Category: Southern Route SitReps

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Day 4, May 21, 2022 Southern Route

Day 4 – May 21, 2022 Sunday – Southern Route

 

Greetings – Day 4 was another day of long riding with some impressive memorials to visit.  We spent the night in Odessa Texas.  We were treated to a great breakfast at the American Legion in Odessa.  Very nice people that took care of us well.  We then went to Midland TX to the Permian Basin Memorial.  It’s a slightly smaller memorial but the people that raised the funds to build it are very proud of it for good reasons.  It pays tribute to local warriors that have lost their lives from all branches of the Armed Forces.  It was locally designed by residents and pays homage very well.  They have a statue in the middle of three warriors, one carrying a wounded soldier to a helicopter and a third soldier assisting but also looking back to the wall with names of those lost that they can’t bring back with them.  It’s touching when you realize the story and intent.  One of our RFTW volunteers father is listed as one of those KIA in Viet Nam which brings home meaning of our mission to not let any of our warriors be forgotten.  You will be remembered!  We did have a wreath laying here.

We then went to the Big Springs Veterans Memorial.  This was also a very nice memorial and there was a wreath laying.

Then we were off to Colorado City, TX.  Colorado City is a small town that goes all out to give us a warm welcome and feed us a great steak and/or chicken with green beans and a fantastic potato salad.  I expect this is one of the highlights of their year to have the RFTW group come to have dinner (lunch time) with them.  The warmth and hospitality cannot be outdone, Thank You Colorado City!  We then drove more to get to the Dubiski Career High School where the students participated in preparing a great dinner and taking care of us.  Again, wonderful hospitality which included a bag pipe player, an honor guard and having your hand shook 20 to 30 times just to get into the building.  Some pictures are attached.  The weather has been hot, decent but hot.  We have a chance of rain in front of us but we keep moving with rain gear if that happens.  A few other things worth mentioning that are a critical part of this Run To The Wall is the support we get from the volunteers that help keep us organized.  There are unsung hero’s that race in front of us to be ready to set up the fueling stations, that stage us so we can take off in an organized fashion in the correct platoons that we were assigned to, the people that open up and hand us drinks so we can stay hydrated, the nurses that are ready to take care of us that need help along the way, the people selling merchandise to help raise funds for financing this run, road guards that are guiding us safely through traffic and I’m probably forgetting some but the number of volunteers is amazing.  Without each one, we would not have such a successful and well organized mission.  A huge Thank You to all of you helpful volunteers!  Today, we also had LEO escorts all the way through our travels in Texas for the whole day.  Again, much safer and faster.  Thanks to the local police and Texas State Police.

Thanks for listening.

Native American blessing our bikes

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Day 3 – 5/20/2022 Southern Route

Day 3 – May 20, 2022 Southern Route

 

Today we started out in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We started with breakfast at the American Legion.  A great breakfast was served with biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon, yum.  Does it seem like we eat a lot?  Yes we do, the folks and the organizations that greet us are feeding us some awesome food and we are very honored to be treated so well and greeted so warmly.  There was a raffle from the Legion where they handed out tickets to win $100.  This story is unique because the lady that won the Golden ticket to have all her gas paid along the run this year also won this raffle.  I don’t know her given name, my apologies for that but we all know her as Lucky now.  She wears the smile very well.

Lucky Wins again!

