Category: President Messages

Good Morning to All the RFTW Family from Tennessee!

The RFTW mission continues everyday, as each of us, are given the opportunity to bring awareness and a helping hand to our veterans and their families to include Gold and Blue Stars.  On July 9, 2022, ‘Homes For Our Troops’ presented Lance Corporal (L/Cpl.) Kevin Honaker, USMC (Ret.) with the keys to his brand new home in Sparta, Tennessee. We had a large RFTW presence at this event, where we met L/Cpl. Honaker and escorted him to his new home for a “Key Ceremony”.   A big thanks goes out to all those that participated!

August is here and ride XXXIII, 2023 is approaching.

I look forward to seeing you in 2023.  I would like to thank each of you that took your valuable time to provide an After Action Review (AAR) for 2022.  Your comments and recommendations on how to improve and make the run better have been heard. Your leadership team is busy planning and coordinating 2023’s routes; fuel stops, host hotels, meals and events along the way.

There will be a new ‘How to Register’ and ‘How to Check-In’ section added to (RFTW.us) website.   Registration will open 11 SEP 2022 for the 2023 Run.  Register early!  The BoD continues to look for ways to streamline and improve cost effective ways of operating that will allow improved mission support.  Better and more timely communication is being accomplished through use of our website and through other methods.  Please, look often for new news as well as helpful tips regarding the 2023 RIDE. Sign-up for the automatic receipt of newsletters.

I would hope that each of you are practicing and preparing for 2023 now. I miss-stated in my last news letter, “CORRECTION” you do not need your title at Check-in however you do need a current registration, Driver License w/motorcycle endorsement if state required and current insurance.

As you can tell the 2023 BOD and Route RCs are working closely together to make 2023 a success.  I would ask each of you as you prepare, to focus on your riding skills and safety.  It is up to you to ride within your capabilities and competency to make 2023 our safest year yet, “no Accidents or Incidents” should be our ‘Riding Goal’.

On a personal note, it is my distinct honor and privilege to serve as President of the Board of Directors for 2023, and the Run, and I especially look forward to meeting and talk with as many of you as possible.  Have Great Day.  God Bless you and your family.  Always ride safe till then!

Is it May yet?

Sincerely,

Ron ‘Sky’ King
President, RFTW Board of Directors

Good Morning to All the RFTW Family from Tennessee where the BBQ is going and the watermelon is already cold ready to be cut for a great 4th of July celebration!

As we celebrate our Nations birth there is no better time to reflect on the RFTW mission and our collective goal. As you all know RFTW’s mission is:

The mission of RFTW continues everyday, as each of us, are given the opportunity to bring awareness and a helping hand to our veterans and their families to include Gold and Blue Stars. On July 9, 2022, Homes For Our Troops will present Lance Corporal (L/Cpl.) Kevin Honaker, USMC (Ret.) with the keys to his brand new home in Sparta, Tennessee. We hope to have a large RFTW presence at this event. The plan is to have riders assemble in nearby Cookeville, TN (one of our regular Midway Route stops) the morning of the 9th at 8:00AM and ride to Sparta in typical RFTW formation, where we will meet L/Cpl. Honaker and escort him to his new home for a “Key Ceremony”. For those who wish to gather in Cookeville the evening before, a special RFTW rate at the Country Inn & Suites is available for the night of 8 July. I encourage any of you that can make it, join your fellow RFTW riders on 8 July in Cookeville and participate. I would hope, we all look for these opportunities through out the year to carry on our quest to frost the “Mission “.

A big thanks goes out to all those that participated in XXXII ride in 2022. I look forward to seeing each of you in 2023. To those that rode in 2022, I would encourage each of you to complete an After Action Review (AAR). We want to hear you comments and recommendations on how to improve and make the run better. All the Leadership Team, BOD and RC’s, review each and every AAR, so your comments and recommendations are heard. Comment can affect the need for additional hydration stops, extending a particular fuel stop, or having a bullhorn available at times when PA systems are not available for better pack communication.

It is also important that you as a rider begin your preparation for 2023 now, too.

The 10-­‐day ride across the US is one of the most Challenging rides. It is both physically and mentally challenging. We have changing weather conditions: hot, cold, snow, and rain that will be experienced. One of our many challenges in Route Leadership is to help each of you regardless of experience make this journey as safely as possibly and accomplish our mission however you must do your part! Learn how to pack your bike, take some long day trips build your endurance and last but not least be sure your bike is mechanically ready for ten days of hard riding (Oil, Brakes, Tires). The four items you need for registration Check-­‐in, make sure they are available and current now and throughout the year so when you head to the Run nothing to do but show up. (Drivers License w/ motorcycle endorsement, title and registration, insurance, and Emergency Information Form)

Already, there are some changes on the horizon for 2023. Registration will be completely online and our goal is to begin 2023 registration on 11 SEPT 2022 (Put It On Your Calendar). It will be streamlined without the need to go to another site to complete your wavier unless it is a minor wavier. Your Route itinerary booklets will be readily available online prior to Ontario. As you can tell, we are attempting to make our online communication and operations more functional.

