Category: Midway Route SitReps

Day 8 – Wednesday May 24 – Asheville, NC to Fayetteville, NC

Only one more full day of riding after today and tomorrow is not that long at that, only 250 miles. Tomorrow however, we do some fantastic stuff but I ain’t telling what. You can either experience it for yourself or wait until I write about it tomorrow night. After tomorrow only a half day on Friday, day 10 and we will be at the hotel in Arlington.

We left Asheville under LEO escort. The radar report said it would be clear in Fayetteville until the afternoon anyway so I left my rain gear off. Although it looked threatening, it didn’t rain. A little fog is all. Today would end up being another short riding day, but the events today made it one of the best days of the trip. I guess that could be said about every day, but today really was exceptional. We headed to Siler City to visit the Pentecostal Holiness Church. After a “fuel-n-go” stop, we headed off individually to the church. Our visit was even better than last year if that is possible. Many people were on the road and on the grounds to welcome us. The Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Club was there to greet us again. There were three serving lines awaiting. The lunch however was just the same ole thing. Just the same ole grilled rib-eye steak with potatoes, green beans and rolls, then for dessert homemade peach cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream. Yeah, just the same ole thing. Yeah right. I love Siler City. We love Siler City. While we were eating, a former POW spoke to us for a while about his experiences which helped us appreciate our quality of life a little more I hope. I can’t imagine the horrors POWs endure.

We were asked to pick up handmade cards done by the children from on elementary school in Siler City. After lunch was over, I went back to the serving line and found many cards still there, so I grabbed about 30 of them. I’d like to quote a few for you.
One says, “Thank you for your service”.
Another, “Thank you for serving our country”.
More say, “Thank you for your bravery, loyalty and courage. We can’t thank you enough”.
“Thank you for your service. We are the land of the free because of the brave”.
“Thank you so much hero”. from Calvin Conroy
“To you who has put his life on the line in defense of our flag, thank you”.
“Thank you for keeping us safe”.
“This card is not enough to show my gratitude for what you’ve done, but it’s a start”.
“Thanks for your service, for your help when they tell you to go to save our country you don’t think about it, you just do it, so thank you”.

Some very nice sentiments from some very small children. I will leave all of these at the wall. Then there is this one. This one stays with me, so I can read it again and share it again and read it some more.

Dear Veterans,
I would like to take this time to thank you. I want to thank you for fighting and defending our country. You left your families and risked your lives for our freedom. For that I am extremely grateful. You made it your responsibility and your priority to help, protect and defend our country. You’ve done your part and I deeply, deeply appreciate your work, effort and service. This is my way of showing my gratitude. Although it isn’t much compared to what you’ve sacrificed, my thank you truly does come from the heart. It’s because of your bravery that we are allowed to live so freely and for that, I want to say thank you. Sincerely, Jamia Walden

P.S. “The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment”. – Judd Gregg

P.P.S “On this Veteran’s Day, let us remember the service of our veterans and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free”. – Dan Lipinski

I hope these quotes touched you anything like they have touched me. The last one got me good. The printing was immaculate. It was carefully decorated with the American Flag on the front. The sentiment as profound as they come. Thank you Jamia. I love you.

After lunch we departed the church and paraded through downtown Siler City. Then we drove through the school parking lot and were greeted by a hundred kids or more. I think if I were to move somewhere it would be to Siler City, NC or maybe Cookeville, TN. The people of Cookeville are about as American as they come. Well, Fayetteville is that way too. Geez, I don’t know there so many great towns with such great people. How can anyone decide which is best? It’s impossible. One thing is for sure and that is we will be back next year to see these places and visit these wonderful people again.

We had two sponsored fuel stops today thanks to our anonymous benevolent donor. By the way, my platoon would like to thank you. I’m sure the entire Run For The Wall company would like to thank you as well, but I’m also sure you know already how much your gift is appreciated and how much we all love you for it.