We then went on to the Las Cruces Veterans Memorial Park.  It’s a very nice park that is well put together.  Some pictures are below.  There was a very nice wreath laying ceremony and we had LEO (Law Enforcement) escort all the way through town and later on onto Highway 10 and quite a ways out of town.  We were traveling on towards Odessa Texas which is our stop tonight.  Most of the way through Texas we also had LEO escort.  They are clearing the highway, keeping cars and trucks from entering the freeway for our line of bikes which is running about a 2.5 mile footprint on the highway.  When we get to highway exits and head for a refuel stop; and afterwards we go to another location like a legion post or church to be fed, we don’t stop at lights or stop signs, it feels like we’re a long parade.  We are honored!  It’s quite a feeling and everyone is so nice and warm to us.  It’s a big change to the ‘70’s when you didn’t wear your uniform state side when not needed because you were worried about the reaction you’d get.  I’m sure a lot of you remember those times. And then we get into these places and everyone has big hugs and lots of Thank You(s).  There were significant greetings on the highway.  Overpasses with people waving, One place had a lady on a hillside riding a horse with a big flag!  Fire Trucks with the ladder extension hanging a flag off the side of the freeway all timed out for when we drive by.  It’s mind blowing.  Some of these smaller towns that coordinate with leadership and state coordinators to host us look at this like a huge opportunity and it’s one of the big events of the year for them.  The majority of the town comes out to greet us, wave flags, it’s all very cool.  And, I venture to say very little of this would come together without the hard work of the state coordinators that are working in the background all year long to make this happen.  Big Kudu’s to all the state coordinators for all the routes.  It’s amazing work.

“Reckless” (Rod Runyon) went with some bikes to an outreach to Old Glory Memorial, a memorial for all American citizens to honor all who have served our Country and those that have given their lives in the name of the freedoms we enjoy every day.  El Paso Texas Flags Across America has erected a 180 foot flagpole on the Trans-Mountain Campus of El Paso Community College and is flying a United States Flag, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and lighted at night.  On special occasions, EPTFAA will be flying a beautiful 50 foot by 100 foot united states flag.  Fifty (50) state flags, six (6) Armed Service Flags and six (6) Territorial flags.  Some pictures from the outreach are below.  Words spoken by Reckless (words worth keeping in your heart) at the outreach:  “There are many ways you can keep our fallen, as well as our injured and ill veterans, in your mind and heart throughout the year,  Countless ways to give back to those who have endured the physical, psychological and emotional wounds that may arise from military service.  Working together with friends, neighbors, veterans groups and entire communities, we can ensure that the sacrifices made by our nations finest and bravest never go unappreciated and that their memories are never forgotten.  I thank you all for joining in today’s tribute.  I hope you keep our military man and women – and all the sacrifices they made – close to your heart today and throughout the year.”

Boots
USAF ’72 – ’75

Las Cruces New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park

A lady there to remember her MIA father

The man who helped document all NM KIAs and MIAs

Part of our greeting committee

Outreach to Old Glory Memorial

Pic from the day

 

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Thursday May 19, 2022 – Southern Route

Day 2 – May 19, 2022 Thursday

 

This morning we left Casa Grande, Arizona towards our destination, Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We had a light breakfast, had our usual morning meeting and one of the normal subjects is to stay hydrated.  This is always a big concern since it’s so common for people to be riding through the desert and not realize they getting dehydrated.  On the motorcycle, you are traveling at a good speed and the hot desert air is drying you off immediately so you don’t realize how much you are sweating and losing fluid.  By the end of the day, in Las Cruces, we heard NO ONE had become dehydrated to the point of being pulled from the ride!  Woo Hoo!!  That’s a big deal since the temps were over 100 and we did a lot of riding with a lot of people.  It’s amazing to be riding along and feel the heat emanating from the highway at 60 MPH.  We drove 352 miles today with gas stops and lunch at the Elks Lodge in Wilcox AZ, dinner at the Las Cruces VFW post #10124.  At one of the gas stops, we were taken care of by the folks of Marana Arizona.  Very nice people that greeted us with snacks and water, a goodies bag along with their time.  There was a color guard and a wonderful singer.  One of the long time supporters was honored as he was an active supporter in the very beginning of stopping in Marana for gas.  A movie is attached.  The movie and pictures are compliments of Leggs (Lori Ann Schaeffler).  We went on to Wilcox to fuel up and have a great lunch at the Elks Lodge with again, a very warm welcome.  It seemed like most of the town was out greeting us as we came in through the streets.  That is a welcome that wasn’t there for too many warriors coming home. The food was great – Thank You Wilcox!  Then we departed for Las Cruces, NM.  Dinner at the Las Cruces VFW was very good chicken enchiladas with rice and beans.  It’s a good thing we’re not counting calories out here.

