Category: General News & Updates

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BoD Announces A Change In Positions & Responsibilities

Run for the Wall

The Board of Directors is announcing a change in positions and responsibilities.

Following the untimely passing of Michael “Wizard” Turner last month, Alan “X-Box” Steiner is taking over the role of Director of Operations. With this change, we are also transferring responsibility for D.C. coordination from the President to the Director of Operations, so that Alan will be responsible for working directly with DC State Coordinator Ed Wehner in Springfield as well as California State Coordinator Carol Olmstead in Ontario.

Additionally, the Director of Operations’ roles and responsibilities are expanding to an enhanced emphasis on safety processes and procedures.

Angie "Den Mother" Holterman

Angie “Den Mother” Holterman is stepping into the role of Director of Merchandise. Angie joined RFTW as an FNG in 2016 and now serves as the Southern Route Ambassador Lead. She has been working closely with Alan as the Merchandise Assistant and is excited to expand her contributions to our Mission.

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Camping in Ontario, CA in May 2026

Run For The Wall 1989 Feature

To All Participants Who Are Interested In Camping In Ontario In May 2026.

Camping at the Elks Lodge is by reservation only. To reserve your space, please contact Carol Olmstead (contact below). Camping spaces are $10 per night and are limited so if you plant to camp at the Elks you should contact Carol ASAP.

Prado Regional Park also offers camping. They are located in Chino, CA about 10 miles from the host hotel.

RFTW is working to identify additional local parks or venues that would agree to allow camping.

Camping in the parking area of the Holiday Inn Ontario Airport (host hotel) is NOT allowed.

Carol Olmstead
RFTW CA Coordinator
(805) 368-7586
carollolmstead@ymail.com

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New Director of Purchasing Announcement

Rob Giddens

The Run for the Wall Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Rob “X-Ceeds” Giddens is our new Director of Purchasing.

Rob retired from the USAF after 20 years and 10 months of service and has ridden Southern Route since 2008. A veteran of Operations DESERT STORM, SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM, and IRAQI FREEDOM, Rob brings a wealth of logistics experience to the Board.

Welcome X-Ceeds!

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Indian Chief Motorcycle Giveaway!

M25 Indian Motorcycle Give Away

Mission M25 and Run for the Wall are celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States military by giving one lucky VETERAN a customized Indian Chief motorcycle!

Mission M25 is proud to officially partner with Run For The Wall for a one-of-a-kind Motorcycle Giveaway to honor the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

To celebrate this historic milestone, we are giving away a custom-painted Indian Motorcycle to a military veteran who has served our great nation with honor and courage.

This collaboration brings together two veteran-focused organizations with a shared mission:

  • Mission M25: Serving as chaplains, hydration teams, and support riders during the annual Run For The Wall ride for over 20 years.
  • Run For The Wall: A cross-country motorcycle ride that promotes healing, honors POW/MIA and KIA veterans, and raises awareness for those who served.

This giveaway is a tribute to the brave men and women who have defended our freedoms for 250 years.

Giveaway Rules:

  • Eligibility: You must be a United States Veteran.
  • You must have registered and completed at least one leg of Run For The Wall in the past.
  • You must be located in the lower 48 states for Mission M25 to deliver it to you.
  • Registration: You may register once per day until midnight, November 10th.
  • Winner will be announced on Veterans Day 2025. Mission M25s goal is to deliver the bike to the winner in person in a timely manner after the winner is announced.
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Merchandise Product Updates & News

I want to update everyone on the new products that I’ve been waiting on from our suppliers so that I’m able to ship your orders.

For those of you that have pending orders, thank you very much and I appreciate your patience as these items ramp up and get through production. The new Run shirt will begin shipping out Tuesday, 9/30 so for those of you that have a shirt on order, you can expect to see them later next week. That hat is about another week after that so orders that have both will ship when the hat is ready. Finally, I received the new challenge coins from the supplier but there is an error in the version I received so these have to be redone. Production has started but likely 2-3 weeks out. So, for anyone with orders that include the new 2026 challenge coin, unfortunately it will be towards the middle of October before your shipment is sent. I apologize to all of you for any inconvenience but I want to be sure that you are receiving the best quality and that the products are meeting the specifications.