Our next stop Fayetteville NC. From here all the way to downtown Fayetteville we had a police escort and they blocked highway roads and streets for us our entire trip into town. We pulled into the parking area of the Airborne and Special Forces Museum. We were there for a very important event by several accounts. First is the Field of Honor. Every flag honors someone from North Carolina who is currently serving, those who have served, and the men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation’s security and freedom. There’s also a memorial for service dogs and some impressive statues of General Henry Hugh Shelton and Iron Mike honoring airborne troopers. Inside the museum there are several displays, one of which displays the actual events of the Mogadishu attack on a Black Hawk Helicopter for which the movie Black Hawk Down was created. There are other exhibits and a theater. We were all invited into the theater. A program was available and there were several invited guests. The company of Buffalo Soldiers was there and they escorted Mayor Nat Robertson from Siler City. There were a couple former POWs being honored one from World War II, F. Paul Dallas, and one from the Korean War, William J. Richardson. Paul Dallas spoke to us. What a story. The program included a biography of the experiences of these men and other POWs, while they were in captivity. Of these servicemen, several spent many years as prisoners from one to 5 years. Their stories are horrific. The suffering they endured unconscionable, the pain and loss they lived immeasurable, their character unconquerable. These are men that were determined to live and have to their last breath. They endured with the hope of someday being released. Their stories are incredible.

Rick McDowell (Hawk) was the organizer and MC for this presentation. There were several speakers and ceremony including colors, the National Anthem, invocation, benediction and awards presentation.

Following our visit to the Airborne and Spec Ops Museum, we were permitted time to browse through the museum then we headed to dinner at the Destiny Now Church. An excellent meal was provided followed by presentations from Hawk, Bandit and Top. Bandit asked our chaplain leader to pray for us. Next he said what he has been saying every day “and I’ll say it again. We couldn’t do this without you and your help”. Then he said, “What do we tell these people that served us this great meal”? We all said “THANK YOU”!

Hawk called Diesel and he held up the mic to his cell phone so we could all hear Diesel’s voice. Diesel said he had surgery that morning on his hand and he was feeling better now. He also said he wished he could be here with us and he enjoyed the last couple days he spent with us. We love you Diesel. Each of the organizations of Run For The Wall received their certificates and patches and Team Leaders received plaques. Curly said something that I thought was profound regarding the traditional turning over of FNG pins. Some people do it at the presentation meeting and that’s okay. Other’s do it at the hotel when they arrive day 10 and that’s okay. Curly said that we don’t do Run For The Hotel, we do Run For The Wall and his way of thinking is that the mission is not complete until we arrive at The Wall. Many if not all agreed. My way of thinking is this. FNG pins should be turned by someone after you complete walking The Wall like Curly said. To me however, the mission is not complete after we walk The Wall, but when we arrive home safely in the arms of our loved ones. That’s just my opinion.
Since this year’s Run was being spearheaded by Bandit, Bandit will be the Route Coordinator with Glen Waggoner and his assistant in 2018. You know what that year is right? You guessed it, Run For The Wall’s 30 year anniversary.

*Number of names on The Wall for North Carolina (1613) for Fayetteville, NC (84)*

Day 8 is in the books.

We Ride For Those That Can’t

Tom “Twotone” Lystrup – Platoon 6 Leader / SitRep Writer / lystruptf@gmail.com
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Day 7 Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Wow this mission is going by fast. Only three days left and the last day is only a half day for the Midway Route. The last day we have less than 100 miles to ride, then a visit to the USMC Museum in Quantico and then on to the hotel. That’s it. I can’t believe we’ve been waiting for so long for our anticipated event for to be over so quick. It’s like waiting in line for an hour or more to ride Peter Pan at Disneyland because your children just have to and you finally climb in your flying gondola, then in three minutes you’re climbing off. Your children are happy and that’s what matters. This ride, this mission just feels like it’s flying by like we were on a Peter Pan gondola. Way too soon it will be over.

Today was a great day for a motorcycle ride. We rode with rain gear on all day, and it rained most of the day, but it was still a great day for a ride. Everyone knows that if you wear or even pack rain gear it won’t rain, but today was the exception. Still we all made it to our destination in one piece and had a great time doing it.