Click Here to watch.  It will download and you will need to “open” the file —–>  Video

Boots

USAF ’72 – ’75

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that

we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival

and success of liberty.

– John F. Kennedy

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May 18 2022 Southern Route

May 18, 2022

Today was the day we started!  We left Ontario California on time and started riding our bikes towards today’s destination, Casa Grande, AZ. Before we left, there were some ceremonies, thanks and plaques given to many groups that assisted us with getting our start this year.  Organizations like the Ontario Police and Fire Department and some companies that donated and helped in various ways.  We also had opportunities to thank the leadership of our great organization like the BOD and RC’s.

It was a long day, I think it’s the longest we’ll have on this run, 402 miles.  We had an awesome lunch in Blythe, CA which is very close to the AZ border.  The Blythe towns people hosted us at the local fair grounds with hamburgers, hot dogs and lots of goodies along with a very warm reception welcoming us to their town.  It was a very nice experience and we felt honored.  We toured through many other towns and made it to Casa Grande where it seemed the whole town was there greeting us with flags waving, people gathered on the sides of the road for a couple of miles.  We went to the Elks Lodge and were fed a great dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and corn.  It was again, a very warm welcome with friendly people with some hard working cadets that were serving the dinners and cleaning up.  Awesome town.

I had a chance to speak with the gentleman from Israel that is riding with us.  He has some great stories but one I thought was worth passing on was that last week, he helped deliver an ambulance to Ukraine.  So one week he’s delivering an ambulance to Ukraine and the next week he’s here doing the Run with us.  What a life?  They drove the ambulance up to Ukraine and provided it to the folks providing medical care so they can transport patients as needed.  We see on the news there are a lot of needs there.  We hope they can come up with enough gasoline to drive it as much as it seems they need to.

I also ran into Arnie.  Arnie is an FNG and he has his grandson with him who is active military.  They are on a CanAm Spyder.  Arnie has 8 fellow patriots that were either MIA or KIA.  The two MIA’s are Major Walsh and Major Perchello.  He started putting the info together for 602nd Air Commando Squadron remaining pilots from 1967 through 1968 and had a strong positive reaction where these remaining pilots appreciated the “keeping the names alive”.  Arnie then learned about Run for the Wall and realized this was the perfect opportunity to continue the mission.  Arnie has 8 patriots he is honoring during the run and obviously at the Wall when we get there.  There are more details so if you run into Arnie, ask him to tell you about the guys which have family still waiting for them and kids that are now grown and didn’t get to know their dads as well as they should have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we do about 50 less miles and end up in Las Cruces, NM.  Good Night!

 

“As you become a part of Run For The Wall,

the Run becomes a part of you.”

– Bob “Captain America” Nelson

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Ontario – Tuesday May 17, 2022

May 17, 2022

Yesterday afternoon we pulled into the host hotel, the Ontario Airport Hotel.  I’m traveling with my brother-in-law, Mike who is an FNG which stands for (polite terms) “Fun New Guy”.  Military lingo for first timers.  After checking in and getting all the materials, we were getting lots of hugs with welcome back and “Welcome Home” to the FNG.  Very warm and gracious greetings all around.  It was great to see so many familiar faces and catch up on life’s events making it through the Covid years.

