President’s Message – August 2025

As I sit down to write this, we are 292 days away from KSU.

RFTW remains an ongoing planning process, and the Board must continually look strategically across the organization while our RCs and ARCs focus on operational planning for the upcoming Mission. Our focus remains on our Mission, as outlined in our Mission Statement.

RFTW 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.

Our Mission does not end with Mission Accomplished at both DC and Marseilles.  Our veterans, families, and friends may need our love and support throughout the year.  Before we go too far into this newsletter, if you haven’t yet had a chance to donate to our Texas Flood Victim fund, please click here for more information on what this is and how you can help.  This effort will remain open through 31 July.  We will then stop our fundraiser so we can transfer the funds to those in need.  Our thoughts and prayers continue for those not only in Texas, but also those still affected on the East Coast (think Asheville, NC) and the California wildfires.

We recently returned from our annual Face-to-Face meetings. There was a lot on the agenda, and I’ll cover the main points.

• RFTW has traditionally been a 10-day Coast to Coast (C2C) and a 3-day Wall to Wall (W2W) mission; all C2C routes are returning to 10-day schedules. With careful planning, this should not affect Midway’s ability to support its charities. Our original plan was to try an 11-day mission to see if and how it might impact our support and infrastructure. Only one route expressed interest in an 11-day run, while the other two strongly opposed changing to the 11-day format. Having routes depart on different days caused difficulties for those supporting us in Ontario, and it also divided our efforts to build strong relationships and camaraderie among the routes. It also puts pressure on our supporters, especially the LEO efforts, to ensure safe and smooth departures. It strains the organizations that provide essential support and services for our departures.
• We also updated our general qualifications for leadership roles and RC qualifications, emphasizing the role of the Platoon Coordinator to improve the RC’s span of control and responsibility.
• Next, we imposed restrictions on support vehicles traveling with our teams due to critical safety concerns. Support vehicles for teams can no longer travel within 1/4 mile of a team. We received too many reports of support vehicles “riding in formation” with a team. We intentionally limit the proximity of support vehicles to the pack to ensure team safety.
• Finally, we also replaced all references to CB radios and completed the switch to GMRS radios.

Your AARs provided us with numerous discussion topics, particularly regarding leadership. As a result, we are creating a Leadership Guide that will set the minimum expectations and qualifications for our leaders. We expect to have the guide ready soon. Similarly, we are working on an FNG Coordinator guide. We listened to our FNGs, and we need to ensure we create a welcoming environment across all routes, so they have a positive experience.

We received an astonishing 29% response to our survey.  We extend our thanks to all the 2025 participants for taking the time to answer our questions. The following is an overview of the responses:

There is work yet to be done based on the survey results.  We will be releasing more information as this work progresses.

One of the most challenging topics was our registration fees. We are facing another likely 25-40% increase in insurance this year, and we simply cannot absorb these increases and other costs. We established the registration fee schedule for RFTW 2026 as:

Coast to coast routes

• $100 early bird
• $120 regular reg (starting Feb 1)
• Day riders (up to 3 days on the road riding): $100

Sandbox Route

• $40 early bird
• $60 (regular reg) starting Feb 1
• Day riders pay regular rates

Another challenge is replacing our Treasurer; no one has stepped up to volunteer. As a result, we will probably have to hire a bookkeeping firm. Our financials are vital to our IRS status and our charitable ratings. While we aren’t aiming to make a profit (since we are a nonprofit organization). However, we are required to file taxes and an annual Form 990, so maintaining financial integrity is essential.

We also had a detailed discussion about Sandbox leaving on Monday instead of Sunday. While the Sunday departure presents its own set of challenges, a Monday departure is even more difficult. The safety issues involved in traveling through Columbus, OH, and Indianapolis, IN, with limited law enforcement support, coupled with the heavy truck traffic in Indianapolis, led the Board to decide to stick with the Sunday departure.  We don’t believe we can safely execute the Sandbox mission through these two locations on a normal weekday.

The RFTW Podcast with Boots and Hitch continues to highlight what makes RFTW a unique organization. I encourage you to take a listen. Each episode explores a distinct aspect of RFTW, featuring interviews with various individuals who have contributed to the development of RFTW.  Check it out!!

With that, I leave you with a few thoughts regarding why we ride.

“If you are able, save them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always.

Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.”

—- Major Michael Davis O’Donnell 1 January 1970 Dak To, Vietnam

—-Michael Davis O’Donnell is on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Panel 12W, Line 040.

It is not the worst thing to die in war; it is not the worst thing to be missing in war. The worst thing is to be forgotten in War.

‘No one left behind’ is more than just a standard we strive to meet. It is a way of life. It is part of our Mission. If you or someone you know finds themselves struggling with mental health, please know you can contact the VA Veteran’s Crisis Line by dialing 988, then pressing 1, or texting 838255 to speak or chat with a qualified responder.

POW/MIA Recovery Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) continues its dedicated efforts to recover and identify remains from all conflicts.  Since the beginning of this Fiscal Year in September, they have accounted for 58 individuals lost in conflicts since World War II, with 43 identified from that war.  In addition, there were 13 accounted for from the Korean War and two from the Vietnam War – that leaves 1573 still missing in Vietnam, most of whom still have families looking for answers. Our four-part Mission begins with the call for accounting – those families are our families, and they deserve our support.

Let us dedicate ourselves and our efforts and remember to keep our focus on the Mission. It is why we ride!

Say Their Names – Tell Their Stories – Never Forget.

Back to Basics. Back to the RFTW Mission.

Is it May yet?

See you in Ontario!!!!