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Central Route 2017 – Day 8 – Corydon, IN to Nitro, WV

Hi Everyone,

Okay this thing is almost over! So long waited and planned for and now it is screaming by and soon will be a distant memory. We only have 2 more days and we will be in DC on Friday night. To all my faithful listeners out there, thank you! I will try to fulfill my promises tonight and tomorrow night and Saturday if needed. This posting has been a “hoot” for me. Not real sure what that means but I have learned much of what not to do and getting a little easier as I go along. Any way, thanks much.

We left our cozy Corydon and headed to Nitro WV. First stop Robley Rex, VMAC. When we arrived there we were greeted by many of the staff who gave us a hearty welcome. We met some special people there and if you have been there before, you may know them.

We were able to go up to some of the rooms and visit some of the patients. We had the privilege of talking to some and praying with others. It was a blessing to us for sure.

We headed to Wadi which is a gas stop and at that point I was given the honor of riding “missing man”. For those who do not know what that means, it is a practice that, for example, it a group of planes went out into combat and one or more were shot down and lost, then the returning planes would form up to show two lead planes and in the 2nd row the plane on the right would be missing, signifying that there had been a loss. A similar pattern is used on the RFTW where we leave the 2nd row, right side vacant and we ride that way between each stop and we do this to show that this is what RFTW is really all about. If we are to honor the POW’s and MIA’s then the RUN really needs to be about supporting them. All the other foofaraw is a side issue. Sometimes necessary and sometimes not and it is important to keep the main thing the main thing. I appreciated the opportunity and Tom “Bones” and “Mrs. Bones Pogue do a very, very good sincere job in that position. I knew much more about all of it after talking with them. I rode missing man to the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This is a marvelous place. This sun dial points to the day that the veteran was killed. When there we She had a powerful, passionate message that she delivered in the pouring rain.

I met a sweet lady there who comes now and again to the memorial. Her husband Lieutenant Lowell Reese died over a year ago and he served in Viet Nam and wrote a book from his diary notes that he made during the war. (Should be very interesting reading) her email is carolreese@aol.com.

Lunch at Mtn. Sterling

Trip to Nitro was quick for me as I was able to go ahead of the back by permission and get ready to take some video of the arrival of the pack into Nitro. Again it is in 4 different clips as my technology that I could bring along, Instagram, will only let me download 1 minute at a time. Keep in mind that nearly 40% of the pack is made up of support groups such as RG, Fuel, Staging etc., so what you are seeing is only about 60% of the riders.

Well as you know I have a few promises to keep to you all and I will do my best tomorrow as it is going to be a shorter day going to Rainelle. I will do my best to finish R G’s, Staging, Ambassadors, FNG’s and Fuel Crew and one or two Bio’s too. Thanks for your patience.

Talk tomorrow, take care, and my God richly bless you again. It has been a blessed day for me.

Roger “Pops” Hageman 970-566-1918

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