Author: wpengine

RFTW 2020 Sitreps, virtual

Day 7, May 19, 2020 — Meridian, MS, to Chattanooga, TN, 317 miles

The mornings are coming even earlier, 4:10 am (a little earlier than I needed to) today because I went on an outreach.  It would be heart wrenching.

I left about 5:25 a.m. headed for the hotel where I’d meet up for the Outreach ride. Yep. Wrong way again and I was using my phone GPS. Got to ride a little bit of rural Meridian. Pretty but not really where I wanted to be at 5:30 in the morning.

However, I arrived safely and early.  I pulled up. Then I was told to move up a little bit. I heard this “clunk” when my helmet hit the ground.  The light went on … one of the rules is helmets on all the time … even if you’re in a parking lot moving your bike 2 inches or in a state that has no helmet law, you must have on your helmet. I did my faux pas right in front of the Route Coordinator.

We had our briefing. We were going to Dalton, GA, to visit Jo Anne, the sister of Bobby Jones who is MIA. We would have lunch at her and her husband’s home and then go to a nursing home to visit her 102-1/2 year old mother.

We would be all day on this ride so I was excited to get away from the larger pack and get a break. Some folks aren’t the best riders. That’s another story.  We were 15 bikes strong with four women riding their own, a great percentage.

We were given green pins and bracelets as green is the color of hope. And then we were off.

The morning was cool, foggy and muggy. But we rode well together. And it only got better as we went throughout the day.

At our first gas stop for some reason neither of my credit cards would work. A guy named Polar Bear bailed me out. I had cash. All was well.

About 20 miles from Dalton five bikes went into a missing man formation. Three bikes ride in the left track. Two bikes ride in the right track but with a space in between the Number One and Three bikes, for the missing man. They ride side-by-side. It’s a beautiful sight and has a lot of meaning.

We arrived at Jo Anne and Rudy’s house. She opens it up every year for this visit and provided a wonderful lunch. Their home is beautiful with lots of wallpaper and antiques.

Jo Anne told us about Bobby. He grew up in Macon and did a medical internship in Dallas.  He joined the Air Force in 1972 and was stationed in Thailand when a mom brought her baby in. He took that child in his arms and wouldn’t let go. It was very sick and Bobby was able to get it on a plane to get needed medical help and pretty much saved that child’s life with his decision.

In November 1972 he was on a plane flying supplies into DaNang. About 2 miles out they were lost on the radar. The thought is that the plane clipped the top of a mountain there.

Jo Anne’s been to Washington asking for accountability and representing the families for the 1,589 that are still missing.  She’s also made multiple trips to Southeast Asia. She kept saying she was just a housewife from Georgia. But she’s a strong and persistent woman. And a personable one with that southern charm and a beautiful smile.

She told us there have been excavations of the mountain over the years but they really didn’t find much.  The soil is so acidic that there isn’t much time left to find anything where DNA would be recognizable. So the message needs to get to those who can make it happen. Get it done.

On one excavation they found a blood chit. It’s a piece of silk fabric, about 2×3, from a flight suit. It’s sewn in with the person’s number in multiple languages saying what country he’s from. This one was quite faded but eventually proved to be Bobby’s. Jo Anne thinks the chit was placed in an area where someone would find it as it was in a pretty obvious place.  She’s happy to have it as she said it may be the only thing she ever has. As she said there are mass graves for many we’ll never get back. But with some, we will get them home.

We went from there to the nursing home to meet Christine. She’s told Jo Anne she’s ready to bust out of that place. She’s quite the lady, unique and charming, and all dressed up and ready to meet all of us and let us have photo ops. What a lovely lady. She also likes men’s beards.

We went inside and did a group photo and met some of the other residents. I gave Christine a RFTW 2019 painted rock.

From there it was about a half hour to White Lightning HD for dinner then to the hotel. Four states today … MS, AL, GA, TN. There’s never enough time. Long days and evenings. But so worth it. And so many things and people to be thankful for.  Everyone has been so amazing that you are filled with the wonder of love and patriotism.  Your heart bursts to be a part of something so big, so honorable, so worthwhile.