It started with the usual stuff, including the reading of a bio of a fallen hero. These bios were carefully chosen. Diesel requested that certain ones be selected, bios that concerned individuals who were lost or recovered on a date during Run For The Wall. Each one read takes us older veterans and non-veterans back to a time we remember too well and for some a time they still wish they could forget. However, it’s a time to reflect on the life of one that paid with his or her life in service to their country to protect and preserve our freedom and our liberty and we thank God for their service and their sacrifice. This is why we ride.
Mr. Patriot (Michael Hill) was on hand to see us off and he brought some friends. Michael thanked us for coming and honoring him, he blessed us to ride safely and bid us farewell until next year. The mayor of Cookeville also gave us a few words of thanks and encouragement on our journey.

We are riding to Ashville, NC today. Our final venue is Ashville Harley Davidson for dinner. Although our start was delayed because of an accident on the interstate, we soon set off and were uninterrupted throughout the day. As we entered the interstate, the beautiful country beckoned our eyes to look, but we could not. The greenery everywhere, the hills, the canyons we rode through, all were wonderful to see and marvel at but only by passengers. What we saw was the tail end or back side of the rider in front of us. The same view, we’ve had for more than 2000 miles. I think I got that image engraved in my skull. Anyway, the ride today had many sweeping, ascending and descending turns and a few tunnels and lots of traffic. I keep thinking about an eighteen-wheeler passing me on the left just a few feet from hitting me. We can’t always be looking in our mirrors, but sometimes you need to if you want to avoid someone that’s driving too close to the zipper. It happens.

We headed to our first stop which was Knoxville and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial for lunch. There were a few words from local dignitaries and then a prayer from our chaplain corps. Afterward, a Wreath Laying ceremony commenced followed by cheers and applause. Lunch was served and we enjoyed the Veterans Memorial. I have a few Medal of Honor coins from this memorial already, but I had to have the new coin created for the latest Knoxville Medal of Honor “recipient” (you don’t say “winner” you know) and it ain’t the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s the Medal of Honor which happens to be awarded by Congress. I learned that from Gene Goldware at the Medal of Honor Memorial at Riverside National Cemetery and you can bet he knows.

Our next stop was the Citgo station where I figured Hawk (AKA Rick McDowell) would be waiting for us and he was. We haven’t seen him for a year, so the first half hour or so was mostly hugs and pictures. Hawk is a lovable guy and no one is more dedicated to Run For The Wall than he is. He is the North Carolina State Coordinator and he is responsible for the multitude of Fire Engines we will see on overpasses throughout North Carolina. (Tomorrow in Fayetteville we will have a very special event he coordinates at the Airborne Special Operations Museum).
Before long we arrived at the Asheville Harley Davidson shop, all in one piece. It didn’t take long partly because we lost an hour when we entered North Carolina. Now we are on Eastern Time. Our excellent Staging Crew got us parked at the Harley shop so we could each get out when we wanted to. Well, some of us anyway. There was a band playing and the smell of barbecue in the air. What a great event. Dinner was excellent and the band was great. They played a couple of my favorite Merle songs. There was also singing of the National Anthem and Presentation of Colors by the Owen High School JROTC. After dinner, Bandit said to all present like he has at most of our meal stops, “What do we say to all these people that fed us?” We answer in unison “THANK YOU”.

Soon it was time for presentations. Several plaques and certificates were handed out. One of the representatives from the VA Hospital spoke some words of welcome and appreciation. Her name is Cynthia Breyfogle and she is the director of the VA Center. A few of the patients that live at the center were on hand. The mic was handed to Staff Sergeant Wayne Carringer, POW, and Bataan Death March survivor now 96 years old. He read a story about his experience and the many lessons he learned about life. He said, “Always be thankful for every meal you receive because you never know if you’ll have one tomorrow. Always be kind and loving to your friends, because you never know if you will see them again”. One last thing he talked about was avoid doing things that you will regret in the future. Thinking back on things we said in anger or hard times we gave to someone will cause us pain in the future when we reflect back on them. I thought the wisdom this elderly gentleman has gained over the years of his life and the unique and traumatic experiences he endured were of particular importance to helping me find happiness in my life, if I’ll remember his words and make them a part of my life.

