Photo Credit to Jim “Hoofer” McCrain
Fellow riders and supporters, let me be the first to welcome you to Run for the Wall Midway Route 2025! I am extremely honored to have been selected by Don “10-A-See” King and appointed by the Run for the Wall Board of Directors to humbly serve you as the Route Coordinator for the coming year. It is a position that I take very serious as the bar has been set high by over decade of extremely large Midway boots that I now step into. Collectively with your support and dedication we will make it another great year.
I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank Don “10-A-See” King for all that you have done over the last year to help prepare me for serving Midway as the RC. You are an outstanding example of what a servant leader is. I truly appreciate the countless hours of mentoring, input, and conversations that we have shared over the last twelve months. Most importantly I thank you for the friendship…It’s all good brother!
I would like to thank the Board of Directors for approving my nomination of Mike “Heavy” King as Midway Route’s 2025 Assistant Route Coordinator. For those that do not know Mike, he has served Midway Route as the Oklahoma State Coordinator and a Road Guard LEO Liaison. Mike is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army with 29 years of military service and currently serves as the USAG Fort Sill Director of Emergency Services & Provost Marshal. He is also a Blue Star father to a daughter serving in the Navy and a son in the Army. Mike brings of wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise to RFTW and I am excited to have him as part of our team. Please join me in congratulating him in the new role!
As many of you know, 2025 is a monumental year for Run for the Wall. It not only marks the 35th Anniversary since the ’89ers went kickstands up starting this journey but it is also the 50th Anniversary of the official ending to the Vietnam War. Having just attended the Face 2 Face meeting with the RFTW Board of Directors, RC, and ARC’s I can tell you that the a great deal of effort has been put into “The Year of the Vietnam Vet.” Much more information will be released in the coming weeks so if you have not yet done so please go to the Contact page on the RFTW website and sign up for email updates. I would also encourage you to “surf” around the website if you have not done so in a while. The BOD has been updating several things that I believe you will all find beneficial. Stay tuned for more to come…
Thank you to everyone that has provided an After Action Report (AAR) so far. I can assure you that each and every one received is read by not only myself and the ARC but also by the members of the Board of Directors. We truly appreciate the input regardless of it being good, bad, or ugly. Your comments not only help us ensure we continue maintaining what is working but also focus on improving the areas we are falling short. If you have not done so but would like to provide an AAR please go to respective Route Hub and click on After Action Report. For Midway you can find it at https://rftw.us/after-action-report/ These can be filled out any time of year as well as during the Run. You are also welcome to reach out to myself, Mike, or the Board of Directors directly. Our information can be found on the website.
Run for the Wall is a 10 day mission however we are very fortunate to have the BOD’s support for Midway to leave a day early in order accommodate the logistics around several stops we have along our journey to DC. Our mission is no different than the other routes but we need the Board’s approval to depart from Ontario a day ahead of the others to make this work. Please take a moment to thank them for the continued support of Midway’s 11th day! That being said planning for 2025 is well underway. The majority of last year’s leadership and State Coordinators are returning but just like Uncle Sam says “I WANT YOU” Each and every volunteer position is critical to the safety of making it all the way and successfully completing our mission. You can find out more about each position on the website as well as complete the online application under the Volunteer Sign Up page. Over the coming months I will be highlighting respective Team Leader and what their crew does but in the meantime if you have questions please do not hesitate to reach out directly.
“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.” This is why we ride. Together let’s make 2025 a year to remember and give our Vietnam Veterans the WELCOME HOME they so deserved 50 years ago.
Say their names. Tell their stories. Never forget.
Eric “Pitch” Fort
Route Coordinator – Midway 2025
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available. 