No, it’s not May yet. However, it is December and that means Christmas is a few weeks away. As you enjoy the holidays with family, please remember the reason for the season and keep Christ in it.
The planning for the 2018 Run for The Wall event continues with our State Coordinators taking the point on arranging our hotels and camping sites. When you see a State Coordinator, I ask you to please take a moment to thank them for the hard work they do to make this Run possible.
The planned route is shaping up pretty much as it was for 2017. The one exception is that we are going back to Hurricane, WV, as the construction should be completed by May.
The Leadership teams are in place and they are anxious to get on the road as much as I am. I have added another motorcycle platoon for this year, the 30th Annual Run, anticipating that our numbers might be larger due to more exposure via social media.
Online registration for the RFTW 2018 Run is open at www.rftw.us. I encourage you to register now as it helps in our planning to make 2018 smooth and successful.
We added a Family Outreach team to the Central Route for the 2018 Run, which is modeled after the program instituted by the Southern Route. The mission of this team is to visit Gold Star families along our route to let them know we are remembering them and their fallen solider. Eamon tells me that planning and coordination is going very well with the cooperation of State Coordinators.
I can report that the Central Route Coordinator’s Welcome Video has been posted to www.rftw.us. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Chuck Brown for the editing and production.
December Safety Tip: In last month’s Safety Tip I talked about how we want to look sharp and squared away in our Group Formation as we approach overpasses lined with flag waving supporters who have waited for our arrival. I mentioned that small THROTTLE inputs are the key to formation riding. That holds true as we approach those overpasses. As tempting as it may be to look up at the crowd and wave back, do NOT lose your concentration and roll off on the throttle. Keep that right hand on the throttle and maintain your position. Rolling off power sends a ripping slowdown to the Pack behind you.
Merry Christmas,
Harlan “Whitebirch” Olson
My Wall is Your Wall