 

Mike’s impression of the warm greetings was great.  He’s been to a lot of group meetings with other bikers, some big group rides like the Love Ride in Los Angeles, but never such warm greetings and hugs because he’s wearing an FNG button which is letting everyone know he’s a new guy.  I also heard a comment from him that “this is over whelming, to try and take it all in”. The number of motorcycles parked around the hotel is impressive.  Lots of different kinds of bike, mostly big cruisers.  Of course, there are a lot of trikes and CamAm’s.  Bike’s with trailers are among us too.  The three wheelers and bikes with trailers are towards the end of the pack.  One of the trailer guys jokingly referred to their group as “trailer trash”.  Having a sense of humor and keeping in mind the mantra of “no attitudes” is an expected part of this community.  This is an opportunity to heal and help others heal.  Today’s warriors have a better acceptance and understanding to the PTSD that is contrived through the horrible experiences of war.  That doesn’t reduce the impact at all, please understand that point but it’s at least talked about and there are some services available to vets that have gone through the “sand box” wars.  They are usually lacking but some of them are trying.  Back in the days of Nam, the home coming reception was different and not a good one.  My personal experience had me in the USAF from ’72 to ’75 during the Viet Nam war but I stayed state side, working on ICBM Minute Man missiles so I was not “in country” but my two brothers were along with friends of mine including two high school class mates that didn’t come home.  Often these warriors came home to be called baby killers because of some pictures or stories about individual cases where children were killed.  That attitude was being portrayed to all the warriors coming home by some of the people that stayed here in the states protesting the “conflict”.  It was a tough to have gone through those experiences and then come home to a reception of contempt.  Many warriors stood up and volunteered to protect their country from communism, but the draft brought many of the warriors into the conflict involuntarily.  So, instead of going to jail, it was accepted to go to Viet Nam and do what you had to.  To then be treated so poorly after experiencing traumatic events left some big scars on top of the scars that were received overseas.  This RFTW group has a mission to “Ride for Those That Can’t”.  The healing is for everyone and most importantly, remembering those that have never been recovered and are still MIA’s or KIA’s.  The families of those that “Can’t Ride” need healing also so we’re honored with many Gold Star and Blue Star family members riding with us.  Those family sacrifices are traumatic also.  I’m about to get off the soapbox here but it needs to be said that other wars like WWII, WWI, Korea had similar issues where they called it “Shell Shock” or “Battle Fatigue”.  The horrors of war are always a difficult thing to process.  It seems the human brain wasn’t designed to handle too many of these horrors but many warriors end up forced to deal with it and this organization is helping all in many ways.

R “Boots”
USAF ’72 – ’75

The RFTW Mission Statement:

Mission Statement

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.

Tomorrow morning we leave Ontario and head for Casa Grande, Arizona.  402 miles of time on the motorcycle with family and friends.  What could be better?  It’s MAY!!

 

“…the bonds of brotherhood remain stronger
than the space and time between us.”
-Billie “Bugs” Dunlap

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Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL” Sitrep Day 11

Southern Route, VIRTUAL Sitrep, Day 11, Saturday, May 23

Today we went to the host hotel downtown to meet up w our RFTW road guards. Their mission today is to take 400 of us to Arlington National Cemetery. Most of us are FNGs as we get the first dibs to go into the cemetery itself which is out of the ordinary. You have to feel special as RFTW is the only motorcycle group allowed to go in. 

All 400 bikes were staged in the underground parking garage. It was pretty full. They had us packed four wide between the pillars. It was so close I couldn’t pick up my bike until the bagger next to me got picked up. 

There was a briefing by the local police department. We’d be going the wrong-way on the ramp, hang a couple of sharp turns and do a U-turn. Oh yay. Then we’d be going down the interstate. We had police support all the way and they were alongside of us as well. Was nice. It’s been awesome having interstates closed, ramps closed, red lights that don’t matter, stop signs that don’t matter. We’ll have to be careful after this, though. Can’t be blowing through any of that stuff.

Row-by-row we started our engines and rolled out. It was pretty awesome as we went down the road two-by-two.  We got to Arlington and they got us parked.  

I checked a landmark statue to be sure I could find the bike again. Yep. Another reason for not buying a black bike.  It’s hard enough even with Barracuda Barbie being a sparkly silver.  