In addition to the above product updates, I want to let you know that Angie “Den Mother” Holterman is taking on more responsibility within merchandise. She is now responsible for all orders and shipments. I will be leaving out of country on Wednesday, 10/1 for the month of October, so Angie will be your primary point of contact during this time. You can reach Angie directly at angie.denmother.holterman@rftw.us.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me at merchandise@rftw.us or Angie. Again, thank you for your continued support and patience.

Sincerely,
Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

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R.I.P. Michael “Wizard” Turner

Michael Turner

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Michael “Wizard” Turner’s passing. Mike, a longtime supporter of RFTW and a member of the Board of Directors, was traveling with his wife Linda to the annual Texas Riders Reunion in Kerrville when he was lost in an unfortunate motorcycle mishap.

Details are limited, but it appears Wizard died from injuries sustained in the crash. His wife, Linda, remains hospitalized in Austin, TX receiving care for her serious injuries.

We ask that you keep Wizard, his wife Linda, along with friends and family, in your thoughts and prayers.

We are in touch with the family and will share more information as it becomes available.

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2026 Merchandise Announcements

Registration opens tomorrow for the 36th annual Run For the Wall in 2026!  While you are registering, take a few minutes to check out the new stuff that will be available in the store.

There are several new products that recognize the 35th anniversary to the end of the Gulf War. The Gulf War was between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States and carried out in two phases: Operation Desert Shield from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm that began January 17, 1991 and ended with the liberation of Kuwait on 28 February 1991. Run For The Wall 2026 is the year we remember those that served and sacrificed to protect American interests in the region.

To commemorate the anniversary, there is a new Run shirt, pin, challenge coin, patch, sticker and wristband with special graphics and wording. In addition, there will be a new hat and updated All The Way, Participant, Wall 2 Wall patches. You can click on any image to enlarge.

This year’s Run shirt will again be offered in a long sleeve, crew neck, performance material for both men and women but in a sand color. The artwork will be on the front and left sleeve with no graphics on the back or right sleeve this year. Finally, the women’s is a contoured fit.

All these products will be available for sale tomorrow however there are a few that will have a delay in shipping. These include the new shirt, hat and poker chip. You can expect these products to ship in the first week of October. The commemorative patch and sticker will be shipping in two weeks. Everything else is available now. To keep costs down, orders with delayed shipments (except shirts and hats) will be held until it can be completely fulfilled. Since shirts and hats ship from a different supplier, orders with these items will not be held.

Now, some non-product news. I am looking for a driver and sales help to support the Central Route as well as a driver for Southern Route. Drivers must have a truck or SUV capable of pulling 6,000 lb loaded dual axle trailer so the recommend towing capacity should be 8,000 lbs minimum. If you are interested, please contact me for details and perks that come along with being a driver.

Lastly, I do need to inform you that some products are impacted by tariffs this year. While I’ve done my best to not increase prices, you’ll see small increases on a few products. Unfortunately, as a nonprofit organization, we can only absorb so much of these costs however, I assure you that everything has been done to minimize the impact.

Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions, comments and feedback. You can reach me at merchandise@rftw.us.

Is it May yet?

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

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Issue with Online Store

The online store is currently facing a technical issue for anyone trying to add product(s) to the cart. I’m working through this and will update you on when this is resolved.

I appreciate your patience as we continue the integration with the new eCommerce platform.

Best regards,
Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us

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Online Store Transition to Square

Beginning September 1, 2025, the online store will transition to Square for all merchandise purchases. This change will add new payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and others as well as provide deeper integration with the Point-of-Sale systems that are used in the trailers during the Run. By doing this, it will improve the efficiency when preparing merchandise for the Run each year since the inventory and products will already be integrated into the same system. While everything is being done to ensure a smooth transition, I do expect that there may be issues and ask for your patience and understanding. If anything comes up, please let me know by sending an email to merchandise@rftw.us. I will do my best to address issues within a 24 hour period and if I can’t, I’ll let you know.

Also, look for new 2026 stuff coming your way for opening day of 2026 registration on September 11. As we recognize the 35th year to the end of the Gulf War, there will be new limited editions of a challenge coin, patch and other items. I will send out additional details in a future communication as we get closer to registration opening.

Thank you everyone for your continued support of Run For the Wall. Is it May yet?

Best regards,

Alan “Xbox” Steiner
Director of Merchandise
Run For The Wall
https://rftw.us