Last year I reported that I passed Les Williams with a guy on the back of his trike. It was Staff Sgt Carringer and Les was driving him back to the hospital. I wonder if he got a similar ride today.

** Number of names on The Wall for North Carolina (1613) for Ashville, NC (36) **

Day 7 is in the books.

We Ride For Those That Can’t

Tom “Twotone” Lystrup – Platoon 6 Leader / SitRep Writer / lystruptf@gmail.com
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Day 6 Monday May 22, 2017

According to my GPS we finished today with a little over 2000 miles. We are now in Cookeville, TN. Today started out a little different. It had all the usual activities, breakfast, mandatory meeting, drawings and bios (I don’t know about you but Denise reads these things in a way that tears me up). After that, I took a minute to explain to our group that since I had been writing these SitReps a young man in Cookeville, TN had been reading them and following along with us and we’d be seeing him at our dinner venue in Cookeville. I explained to everyone that Michael was deaf and that I thought it would be nice for everyone to say hi to Michael “Mr Patriot” Hill (he’s called that because he dresses up in red, white and blue). I was going to show everyone how to sign “Hi” but simply said I think I know the sign for “hi”, but I’d like Talking Hands to come up and teach it to everyone. So she did. She said it’s really difficult, so pay close attention. Then she said “first, look them in the eye, then with your hand open, placing your forefinger up to your temple you extend it out, like this and she showed everyone and said “hi”. It was so easy everyone laughed. Then she had us practice it a little. It was really funny, but we all learned. I’ll tell you later how it all turned out in Cookeville with Michael.

(I wrote this last year, but it’s too good to omit). Many individuals on the Run have painful memories that they hope to find answers to or at least relief from by associating with friends that share common stories and common pain and know some of the dark places we sometimes fall victim to. A friend of mine had such an experience while on the Run. I could tell he was troubled. I waited a moment and then walked over to him and hugged him for a while. The emotions were thick. The pain is still there after many years, but Run For The Wall has become his reason to cope with the pain and he is doing the best he can with it. Others are suffering with pain and demons of their own. There’s no way we can tell how deep this pain goes or how tight a grip these demons have on them. All we can do is comfort them as they struggle to get through their battles with them. (This friend of mine could not be here this year. He really wanted to. He assured me he would come next year however).

Getting through Memphis was a challenge, but we cleared it with expert Road Guard service. We have in our hearts a warm place for these brave men and women to risk their lives to help keep us safe on the Run.

We stopped in Brownsville for another sponsored fuel stop, and headed to Dickson for lunch at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Last year we had Nachos, this year it was grilled dogs and all the fixins. Here in the south that is a word. They also had many deserts like last year, but I kept looking until I found the peach cobbler, because I remembered it from last year. There it was and it still tasted the same. So the same person must have made it or maybe they had enough left over from last year and they just set it out again. I don’t care which. It was excellent.

Getting through Nashville was a real nightmare. My platoon got separated by cars and trucks wanting to get from Lane 1 to Lane 3 or from 3 to 1 or were too confused to just pick something. After a little while I had lost sight of them. With us separated, platoons in the rear were separated as well. It took several miles for all of us to catch up again. When we got to our fuel stop several of us were rattled but we had made it. A few I talked with actually enjoyed the excitement of having to catch up with the pack again. I love these riders.

We made our way to our final stop at Cookeville. On the way into town, I heard a rider say “FNGs are you ready for this”. It is a “must be there” kind of experience. It is the Run For The Wall feeling that each of us thrive on, a personal feeling of welcome, of belonging, of love and appreciation for someone none of them know except as veterans. The welcome was indescribable as in past years. Police directed us through town. People and groups lined the streets with flags waving and cheering all the way to the Leslie Town Center. I’m sure there were a thousand or more people on the streets welcoming us. What an amazing sight. Two years ago a huge rainstorm had rolled through just before we arrived. We were soaked and so were many of the towns people, but I remember they were still out there to greet us rain or no.