On a side note, I have found it interesting to be on a run that is mostly men. I’m the only female in our platoon but I’m doing well other than when I couldn’t get the bike off the kickstand yesterday. Everyone has been helpful and friendly and I believe I’ve made friends with folks here who will be friends whether or not I come again. An added benefit of fewer women is that the lines to the ladies rooms are always very short, if there’s one at all. It’s great being a female in a man’s world on this run.

Another side note — three people dropped their bikes on our ride today. Best part is that none of them was me. 😊  Yet.  (But if you don’t ride you probably don’t drop them.  And we ride!!!)

“For those who have fought for it – freedom has a special flavor the protected will never know.”  Soldier Unknown

Peppermint Patti

Day 6, May 18, 2020 — Monroe, LA, to Meridian, MS, 227 miles

It was muggy and overcast this morning but warm.  I went to the meeting site myself as Joe (my friend and his who I was traveling with)was going on an outreach mission. I got the right exit. As usual, I took the wrong side road and ended up back on the Interstate. Four miles down the road I was able to exit and get back going the other way to the right exit. Again. 😊 I took the right frontage road this time and arrived w time to spare. 90 mph (whoops) and most cars were getting out of my way. Was it because their police bikes here look the same as the one I ride?

We got on the road after our briefings and memorial story and traveled to a war memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam site at the Monroe City Hall. I got a front seat for this one. There was another bagpiper and he was dressed pretty fancy.

Near the Louisiana / Mississippi border we had helicopter support. Once we crossed over we had three helicopters for support, flying back and forth over the line of bikes for more than a hundred miles. Nearly every overpass had people on them or near them with flags. The perfect photo was an overpass lined with people and fire trucks with a helicopter flying by on each side. Wow.

There were two overpasses that were absolutely mind-boggling. One had people lined across the top.  In the grass that goes down from the overpass to the highway, there were flags put into the ground and in the middle flew a POW / MIA flag. It was so nice.

But the best one was an overpass with a man on what may have been a Palomino horse. He was wearing a cowboy hat and flying a big flag. The horse wasn’t that into the bikes but his rider held him under control. WOW!!!  It was so nice. How could you not experience some emotion seeing what we saw on the ride today.

When we arrived at Harley-Davidson of Jackson shop we were greeted by men and women in period costumes. Very cool.  We had a nice lunch and there were service men honored for their service … all branches, POWs.  Their names were announced, a bell gonged and their branch of the service music played. It was awesome.

At this HD shop there’s something called The Trail of Tears. Verlie and I rode a golf cart and took a quick tour. It’s set up by centuries and depicts wars. Wish we could have stayed several hours and walked through. There were guns you could shoot, cannons. It was a really neat place set up on 11 acres.  The Vietnam Traveling Wall was also there.

We arrived in Meridian and once again were treated so very well. Barbecue and Mac and cheese. Tasted great. I met some new folks again since I couldn’t find Joe and Verlie and I was hungry.

So much goes into this run. And so many people help. I don’t know that any of us realize the work and the donations. Our gas was paid for today. We’ve had three meals a day plus snacks and drinks. There were six pallets of Nestle water donated that arrived from Florida. And some folks come from Florida to do your laundry. Tonight they gathered your dirty clothes and you’ll get it back in the morning.

We had some pretty interesting situations today. First the fuel stop parking lot that had big holes and then the parking at the Jackson HD shop. We were parked on angles. I couldn’t get my kickstand down due to the slant. One of the guys said they’d get me out and later when it was time to leave someone just backed it up for me so it was level. Another lady had her husband do the same for her. Then she backed up a little toward the curb and fell over. That’s three I’ve seen so far. Knock on wood, none have been me. Yet!!

But we made it. Another day and a safe arrival to our dinner at the Lauderdale County Agriculture Center in Meridian.  The south has such wonderful hospitality and people that warm your heart.

“When one American is not worth the effort to be found, we as Americans have lost.”  Unknown

Peppermint Patti

Day 5, May 17, 2020 — Grand Prairie, TX, to Monroe, LA, 327 miles

We got an extra half-hour of sleep so we didn’t have to get up til 5:30 this morning. When you’re exhausted it gets more difficult. I don’t like mornings anyway. I can’t even imagine how our leaders handle it. I know there are some getting only a few hours sleep a night. Yet it’s somehow made better by little things …  like a child and her family coloring on the concrete. A dog fix.