On a personal note, it is my distinct honor and privilege to serve as President of the Board of Directors for 2023, and the Run, and I especially look forward to meeting and talk with as many of you as possible. Have Great Day. God Bless you and your family. Ride safe till then!

Is it May yet?

Sincerely,
Ron ‘Sky’ King
President, RFTW Board of Directors

ATTENTION RIDERS!

As most of you are aware, Run For The Wall, in partnership with Operation Family Fund, recently donated $100,000 to Homes For Our Troops. HFOT provides custom built homes to severely wounded service members. These homes are constructed and specially adapted to these heroes’ specific individual needs.

On July 9, 2022, Homes For Our Troops will present Lance Corporal (L/Cpl.) Kevin Honaker, USMC (Ret.) with the keys to his brand new home in Sparta, Tennessee. We hope to have a large RFTW presence at this event. The plan is to have riders assemble in nearby Cookeville, TN (one of our regular Midway Route stops) the morning of the 9th and ride to Sparta in typical RFTW formation, where we will meet L/Cpl. Honaker and escort him to the site of his new home for the “Key Ceremony.”

For those who wish to gather in Cookeville the evening before, Ron King will arrange a special RFTW rate at the Country Inn & Suites there.

Reservation information is as follows:
Country Inn & Suites
1151 S. Jefferson
Cookeville, TN 38506
Phone: 931-525-6668
*Ask for the “Run For The Wall Rate” when making reservations.

I realize that this is short notice, but we’d like to get as many riders as we can to participate in this worthy event. Come witness RFTW’s Benevolence Program in action and meet L/Cpl. Honaker.

Respectfully,
Dave “Papa Smurf” Klemme
President, RFTW Board of Directors
“Freedom Isn’t Free”

NOTE: A detailed itinerary/schedule of events will be published on the RFTW website shortly.

Dear Friends and Fellow Riders,

Three members of the Run For The Wall Board of Directors will be leaving at the end of this term on June 30th. In addition to me, Jim “Ancient 6” Marshall and Nick “Rich Boy” Hentges are leaving. I want to personally thank Jim and Nick for their outstanding service to the Run and to our ridership.

I’m pleased to announce the following changes and additions to the BoD, effective July 1, 2022:

Ron “Sky” King, our current Director of Risk Management/Registration, will assume his duties as Board President.

John “Turkey” Staub, currently Director of Operations, will become the Vice President & Chairman.

Billie “Bugs” Dunlap, Bob “Captain America” Nelson, and Don “Bullet” Pierce have been elected to fill the three vacancies. Their specific Board assignments will be determined at a later date.

On a personal note, it has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve the Board, and the Run, these past six years, especially my four years as Chairman and this final year as President. I will miss the Board, but I leave with absolute confidence that YOUR Run For The Wall is in the best possible hands.

Semper Fi! Is it May, yet?

Dave “Papa Smurf” Klemme
President, RFTW Board of Directors
2016 RFTW Central Route Coordinator
“Freedom Isn’t Free”

My friends and fellow RFTW riders:

I have some sad news that will alter one of our most cherished RFTW activities in the D.C. Metro area. Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) cancelled all wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier over the 2022 Memorial Day weekend. In February, ANC leadership decided instead to host an annual Public Flower Ceremony over the Memorial Day weekend. As of this message, ANC has not published the dates and times for the ceremony.

Last November during a Centennial Commemoration event, and for the first time in nearly 100 years, the public was able to walk across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier plaza to lay single-stemmed flowers in front of the Tomb and personally pay their respects to the Unknown Soldiers. More than 13,000 individuals registered to attend the two-day event. Our own D.C. Coordinator, Gail Dippel, participated on behalf of Run For The Wall and was moved by the attendance and support for the commemoration. The public response was so overwhelmingly positive that ANC decided to make it an annual event for Memorial Day weekend.

We will keep you updated about the Memorial Day Public Flower Ceremony and provide details for riders to individually schedule a block of time to participate in this honored event. Please be patient.

The closing of this door represents the end of a proud and honored tradition for RFTW, but opens another door for riders to individually honor and remember our fallen brothers and sisters by laying their own flowers at the Tomb. Hopefully, this will give everyone a greater sense of personal involvement in our remembrance.

