Category: Southern Route Coordinator News

May, 2021

 

Greetings from the Battle Born State of NV,

Well, It’s MAY!  These last 2 years we have battled with this pandemic and tried to Stay Positive with the hope that soon we would see it in our rear-view mirrors.  As in most battles, no one gets out without a scratch and many wounds are not visible.  LOVE of our God, Country and Family along with the HOPE that better days are ahead is what keeps us going.

The Run For The Wall Family Bond is Strong.  None of our Family should ever feel alone.  With Family often comes tragedy.  On May 12^th Fred Marshall, the husband to Melissa “Angel” Marshall and Father to Jake passed away after a prolonged illness. Fred spent 76 days in the hospital in intensive care and hospice with very intense individual care and racked up quite a bill.  If you would like to send donations towards those bills, you can send direct to Melissa, please at Melissa Marshall, 1730 Crowndale Dr, Sumter, SC 29150    Flowers are welcome although Melissa would prefer living plants as a living memory of Fred, send to her address. 

Melissa and her Mom Wendy “Nurse One” are the Dynamic Duo of our Medical Team.  Her Dad is Doug “Sgt Maj” Lyvere one of our elite Road Guards.

There is also a FB page – “Facebook Fundraiser”, Help for Melissa and Jake

There will also be “FredFest”, a memorial celebration to be held on Saturday June 5.  For any details, Please email Doug@lyvere.com

Though the “Run” was postponed, the Mission still goes on.  We are a benevolent organization and are continually promoting and fundraising for Veteran Causes.  Currently we are working on raising $25k which will be matched ($25k) by RFTW, which will be matched by another foundation for a total of $100k to Homes For Our Troops to build an adapted home for a severely wounded Veteran and his Family.  We are currently at about 31% of our goal.  For more details, see the latest RFTW  President’s Message 

RFTW Inc. does not have a large corporate office, or any corporate office or payroll, in fact.  But there are still expenses and bills that need to be paid.  Buying more Merch from the  Merchandise Shop  will help too.  

Confetti and I plan to be in Perryville, MO, Friday the 28th to pay our respects at the “Wall” there.  We hope to see many of you there also.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

April, 2021

 

Greetings Riders,

Well after 4 newsletters in March, I feel like a slacker.  Normally at this time we would be talking about last minute preparations and final updates.  I know that many of you are planning to ride West to East in the coming months.  I just saw on the news today that the AMVETS Rolling To Remember event is in jeopardy due to being unable to secure their permit for the Pentagon parking lot.  Rep Brian Mast, a disabled veteran himself, is spearheading the appeal to Pentagon officials for approval. Right now, Washington D.C. is not exactly “visitor friendly”.

I urge you to keep apprised of the everchanging pandemic restrictions so as to avoid issues that might interfere with your plans.  Here are a couple of links to current restrictions which may help you plan. One is from the CDC and the other from AARP.   Things in this regard are constantly changing.  Also, many local jurisdictions have their own “rules”.  Keep Aware and Semper Gumby.

CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/healthdepartments.html

AARP

https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2020/coronavirus-state-restrictions.html

Don’t forget the new merchandise in the online store.

Watch for more news on upcoming Reunions, Kerrville TX  is September  23-26 for more information

TX Riders Reunion FB Page

I hope to see some of you on the road.   

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

 

Greetings from the Battle Born State,

The middle of the US is starting to open up which is good news.  The Reunion organizers are busy putting plans together.  Diane and I are already making plans for our trip to Kerrville, TX for the All Riders, Past Present and Future Reunion.  More details can be found on the RFTW Facebook page.

When the 2020 Run was cancelled, I gave you the R.F.T.W Challenge.  The whole Country was pretty much locked down them, making long interstate trips difficult to say the least.  Many of you took up the challenge, ran with it, and a few of you went over the top.  I never thought we might need another challenge like that. 

Sometimes it seems like we can’t catch a break.  Well maybe we did.  In the words of Jedi Master Yoda “there is another”.   Another what, you ask?   Another Vietnam Memorial Wall, in Perryville, MO.  It is a full-scale replica, even down to the misspelled names.  I urge you to check it out at: https://mnvmfund.org/  located at 1172 veterans Memorial Pkwy, Perryville, MO

Yes, there are many such tributes all around the Country, some are traveling.  I had the honor of assembling one such Wall when it came to our capital here in Carson City.  We started at 0400, we were putting in the last bolts at 0800 just as the first school children arrived.   It had no less meaning to us as the original in Washington, D.C.

Missouri (MO) is the Show Me State, let’s Show Them how Run For The Wall riders support our Mission.  So, I have a challenge for you in 2021.  If you are not able to ride to DC, ride to Perryville or any destination with a tribute Wall, send me a picture of you at the Wall.  Oh, by the way, it is only about 320 miles from the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, IL (Hint)

Please, if you travel in a group or alone, check the Pandemic Restrictions where you will be traveling through to make sure not in violation.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings Again from the Battle Born State,

I think we are all trying to deal with the 2^nd postponement of the 20^th Anniversary RFTW Southern Route to 2022.  One thing we all should do is cancel any hotel reservations we made in anticipation for RFTW 2021.  Some of the room blocks were cancelled, which would have automatically cancelled your reservation.  You should verify that just to be sure you are not charged for a room where you did not stay.