(Now the rest of the story and no I ain’t Paul Harvey). As we were riding to the Leslie Town Center, I saw Michael (Mr. Patriot) in the middle of the street waving a flag. Earlier he texted me that I couldn’t miss him and he was right. I rode right up to him. He knew it was me and gave me a big hug right there in the middle of the intersection. We all parked and made our way inside. We were greeted by everyone including the Mayor and several dignitaries. Inside there were tables set with Red, White, and Blue table cloths. We found our way to tables and had a great meal quickly followed by a prayer from our Chaplain giving thanks to God for our safe travels of the day and the meal we were about to enjoy. When I saw Michael inside, the unusualness began. A day earlier I had asked High Maintenance (Denise), our Ambassador Team Leader if she had another hat and she said she had one left. I asked if she could present the hat to Michael when we got to Cookeville and she said she would. When Michael came over, Denise and Talking Hands (Laurie) were there with me. I signed “hi” to Michael and introduced Denise and Talking Hands. I presented him with a RFTW challenge coin and Denise presented him with an Ambassador hat. He got all emotional as you might imagine. Then I got everyone’s attention and introduced them to Michael and asked them to say “hi” to Michael so everyone signed “hi” to Michael. Then I told them that deaf people could not hear applause so I asked them if they knew the sign for applause and a few did. So I said, “let’s give Michael a round of applause” and everyone signed applause by waving their hands in the air. Again he was overwhelmed. Later Bandit had one of the Cookeville dignitaries lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and after that the National Anthem. We all stood and saluted while Michael signed the National Anthem. It was beautiful. He did a marvelous job. You could cut the emotions with a knife. They ran thick for all of us. I told Michael I would keep in touch with him. Michael texted a picture to me of himself up at the big cross that overlooks Cookeville near the interstate. He also texted me the following: “Man, I was overwhelmed. Thank you so much. I’ll always carry the coin you gave me and the hat. I’m now part of the family and being an ambassador of the RFTW Midway! Mayor Shelton gave me a big thumbs up. I guess I’m the face of Cookeville for RFTW Midway”. Yes you are Michael. Welcome to the RFTW family. Bandit has been saying every day since we started that we are all family and today that number grew by one.

After dinner there were a few words from each of several dignitaries including a Tennessee Congressman that lives in Cookeville. Then Bandit and Top gave the usual presentations. One of the Cookeville speakers told us that Boswell’s Harley Davidson would be open late tonight in case anyone needed help with their bikes. So I thought I’d check it out later. Bandit excused us and we all headed out. I headed to Boswells HD. I thought I might need a battery. They checked it out and it did need replacing, so they installed a new one. Now I’m good to go again. Thanks Boswells. Several other riders from RFTW came after me. I hope they got their needs taken care of as well.

A beautiful day and an exceptional experience but now it’s over. I can’t wait to come back to Cookeville, TN. It is my home away from home.

**** Number of names on The Wall for Tennessee (1295) for CookeVille, TN (5)****

Day 6 is in the books. Tomorrow a challenging highway ride.

We Ride For Those That Can’t

Tom “Twotone” Lystrup – Platoon 6 Leader / SitRep Writer / lystruptf@gmail.com
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Day 5 Sunday May 21, 2017

Do you remember the tornado warning a couple years ago in Shawnee that made us all evacuate to the lower floor in the middle of the night? Well, no such warning last night thankfully. The weather was great today. We seem to be in between storms as we are traveling east, a great place to be when you’re riding on a motorcycle for hundreds of miles.

After packing and breakfast we gathered in the Walmart parking lot for a short worship service. Our chaplain gave a very encouraging talk about how the things we say and the things we do have a ripple effect that can make people around us feel better or worse basically. The idea I drew from this is we should say and do things that help people feel better. When people feel better, they may be able to help others feel better as well.

Our platoon gained a couple more riders this morning, so we covered all the bases with them and we all set out for our first fuel stop in Sallisaw, OK. It was a little chilly, but not freezing. Of course, if you have electric gear like some of us do, it can be as comfortable as you want. The welcome into town was tremendous. There was a large American Flag hanging from a fire truck over the road and the truck had its siren going as we pulled in for another sponsored fuel stop. Thanks again. Dennis Okie-D Freie the Oklahoma State Coordinator pulled out all the stops. The people there at the gas stop were warm, inviting and happy for us to visit again.

Then, another welcome LEO escort. Our next fuel stop was only a short distance, and again it was sponsored. So far I think all of our fuel stops have been sponsored. Practically like being paid to ride a motorcycle. That’s got to be the best job in the world. Someone might argue my point, but I don’t think I’ll let them. Anyway, I am certainly grateful as I know everyone else is to have fuel donated. The Fuel Team is really thankful. It makes their jobs much easier not having to count cash and all. The entire Run has been a marvelous experience.

On a personal note: It appears to me that most of our FNGs have become rather adept at riding in formation. I think my platoon has improved a great deal. No one seems to be nervous about riding up close to one another or next to someone. I think that’s great. It helps increase the safety factor for sure. It doesn’t mean that you are safe however. We all are behind the controls of our own machine (except passengers of course). Ride with confidence, but also ride with awareness.

Soon we exited Oklahoma and entered Arkansas where LEO teams swapped around and the escort continued. We were on our way to the little city of Ozark and then to the VFW Post 8532 in Coal Hill, OK. This was a nice change since most of our riding has been on the “slab” as we call the interstate. I thought the narrow sweeping roads were a welcome change. The Staging, Fuel, Road Guard and Ambassador Teams were all at the entrance of the VFW and saluted when we arrived. Very sharp and very professional! They do the same thing at our other venues. We love these guys and gals on all our teams. The welcome by the VFW members was also wonderful and the food was marvelous. The food is always great, but the BBQ chicken was to die for, a nice smoky, sweet, savory taste that made your mouth smile from ear to ear. I needed a few extra napkins. While we were having lunch, Bandit brought in a special guest, Diesel. We all stood and applauded. He made the trip up from Louisiana to see us. We were happy to see him as well. Some special presentations were made and then we were given 10 minutes until we had to depart. There were some long lines at the bathrooms. I wonder how many actually got to go. Oh well. We were off again to our next fuel stop in Maumelle off again, this time to Forrest City and the Ridgewood Baptist Church. A couple years ago it was pouring rain here, but this year it was sunny and dry, lovely riding weather. Again all our teams were there to welcome us including many members of this wonderful church. Members, servers and cooks all greeted us with open arms. The food was great just like last year, fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, rice, green beans, and biscuits. Bandit asked Good Wrench, our Chaplin Corp Leader to offer a blessing and we ate. There were plenty of deserts as well. After many plaque presentations, this time by Diesel, we were privileged to hear from one of Arkansas’ Senators. He talked about how great it is for the service we do to help other veterans and to serve in whatever capacities we do to help make our country great. He then presented Bandit with a certificate to RFTW stating our mission which is for healing of our veterans of all wars, for requiring accountability for our POWs and MIAs, for honoring our KIAs and for supporting out military wherever they may be serving. Seems to me we are the grateful ones, yet we were honored to be thanked for what we do. After this we were excused to our hotels.

On a side note: I received an inquiry from a young man in Cookville. He wanted to show his patriotism by thanking us when we arrived. He’s deaf. He wanted to know if “Talking Hands” (Laurie Waggoner) would be with us. I texted back she would. He has been grateful for the SitReps I’ve written and he loves following our progress toward the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall. He’s really happy we stop in Cookville and wants to express his appreciation to us somehow. His name is Michael Hill. You won’t miss him I’m sure. Just look for the guy in red, white and blue. His call sign is Mr. Patriot. Say “Hi” to him. I don’t know how to sign myself, but I understand saying “hi’ in sign language is pretty similar to a salute. With your hand up to your temple in the form of a basic salute extend it forward. So when you see Michael, say “Hi”.

**** Number of names on The Wall for Arkansas (592), for Forrest City, AR (2) ****

Day 5 is in the books. The run is half over. Does it seem like it is already? There’s still a lot of great stuff ahead.

We Ride For Those That Can’t

Tom “Twotone” Lystrup / Platoon 6 Leader / SitRep Writer / lystruptf@gmail.com
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