The gentleman whose trike was on the trailer with my bike sent me a photo of a fire truck on an overpass. There’ve been so many fire trucks with their booms up and flags.  Today there have been so many overpasses with people, fire trucks … some have been packed all the way across the four lanes, spreading onto the road on either side. People are standing along the roads waving flags. Cars have stopped and people get out and stand at attention and salute. Police stand and salute as they block interstates and ramps. I cannot help it and guess I should just let the tears come.  This mission is so much more than a ride. So very much more.

Our leader talked about when he received an epiphany for why he does this ride. I heard him. And it happened to me.

The story this morning was about a KIA/MIA. The young lady spoke of her father. They finally found and received artifacts of his but not his remains.  She’s traveled to near where they believe he was but couldn’t get to him due to weather and road conditions. It broke her heart. It broke mine to hear her. Even after so much time has passed it still hurts these folks. They have no remains, no closure.

People wear bracelets for those who haven’t come home yet. But occasionally you hear a story about someone who has … those are successes.  Those MIA/POWs are a reason to ride and why RFTW was founded.  We can make a difference doing what we’re doing.  We ride for those who can’t. More than three miles of bikes now … together we ride. And we’re going all the way … telling the story, raising awareness and working to get everyone home.

We ride for them. Bring them home. We send billions to other countries. Many of them hate us. Yet we can’t afford to bring them home. I know where my parent’s cremains are. Many know where their folks and other family and friends are buried. We need to bring those MIA/POWs home so their families can have the same closure we do.

Today there were no ceremonies. No wreath-laying. But there’s plenty to see and think about.

We had lunch in Longview, Texas. Everyone has treated us well. Food at every stop. Goodies. I met a gentleman named Ramie and his wife Marolyn. They’ve been married 49 years. He’s a Vietnam Vet, Army. We spoke for quite a while and he came to sit with me for lunch. He told me a few stories (not so pretty but he felt safe to share with me) and he and his wife touched my heart. I gave him a RFTW 2019 painted rock. We’ve met some wonderful people.

They had pieces of paper with names on them for us so we could ride for others who cannot ride. I picked up one for a Marine from Texas.  I do these things because of my Marine. One of the reasons I’m doing this ride is for him. I think he knows that. I hope he knows that.

We just rode today and ended up in Monroe, Louisiana.  We arrived an hour earlier than we’ve been arriving so maybe there’ll be a longer night’s sleep for us. Our ceremony at the Shriner’s Hall dinner was A Missing Man Table.  It was so nicely done.

We had nine FNGs join us today.  I now understand how the old timers felt about us when we first ride with the groups. 😊. Lots of brake lights. Spacing issues. Kind of funny.

It was a good day. We’re halfway there now. Things are a bit more comfortable. Our Platoon Leader lets us know at the end of the day what we’ve done well and where we can improve. He said we did well today. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”  President Abraham Lincoln

Peppermint Patti

Day 3, Las Cruces, NM, to Odessa, TX, 348 miles

I’ve never ridden in such an intense riding situation. There is no lollygagging. There is no looking around. This is a mission and you look front and forward all the time. It’s a close-riding formation with rules for which you may get gigged. It can go from 70 mph to 30 mph in less than a heartbeat and you must gear down, working hard to not hit your brakes. I admit I’ve done it a bit. But a proud moment for me when our Platoon Leader told me I was a good rider.  In a mostly men’s ride, that’s a high compliment indeed.

The only updates I’ve had is we have about 1,700 riders so far, more than last year. Our Southern Route has about 400 bikes and about 45 more are expected to join us in Texas. Yahoo. It’s huge. Logistics must be a nightmare and yet everything appears to run mostly smoothly. When I worked I did one-day events. I’ve worked on three-day Harley Owners Group events. This is TEN days.  I cannot even imagine the work that goes into this. There is a fuel crew, a staging crew, a photographer, our platoon leaders, road guards, chaplains, and so many more. And our leaders are on call 24/7 while we’re on the run. Kudos to all of those who have organized and volunteered to make this happen.

We started at the American Legion this morning and left for a wreath-laying ceremony at Veteran’s Memorial Park. The ceremony took place in front of the Vietnam War Memorial. What a beautiful park. It has a statue of the Bataan Death March. What a sad story. And there are footsteps are in the walkway depicting their footsteps. I did not understand fully what this was last year on my FNG run.  But I’ve been reading books about WWII and came across some of the history of the death march.  How sad.  How awful that men can treat other men so badly.