We got down to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just in time for the Changing of the Guard ceremony and two wreath-laying ceremonies. One of the wreaths was from our RFTW group. 

I’ve been to this cemetery one other time. It was much quieter and more peaceful then. With 400 motorcycles and maybe 550 people, tourists and the holiday folks, it was anything but quiet.  It doesn’t matter how many people, the surroundings are still peaceful and beautiful; the wreath-laying ceremonies and the changing of the guard are moving and fascinating.  

The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service personnel who have died without their remains being identified.  The impeccably-uniformed guards wear Army dress blue uniforms and always bear their M-14 weapons away from the tomb as a gesture against intrusion on their post.  There is a cadence of steps, and exact steps and times … 21 steps, 21 seconds.  The number 21 was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed – the 21-gun-salute.

During the summer months from April through Sept. 30, the changing happens every half hour.  It’s interesting what all they go through, what their duties are and what they must continue to do even after their tour here. 

From there we were to leave with road guard support. It turned into quite a mess. My group, I believe, lost its road guard, and ended up not at the Lincoln Memorial where we were supposed to be. It was a few minutes in another direction. So I followed folks again. Then ended up behind some guys who were going to a hotel. Ugh. Went through the roundabout again and followed some other folks. Got there and parked after riding onto the sidewalk and parking on the grass. (Just remember, grass is not my friend).  I took a photo of the street sign and looked around. I was on the backside of the memorial. I hurried as I was afraid I was going to miss the big group photo. I was okay. And sat on the steps and chatted with other folks. I couldn’t see my friend Joe even though I stood up a few times and looked around. 

Now I was nervous as I didn’t know where Joe was. My phone was dying, meaning no way to get in touch with Joe. And no GPS to get me to the hotel. Backup plan. Ask someone to get me to the host hotel and find someone who could charge my phone. Made my last couple of charge percents count. Called Joe’s wife, Verlie. Told her I couldn’t find Joe. She got him and he got me. Met up and did not let him out of my sight again. 

Joe and I wandered about a bit and saw other new friends Peter and Elisa. We found Tapout and got our FNG pins turned from upright to upside down. I was going to have G-Rex do it but never saw him after yesterday. ☹️. Super nice guys. Wonder what their real names are. 

Finally left the area and got back to our hotel and got fed. 

It was an exhilarating but emotional day … all the memorials, all the people I’d traveled with, saying goodbyes.  RFTW can change your life … maybe mostly for those who have served, but also people like me who have not served are affected.  Your awareness goes up several notches and you begin to understand a bit of what those who have served suffered through, and still suffer from.  I believe the years I’ve been riding have led me to this run … RFTW.  Is it May yet?

Tomorrow … Rolling Thunder, hopefully. 

Peppermint Patti

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Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL Sitrep Day 10

Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL Sitrep Day 10

Day 10, May 22, 2020 — Lynchburg, VA, to Arlington, VA, 256 miles

A short day, today. Yay. We’re supposed to get in about 2 pm and get information about going into Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow. RFTW is the only group that is allowed to ride motorcycles into the cemetery.

At our meeting this am they called everyone up that dropped a bike.  Just to clarify, I didn’t drop it just by myself. A guy ran into the back of me so it ended up on the ground. It turns out that about half the room went up to get a Purple Heart decal due to dropped bikes. I was in great company.  😊

For the FNGs that started in Ontario, they got the zip ties that will go on their bikes tomorrow before heading to the cemetery. The color is kept secret so people can’t go get some when they’re not supposed to.

PB&J is a favorite. Our last lunch as a group today was just that. It tasted great. And I’m still liking the long lines for the men’s room.

We had a harrowing journey getting into Arlington. Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. And the host hotel was downtown. I think. It wasn’t good. It only got worse after we left the host hotel to get to ours. Fourteen miles of a lot of stop-and-go traffic. People here don’t seem to be very courteous. And they don’t have cars here with turn signals.