I think also that it is safe to say that the fire that burns within us says “Restrictions be damned, let’s ride”.  If I thought there was any way we could all ride together, I would be right there with you.  We have dealt with Rain, Cold, Blistering Heat, Tornados and even Hail.  How? We adapt and overcome.  But none of that compares with Restrictions on the size of Group Gatherings, that could stop us right in our tracks at any time.  Of course, you are free to ride when and where you like, but I caution you against any large-scale endeavor which could result in unnecessary problems for everyone.  Run For The Wall Southern Route 2021 was cancelled, that is the reality. But we are not giving up on the Mission or are we giving in to the restrictions.  Adapt and Overcome, Be Smart

Normally Deja Vu experiences are fun and interesting, this one, not so much.    By now you have heard the RFTW 2021 has suffered the same fate as 2020.  It was not an easy decision to cancel again.   The Safety of our Riders and Supporters is of paramount importance.  Because of the Pandemic Restriction variances from state to state and county to county, there is no way we could execute our Route as planned.  It would be unethical for me to lead the Southern Route into situations that could potentially, cause harm and /or subject us to serious fines and penalties.  The main culprit is the draconian limitation on Group Gatherings.  Many states are as low as 10 people.

Frustrating to put it mildly.  I honestly thought that the Country would be much more open by now, and wide open by May.   The RFTW President shared a more detailed explanation in his newsletter this morning, you can read it at:

https://rftw.us/presidents-message-february-2021-part-2/

The Board of Directors has asked, and I have agreed to stay on as the Southern Route Coordinator for RFTW 2022, or until we finally put RFTW XXXII in the book.   I Hope and Pray that you ALL will be with us when we go Kick Stands Up May 18, 2022.  We have come too far to give up now.

The FNG Town Hall is still ln for Tomorrow February 27^th  (see flyer below)

Also. stay tuned for upcoming information on ALL Rider Reunions.  Until then……. Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings Again form the Battle Born State,

***** Fake News Alert****

I am so happily embarrassed. I just got off the phone with Patti Luttrell, Clyde’s wife. I would have talked to Clyde, but he was busy eating his dinner. I will call him shortly and I am sure that we will have an interesting conversation.

Bottom line is …. OUR Clyde Luttrell is very much alive. I was given some bad intel. No one to blame but myself. I wanted to correct this ASAP.

Greetings from The Battle Born State,

I apologize up front for the somber tone of this newsletter.  I only wish that the good news flooded in as fast as the bad news.

Just last week I found out that Don “9 Ball” Morris passed away.  He was one of our most beloved Southern Route Riders, a Road Guard, and our 2006 Southern Route Coordinator.  He and is lovely wife Della aka “Pocket” were mainstays for many years on the Run.  Les “Easy” Williams wrote a beautiful tribute to Don in his most recent President’s Message.

Yesterday I learned that we lost Clyde “Rock” Luttrell one of Southern Route’s Tennessee State Coordinators.  You may not remember his name, but you would surely recognize his face, and we all enjoyed the fruits of his labor.  “Rock” was instrumental in organizing the Donuts & Coffee and PB&J stop in Knoxville, TN.  Definitely one of the Riders’ most anticipated stops. Please Pray for their Families that they find Peace.

Today I was told that one of our Texas riders, Hal “Grumpy” DuPuy was t-boned by an inattentive cage driver pulling out from a parking lot.  I spoke to his wife earlier; he is in stable condition and will be admitted to the hospital.  He likely has a fractured bone in his elbow and endured several x-rays and CT Scan.  They are awaiting the results.  His ride did not fare so well.  He can definitely use a whole lotta Healing Prayers.

As I write this, I realize that if my Dad was still alive, we would be celebrating his 100^th birthday this month.

It is obvious that there are a great many things that are out of our control.  But one thing we can control is how we take care if ourselves.  I urge you to see your Primary Care Provider for a check-up before the Run and consider getting a Covid-19 Vaccination.  With today’s technology doctors can detect many issued before they become more serious.

On a more positive note, planning and preparations for Southern Route are moving forward.  Our State Coordinators are meeting with Supporters every day.  #RFTWStrong

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive.

Greetings from the Snowy Northern Nevada Tundra,

First off, for the FNGs, thank you for the questions sent to me, KEEP them coming.  As promised here is the link for you to register for the Zoom FNG Town Hall.  You must pre-register, we are limited to the number of participants so sign up NOW.  If we approach our maximum, we can (and probably will) bump up the limit so that no one will be left out.   

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 

When: Feb 27, 2021 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pf-CorTsiGtMnCsWU5U8eaB-MAEZWtE85

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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In case you did not know, the bulk of the funding for our School / Educational Grants come from raffle ticket sales, both the 50/50 and the Prize Raffles.  Most of the prizes are donated by our Riders but some come from Companies and Groups who support the Mission.  We can always use more, so I am asking you to talk to the people that you do business with and see if they would like to donate any item(s) for our Prize or Daily Raffles.  Just bring the items with you and turn them over to one of our Rousers.  This time we will have Jessa “Baby Buzz” Mullen-Bradford as our 50/50 Rouser.  She will be very busy, so we are also looking for an Outgoing and Dedicated Raffle Rouser to share the duties.  If you are interested, please send me an email. 

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Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive