
Greetings from the Battle Born State. I hope everyone was able to enjoy the Holidays with loved ones and friends. I am really looking forward to 2025 and the 35th annual Run For The Wall. When I was a kid, I remember counting down the days until Christmas. I couldn’t wait until it was Christmas Morning. As I got older, that excitement grew less and less until those days seemed to be behind me, and I thought I’d never have that same feeling of anticipation again. And then I discovered Run For The Wall. I am once again counting down the days. Only 120 days until KSU, and instead of looking forward to opening presents and being with family, I am looking forward to once again seeing my RFTW family and continuing this incredible mission.
“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.”
Sandbox currently has 203 riders registered. If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend registering by January 31st. Starting February 1st, the registration fee for all routes goes up, so be sure to register early and save some money! Also, registering early helps our hard-working State Coordinators and all those who support us on the run for planning purposes.
The Sandbox Route Leadership team is making great progress on the planning of the upcoming run in 2025. The logistics and changing of a couple of our stops are still ongoing in an effort to improve the overall Route. Our State Coordinators continue to do excellent work on confirming our stops and have done an outstanding job preparing our overnight stops, hotels, and accommodations for those camping. The Hotel and camping list is posted here. If you have any difficulties with making reservations, please let us know so that they can be addressed promptly. Please be patient and courteous with hotel staff when making reservations, and remember that you represent RFTW even when making those reservations. Even though extensive efforts have been made to coordinate with the Hotels, the person you reach on the phone may not be aware of RFTW and/or published rates. Be patient and ask to speak to a manager or sometimes it is best to just call back later.
Missing Man
Unfortunately, Last year’s Missing Man Coordinator, Greg Stenzel, will not be able to make the Sandbox run this year. He has a new work obligation that will keep him from doing the run. Greg did a great job last year and will be sorely missed. The good news is we have another rider, Alan Farmer “Rocketman”, who has stepped up for the position. Alan worked with Sue Chapin “Odds” on Midway last year and will do a great job filling Greg’s shoes. If you are going to be an FNG (Fine New Guy/Gal) on Sandbox and would like to ride a leg in the Missing Man Formation, reach out to Alan at alankfarmer@gmail.com and ph: 205-422-1205.
Honor Guard
The Honor Guard Coordinator is Roger Ford “Bullseye”. The Honor Guard does formal presentations of special flags and or wreaths at some of our stops. If you are interested in participating on the Honor Guard Team, reach out to Roger at roger.ford1234@gmail.com ph: 619-804-2336. If you haven’t marched for a while or never marched before, we will train you and give you a hugely rewarding experience. Those that haven’t marched for a while, it comes back easily, trust me.
The Sandbox Route is still looking for volunteers. We need a PL, APL, and TG for the 8th Platoon (Bikes and Trikes with trailers). You don’t need to be pulling a trailer to be in leadership in this platoon. If you are interested, please fill out a volunteer form here.
Like any organization, there are a number of people who work very hard behind the scenes, and most people are never aware of what they do. I will discuss some of those volunteers in each of my following news letters. This month, I’d like to introduce two of those dedicated people who keep Sandbox rolling.
First is our Leadership Admin support, Roger Boots “Boots”. Roger performs many tasks, but most importantly (for me), he proofreads and corrects my newsletters and gets them published. He also keeps the Sandbox contact list up to date and makes sure everything admin runs smoothly.
The second person I’d like to introduce is our Quartermaster, Cliff Brumels “Breecher”. Cliff is responsible for ordering, tracking, issuing, and collecting all our equipment (hats, brassards, rockers, windshield banners, flags, Missing Man patches and pins, and numerous other items). This is a huge (and often thankless) job. Last year, Cliff and his wife, Denise, hung around in the rain collecting and accounting for all the brassards in the parking lot at the MECWM while everyone else was heading for Hotels or Home.
Remember, “Nothing Great is ever accomplished alone!” Let’s continue to work together to make the Sandbox Route great! Together, we will Continue the Mission safely and successfully!
Route Coordinator
RFTW Sandbox 2025