Our keynote speaker at the Las Cruces Memorial Park this morning was Larry Nichols. Army. He said something that will stay with me as I live with a Vietnam vet, Marine.  He said, “Once a Vietnam veteran, always a Vietnam veteran.”  How true I find that … and now I’m starting to understand more of who the person is that I live with.

We stopped in Van Horne, Texas. We were provided lunch and got to listen to more bagpipes. This run has a love of bagpipes. So do I. Amazing Grace on bagpipes and I was bawling like a baby.

We arrived in Odessa about 6:30. After dinner at the Crossroads Fellowship Church we went to see the Chris Kyle Memorial. He was the Navy Seal, of the American Sniper movie fame.  The statue has notes carved in it from his wife and children. I left a painted rock and discovered many bullets that have been left on the memorial as well.

These towns sure know how to treat people and show us that the American people are way more good than bad, that patriotism is not dead, and that the RFTW means so much to so many.

We finally got to the hotel about 9. These are long days starting with wake up at 5 am or so.

I’ve ridden to Milwaukee multiple times, I’ve done other rallies and rides, Patriot Guard Escorts and parades. This is way more than that, and compares to nothing else I’ve ever done in my years of riding. For those of us who ride HD, there’s the saying that, “If I have to explain it, you wouldn’t understand.”  That is the RFTW.

“We will remember those we loved, who died to keep us free, on foreign shores they fought for us, from sea to shining sea.”

Peppermint Patti

Day 2, Casa Grande, AZ, to Las Cruces, NM, 350 miles

0-dark thirty.  There will be a lot of these days when one is up before sunrise, staging your motorcycle, attending the mandatory meeting at 6:25 a.m.  I’m glad to not be an FNG (Friendly New Guy or Gal?), because they have their mandatory meeting at 6:15 a.m.  We also have our mandatory platoon meeting about 15 minutes before KSU, today at 7:08 a.m.  You wonder how it all can seem to happen so smoothly and precisely.  7:08?  But it does.

We only ran about 49 miles down the road to a Circle K in Marana, AZ, but the early hour allows for some coolness of the air, making for a pleasant ride.  Once again, remember to put up those highway pegs.  The fuelers don’t like getting hit in the shins with them as they’re moving you through the fuel line.

Our first gas stop today was donated.  And they handed out little packets with tissues, sunscreen and chapstick.  That was really a nice touch especially since some have gotten badly burned.  I found out that a certain amount of funds had been paid for the gas, and that a local couple paid for the balance of it.  I had painted RFTW rocks, and gave one to the couple in appreciation.

Marana was a great stop.  A young lady sang a song from The Lion King, Hallelujah.  It was overwhelmingly emotional … those that came home, those that did not.  And the bagpipers … it was awesome.

We continued to our next stop, Willcox, AZ.  We were treated to another lunch provided by the awesome people at the Elks Lodge.  There was a flag line and 150 kids to meet and greet us.  Some had painted posters and it was so uplifting to see these children learning about the RFTW, what it stands for, why we do it.  These children thanked everyone for their service.  I felt like a fraud except that I’m riding for others.  I tried to shake as many of their hands as possible, maybe I got to more than a hundred and I thanked them for being there and for welcoming us into their community.

There have been so many flag lines at gas stops, and people and flags on overpasses.  I get teary each time I see this wonderful display of patriotism and honoring what the RFTW is doing.  My mascara is ruined and I expect it will be every day.

The ride so far has been great as there have been some overcast skies.  There’s been wind also, but if you cut your teeth riding Turnagain Arm in Alaska, this is nothing.  Not even the heavy-duty wind and the dodging of tumbleweeds can stop us.

We ended up at Barnett’s Las Cruces Harley-Davidson for dinner.  The shop was also open for parts and service if necessary.  We are being treated so well by so many, and there’s not enough thanks in this world for what people are doing for the RFTW riders and their support teams.

There was even a fire truck in attendance and it was flying one of the biggest and most awesome U.S. flags I’ve ever seen.  There’ve been a lot of fire trucks and so many American flags.  It makes me happy to see those flags flying proudly.  How could one not be “Proud to be an American!”

