Greetings RFTW Midway Family.
Happy Independence Day! I want to begin by thanking all of our military, past and present, for their sacrifice and service for our country. You have fought to maintain the freedom given to us by our founding fathers. I will never forget! I hope you all will have a great day.
As I write this, my final RC Newsletter, I want to thank everyone who has supported me, our Midway route and RFTW mission. I am so proud of the team and family we have built on Midway. Our 2022 route was a huge success, and we had another accident-free Run! This could not have been done without the excellent teamwork on our route. Our riders and all the FNGs were amazing! Thank you for making this year so special.
I am still working on closing our 2022 route. I have additional plaques on order and they should be shipping soon. I also have some rockers that were missing on order as well. However, those may take a little longer to get because “Stitch-N-Bitch” is on the road right now and will not be able to get them made until she makes it back home. There are also a couple of caps that I am working on getting for a few people. I will be mailing some missing certificates once I receive the rockers. Just know that the Run may be over, but I am still on the job making sure I get everyone on our team what they deserve. I also want to give you all my private (non-RFTW) email. it is kdugas@pharmasafe.com. I hope to stay in touch with as many of you as possible.
As you all know, we faced and overcame many challenges this year. One of those being the loss of my right-hand man, our ARC Jerry “Corp” Wilkins, who had to leave the run and return home to California. Jim “Bruzer” Bruzewski, stepped up to finish our route as ARC. I want to publicly thank Jerry for all his hard work and dedication to our route and our mission. He worked side by side with me for 3 years and was such an important part of the success we had on Midway. Thank you Jerry, you were missed.
During and after the route, Jerry, Bruzer and I had several meetings discussing the future of Midway and the path moving forward. Considering the safety of the pack, putting mission before self, and Jerry having to leave the route, Jerry and Bruzer agreed and requested that I should nominate Bruzer as RC and Jerry as his ARC to the BOD. The BOD has approved this.
It is my honor to officially announce Jim “Bruzer” Bruzewski as the 2023 Midway RC! Bruzer is a Vietnam Veteran and was a POW in Vietnam. He is my RFTW hero and what RFTW is all about. He is also very knowledgeable in what it takes to lead this pack across the country. He has been a Road Guard and our Push Team leader for many years. Bruzer has made me a better man and I could not be more honored to be able to call him my friend. Jerry unselfishly will be Bruzer’s ARC making him the longest running ARC in RFTW history! I am confident that the future of the Midway Route is in good hands with these guys.
I cannot leave without also giving a special thanks to our Road Guard Captain, Rick “Taildragger” Schultz. We were FNGs then RIGITS together, and now, we leave together. It has been quite a ride my friend! Thank you for all of your support throughout the years. I am the rider I am today because of your teachings and time working with me. (So, whether you think I am a good or bad rider, it is on you! lol!)
I cannot list all our leadership and support positions individually, but I hope you know how much I appreciate the great jobs you all do, and I thank you very much.
Being a part of building our Midway route from the beginning has been such a labor of love and pride for me. I am so proud of the culture of servant leadership, mission before self, safety and family that has been built. The RFTW mission, and especially our Midway family will always have a special place in my heart. I will continue to support Bruzer and Jerry as needed to the best of my abilities. Thank you for giving me the privilege of leading this route. It is a memory that I will always cherish.
Have I told you lately?……………………… I love my RFTW Midway family! I will miss all of you.
Honor, Hope and Healing,
Ken “Six String” Dugas
Midway RC 2020-2022
