healthcare, and his job.

Randell has seen the difference an HFOT home has made in the lives of his patients, enabling them to return to school, pursue careers, and start families. He is grateful to HFOT supporters for providing his fellow injured Veterans with this gift. “I want you all to know that you are making a difference and improving injured Veterans’ lives.”