It’s been quite the 10-day run. We’ve had a good time but it’s a grueling, exhausting, tense and mentally-draining run. But I believe we’ve helped raise the awareness of the mission through what we’ve done thereby accomplishing what we set out to do.

The folks I’ve met on RFTW all have a common bond, much like other groups I’m involved with, but this one is different. It can’t be explained, but these people are family helping each other to heal from the past. I’m proud to have come and proud to have been a part of it.

It’s been great for so many reasons and I’m ready to do it all over again. Is it May yet?

“Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.”  President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Peppermint Patti

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Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL” Sitrep Day 9

RFTW Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL” Sitrep Day 9

Day 9, May 21, 2020 — Wytheville, VA, to Lynchburg, VA, 130 miles

We had our morning briefings, prayers, pledges and memorials. They’re something I cannot describe. We had MIA stories including a recovery success story. So many of these stories bring tears to a lot of the folks here. I can only hope that these tears are also providing some healing as they are surrounded by their own kind … veterans, many of whom were not held in high regard.  They’re also surrounded by family and others who care.

And that’s why we’re riding. To bring awareness for those who are MIA/POW. And for getting back the more than 1,500 that are still unaccounted for. They need to come home. This run has certainly raised my awareness and made me want to do more.

After the morning business we got all set up at Withers Park and prepared for the
Spiller Elementary Program school children that were being bussed in. Many of our people had trinkets for the youngsters. Someone gave me a sheet of Marine logos. I passed them out to first and second graders as they came walking down the hill to meet the bikers.

We had songs and poems from some of the older children. It was so touching. They’re learning about their country. They’re learning about patriotism. It was just an incredible morning and emotionally uplifting.

When we were waiting for the youngsters to come into the park, I’d been asked if I’d like to be part of the Missing Man Formation. Absolutely. So after we were finished with the kids and ceremonies, we went to the bikes and I joined the Missing Man group.

I was asked who I was riding for. I told them I was riding for my Vietnam vet because I believe all who come home are missing something, a piece of themselves, of their hearts and souls — that was left behind in the war. I was also riding for all those who are MIA.

The Missing Man formation is at the very front of all the platoons. I rode in formation for 90 miles.  What an exhilarating experience to feel that you are a part of something that has value and yet cannot be truly expressed. I reflected on those lost. On those pieces of hearts that were lost. Of those who are missing and may never come home. It’s a sobering thought to think that we cannot return someone to their loved ones so they have closure.

From the gas stop I rode with the Support Platoon that also rides up front. Yahoo. It was awesome.

Our second stop was at Montvale Elementary in Virginia where we were greeted by children holding up flags and posters. Then we all went inside to have lunch, followed by a program in the gym. These children were amazing. The children and their teachers had a presentation that didn’t leave a dry eye. It was a grand display of patriotism from pre-school to fifth grade. There was a showing of flags for the various branches of the service, poems and wonderful songs by all of the kids.

One of the kids got up and spoke and said this was the most exciting day of the year. The kids love watching, waiting and seeing the bike lights coming down the street and into the parking lots. They love to hear the rumble and thunder from the bikes. And he said thank you for our veterans because our free nation is because of your bravery. From the mouth of a child.

How could you not absolutely love these two stops today to see these kids that are learning patriotism. Are learning that we are a great nation. Are learning that veterans matter.

From there we went a few miles to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford. There are depictions of soldiers trying to get to shore and being shot at. I think each day I keep writing that this is the best thing I’ve seen. Then the next day there is something just as good. This memorial is truly spectacular yet it tugs so hard at your heart. The shots fired into the water, the men trying to reach the shore and climb over the wall. Wow!!

On this trip there have been so many memories shared. And from what I’ve seen there’s been a lot of healing by some who felt that they were unworthy. That they were in a war that didn’t matter. They didn’t go because they wanted to. They went because they were sent. They should be honored for being veterans. And we should be grateful for what they do.

This RFTW has shown me something more.  There is hope for America.