While each day there’s always coffee and donuts or breakfast, I’m not a breakfast person.  Coffee is always the first order of the day for me.  Luckily for me, and probably many others, there is always a Hydration Station at each stop.  They have snacks and drinks, and neck snakes.  Neck snakes are those bits of cloth sewn into tubes that have some type of material inside that holds moisture.  They can be life-saving when soaked in water and put around your neck.  The breeze from traveling helps to cool you off some, and in Arizona/New Mexico/Texas sun and heat they’re a vital necessity.  Thank you to those who have staffed the Hydration Station and continually push us to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

You might be wondering who is writing these sitreps?  My name is “Peppermint” Patti Bogan from Anchorage, Alaska. I was born and raised in Alaska and have lived nearly my entire life there.  I’m 73, and started riding motorcycles in 1991 (although I rode a few small ones in the 60s).  I love to ride motorcycles, and own four, including one trike so that I can also ride in the winter.  I also enjoy painting rocks.  I brought some specially painted ones for the run and leave them or give them to people along the run.  It’s a small token, and one that I hope will provide a remembrance.

Peppermint Patti

Author Patti Bogan

Day 1, Ontario, CA to Casa Grande, AZ, 402 miles

Excitement.  The smell of leather, oil and nervousness.  This is the gathering of the motorcycles and support vehicles that will begin the trek from Ontario to Washington, DC.  The mission is:

• to promote healing among all veterans and their families and friends;
• 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.

It’s a weighty mission, and the several-hundred strong running three routes to DC take it seriously.  That’s not to say there’s not some joking and teasing going on.  Humor must be a part of everything we do.  Sometimes survival counts on it.

The first thing every day is our mandatory meeting.  While the one in Ontario is the longest and most intense, we will continue to be reminded of some of these items every day … no joining the run on the fly, no alcohol or drugs during the riding day, where to put your bike ID for the run on your bike, no riding and constantly hitting your brakes, gas stops.  Gas stops are important … no change is given, road pegs up and you only pump til the pump shuts off.  Even some of the hand signals are different than what some are used to.  This isn’t a military run, but it’s operated that way.  We’ll ride in platoons, some staggered riding style, some side-by-side riding style.

It’s no wonder there’s a little apprehension about whether or not you’ll manage to not bring a bit of embarrassment to yourself.

It’s an emotional morning … the bikes are being staged.  Memorials can be memories of downed helicopters, some who were left behind … memories that bring tears not only to me but to those around me … men, women, children.  Some of the best memories of this day include a mounted honor guard … palomino horses, the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of our National Anthem.  If one had any doubt of the seriousness, the patriotic tone, the honor of being a part of this, it flies out of your mind.

The gas stops were a trip, remembering to get your highway pegs up, being pointed in one direction or another to a pump, and then flagged out to go line up with your platoon.  We’d heard many of the gas stops are paid for.  Wow!  I was told each gas stop is about $2,500.  That’s not chump change.

The Colorado River Fairgrounds offered up our lunch after we fueled our iron horses.  Food is provided and we’re treated like royalty, when in reality, those who are being so kind and hosting us, are the ones who deserve all the credit.  We rode in as though in a parade, about 350 strong for the Southern Route.  We paraded through town … so many folks were out with flags and signs, wanting high fives (beware as they could throw you off your riding), salutes.  This was huge, and only our first day.  I’m so proud and honored to be a part of this.

At lunch there was a missing person table ceremony where we all toasted the missing and those who will never come home.  That’s one of the reasons we ride – for those who can’t.

At each stop we have had a blessing and something special such as someone speaking about what happened on this day during Vietnam. How can one not be drawn to this ride, to these people who are needing us to ride for them, to advocate for them.  This is patriotism at its best.  And I’ve heard it gets even better once we cross the Mississippi.

As we rode our ride, platoon after platoon, we saw overpasses filled with fire trucks and their personnel dressed in firefighter gear, flags, people, kids.  It’s like a holiday, except better.  Everyone is waving and hollering.  It’s only Day 1 and I cannot express the feelings you get when you see and hear the people thanking veterans, those who have served and those of us who are merely riding for those who can’t.

Dinner at the Casa Grande Elk’s Lodge was a wonderful finish to a great, hard and hot day of riding.  The people who provide for us go above and beyond to be sure we’re well fed.  Thank you so much to all of the wonderful people who have helped sustain and even entertain us this day.