We Ride For Those Who Can’t.

Respectfully,

Dave “Papa Smurf” Klemme
President, RFTW Board of Directors
“Freedom Isn’t Free”

The RFTW Board of Directors consists of nine members, each of whom serves a three-year term. We try very hard to keep the year-groups balanced, which means that every year we must fill three seats, and 2022 is no exception.

Our ridership has a great many talented people who actively look for ways to serve Run For The Wall. The Board of Directors is the pinnacle of the service pyramid, as our members directly affect all aspects of the Run and its mission.

There are no formal prerequisites to join the BoD. Anyone may apply, but as is the case with any selection process, knowledge and experience are key to being successful. We look for candidates who have several years of experience riding with RFTW and who have held leadership and/or service positions on their respective routes.

The application process is very straightforward. Simply prepare a “resume” in two parts. First, briefly tell us about yourself and your work history. We are particularly interested in your military service, if any, and an overview of your career, with particular emphasis on positions where you exercised leadership and/or management level responsibilities. The second part should detail your RFTW experiences. This would include the number of years you’ve ridden with RFTW, which route(s) you’ve ridden with, the number of times you’ve gone “All The Way,” and most importantly, what jobs you’ve held on the Run. Since the reputation you’ve built on the Run is often a determining factor in selection to the Board, feel free to ask Team Leaders, former Route Coordinators, and others to forward letters of recommendation on your behalf if you wish. Send your resume to our Chairman, Jim Marshall, at jim.marshall@rftw.us by April 30th.

All of us have thought, at one time or another, “If only I was in charge, I’d sure do things differently!” Well, here’s your chance. Decisions are made by those who step up. Will YOU be one of them? I hope so.

Respectfully,

Dave “Papa Smurf” Klemme
President, RFTW Board of Directors
“Freedom Isn’t Free”

Friends and Fellow Riders…

On behalf of Run For The Wall, in partnership with Operation Family Fund, I wanted to provide an update to everyone regarding the first of several ceremonies through which our recent contribution to Homes For Our Troops will be made. The first recipient will be Marine LCpl Ret. Kevin Honaker. The “Community Kickoff” ceremony for his new home will be in Sparta, Tennessee, on October 23rd.

I encourage each of you, as part of the RFTW Family, to consider participating in this event. We will be welcoming our fellow veteran motorcycle groups… American Legion Riders, Combat Veterans MA, Christian Riders and Patriot Guard Riders… to join us for this very special event.

Hotel accommodations are available in Cookeville, TN, for both the 22nd and 23rd. You must make your own reservations. Be sure to ask for the “Run For The Wall Block.” The hotel information is listed below.

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

We ask that all participants fill out this form so that we will have an accurate head count for meals, and to determine the number of bikes that will ride into Sparta on the 23rd.

Hotel block is open and available for Friday and Saturday.
Cookeville, TN (22 & 23 October 2021)
Country Inn & Suites
1151 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN 38506
Reservation Number: 1-931-525-6668
Group Rate $85.00
Group Name: “Run-For-The-Wall Block”

Greetings from Colorful Colorado.

On October 23^rd, Run For The Wall in partnership with Operation Family Fund, will participate in the first of several ceremonies through which our recent contribution to Homes For Our Troops will come to fruition.

Our first recipient will be Marine L/Cpl Kevin Honaker. His home will be built in Sparta, Tennessee. The first event in this process will be the Community Kickoff.  Since Run For The Wall and Operation Family Fund will have significant roles in this event, we would like to have a strong RFTW presence.  To that end, Ron “Sky” King, our Director of Risk Management, is taking the lead in coordinating our participation.  Here is a tentative schedule of events… we will have more information as it becomes available:

• We will gather on Friday, Oct. 22^nd, in Cookeville, TN for a meal to be paid by the attendee(s), and fellowship. Cost to be determined, but should be in the +/- $15.00 range.
• Hotels will be in Cookeville. Information for making reservations will be posted separately.
• We will need a headcount for the meal and money to be paid NLT Friday, 10/15/21. Once we determine the final cost of the meal, payment will be made to our Treasurer, Jenny “Lady Jen” Ward. She will provide information on the process.
• We will ride as a group from Cookeville to Sparta on Saturday, Oct. 23^rd, for the Community Kickoff presentation.

This our 2021 mission at work, helping to provide homes specially built and adapted to the needs of severely wounded current conflict veterans. When we speak of “promoting healing among ALL veterans, and their families and friends,” this is it! I hope to see a huge RFTW turnout. See you there!

Respectfully,

Dave “Papa Smurf” Klemme
President, RFTW Board of Directors
“Freedom Isn’t Free”