The evening ended with dinner at Harley-Davidson of Lynchburg.  Once again, RFTW has been shown nothing but friendliness and generosity by everyone along the route – the people, the businesses, the organizations.

All I can say is if you don’t love your country with your heart and soul, this ride’s not for you.  It jumpstarts your patriotism again.  It fills a hole you may have.  It’s healing.  I could see that all around me.

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”  Desmond Tutu

Peppermint Patti

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Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL” Sitrep Day 8

RFTW 2020 Sitreps, virtual

Day 8, May 20, 2020 — Chattanooga, TN, to Wytheville, VA, 279 miles

Every morning we have mandatory meetings. While not all are about signals, we are reminded about them now and again. There are rules, also many of which some need constant reminding. Stay off the zipper. Keep your spacing uniform and close the gap.  Pass the signals back.  Put your pegs up for fuel stops.   There are also a few signs when we stop for gas … D means our gas was donated. $5 means you only pay $5. P means you pay for your gas. If it’s an amount over an even dollar, it’s rounded up and the extra goes into a fund to pay for some of the run gas expenses. Works for me.

A few stops ago I bumped into the back of a guy when a fueler pulled me up too close to someone and I couldn’t see that he had what I thought might be a covered trailer hitch. He turned back toward me, looking annoyed. I understood as someone had bumped me at a station several days ago. I noticed he was a platoon leader, so I looked for him and found him a few stops later.  I went to him and apologized. He told me that in that container was his $250 hat. I apologized profusely and finally got him to say it was okay. No damage. I saw him later wearing that hat. It was very nice, and he was pleased when I asked to take his photo.

This morning we went to a wreath-laying ceremony at the Silverdale Confederate Cemetery. Jerry, the gentleman who has made it into something beautiful has been working on it for 56 years. He said he’s worn out a lot of lawn mowers.  I laid a RFTW rock on the Southern Cross Memorial. It’s a beautiful and quiet place … when there aren’t about 600 RFTW bikers there. There were a lot of flag displays that were quite interesting.

Every day your place in the platoon changes so you have different riding companions around you after each stop.  You quickly learn who you want to ride with, and you hope you get near them at the next stop. It’s a great way to have you mingle.  I’ve met some awesome folks. E-Lisa and Peter. Carlo. And I’ve met others whose names I don’t know. There are great people here for a calling to do this mission. I believe the number for the Southern Route is now more than 600.

Every day we have a prayer during our all-hands mandatory meeting and then again at our platoon meeting. The Chaplain with our platoon is Chaps. He’s a nice guy, kind and has been supportive of me riding with the platoon. Actually, pretty much all of our leadership has been, and I appreciate them. They’ve done a great job. Our Platoon Leader, COB, and Asst. Platoon Leader, Hollywood, have been great also. They’re experienced and I’m pleased to be in their platoon.

The memory of the day. The year was 1968. F2s flying. Weather clear. Dipper flight reported 5 miles visibility. Dung Hoi. They couldn’t identify new targets in the POL area, so they investigated another site. They located nothing and returned to the POL area. The plane went down from ground fire and the two-man crew was MIA. This is why we ride.

In Virginia they closed down Interstate 81. There have been so many times on and off ramps have been closed, lanes closed as we’ve crossed the country.  It’s incredible the organization that goes into this and what can be accomplished with some help.

A few of us didn’t get too stop for lunch at Black Wolf HD but needed to go directly to Black Bear HD.   With time on my hands I traded the Police bike for a Barracuda Silver Road King. Think that will be her name. Barracuda.

Tonight is steak night at the Moose Lodge.  Yahoo.

I’ve done a lot of runs … fun, charity.  All are good and have a purpose.  But this run is more than that – it’s fulfilling.  My heart is full.

“The battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, and the brave.”  Patrick Henry

Peppermint Patti

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Southern Route 2020 “VIRTUAL” Sitrep Day 7

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