Posted on 1 Comment

RFTW SR RC Newsletter – SEPTEMBER 2018 – Part 1

Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas!

Yes, I’m writing from Fort Worth having returned just this past weekend from the RFTW All Route Kerrville Reunion. Cowboy and Sam and the cast of family supporting the effort outdid themselves again in presenting the best Kerrville Reunion EVER! The weather didn’t cooperate like we all hoped it would, but you can’t rain out the Run and you can’t rain out the spirit of the Mission which was obviously as strong as it was last May.

Besides the Reunion, your Southern Route Leadership Team has been hard at work coordinating the events and support leading up to next May. We are very close to announcing the entire Platoon Leadership assignments, but in the meantime, your RFTW XXXI Platoon Leaders have been assigned as follows…

Six Pack:          Don “Mid-Wife” Jordan

1st Platoon:     Lennie “Big Red” Hodson

2nd Platoon:   Ralph “Sidewinder” Sorenson

3rd Platoon:    Mike “COB” Pittman

4th Platoon:    Robert “Old School” Reavis

5th Platoon:    David “Buzz” Mullen

6th Platoon:   Adam “Copper” McElroy

7th Platoon:    Van “Silk Tie” Robinson

8th Platoon:   George “Mr. Magic” Howard

9th Platoon:   Dennis “Pop” Schwartz

10th Platoon:  Angie “Den Mother” Uhler

The Assistant Platoon Leaders and Tailgunners are being notified now and the full list will be published very soon.

I’ve also sent out a coordination message to all the Southern Route State Coordinators looking for information concerning their areas of responsibility and information about their team supply requirements. If you are a State Coordinator or Assistant and you don’t have an e-mail in your inbox from me, please contact me ASAP.

On another note, online Registration for RFTW XXXI is open and the on-line geedunk store is stocked and ready to take your orders. At last report, there were almost 200 folks already pre-registered across all routes. The incentive to register online is even greater this year in that on-site registration will now be $50 – online registration remains at $30. Don’t wait – register now!

Finally, I want to express how proud I am to be a part of this family. Regardless of your politics, or what brand of motorcycle you ride or whether you say pee-cann or pee-cahn, it just doesn’t matter when we get together to reinforce the bonds that make us strong. And those bonds are STRONG! I can’t tell you how many people have told me – “I’ll do any job you need me to do!” and they mean it! Those are the folks with their eye on the mission and know that ALL the jobs are important. I challenge all of you who look forward to May, to keep in mind that the Mission goes on year ‘round and the job you do to advance that mission is just as important now as it will be then.

Watch for Part 2 coming soon…

Bugs out!

Billie “Bugs” Dunlap

Southern Route Coordinator

Run For The Wall XXXI

Posted on Leave a comment

Midway Route Coordinator News – September 2018

Fellow Riders & Participants;
We have a good majority of the 2019 Leadership in-place. There are some vacancies to be filled in Fuel Crew and Staging Crew. Platoons are being managed and assigned by Dan Sifford, via Midway RC and ARC. If interested in a position, write to me on your experience and qualifications. Your interest will be reviewed and discussed with leadership.
Our newly appointed State Coordinators are doing a magnificent job in taking on their new roles within their perspective states. You will see changes in Arizona, New Mexico and North Carolina stops and participation. Not to lessen the other State Coordinators role, as they too are critical in the overall success of our mission, but there will not be any major changes that we know of at the time of this writing.
Ken Dugas, ARC and Richard Schultz, Road Guard Captain, are working earnestly on developing and correcting our route, times, distances and stops. Together they have honed the route to improve our time and rest stops.
Tony Stokely, Hotel Coordinator, continues to try and improve our nightly stops. Some will improve, others will remain unchanged. A lot of this has is due to the cost to riders and hotel availability. Tony has worked hard in negotiating what is best for every one. We support and applaud his efforts.
2019 Midway RFTW should continue to provide great leadership and every effort to improve the mission. Please continue to follow the website for updates, participate in the Forum and local events promoting our mission. Try to encourage other riders to participate in this mission, you know there will be no regrets.
Gratefully,
Glenn “Wombat” Waggoner Jr.,
2019 Midway Route Coordinator
“Our Duty to Remember”
Posted on Leave a comment

President’s Message – September 2018

The Board of Directors met in early August and were briefed by the Route Coordinators on how the planning process was proceeding. Most of the leadership positions have been filled, but the process is still not complete. Midway Route had five vacancies in State Coordinator positions at that time, however all of these positions have now been filled, and all are busy with planning for RFTW 2019. Midway also briefed several changes to their itinerary in Arizona (Kingman) and North Carolina (Fayetteville).  Details of these changes are being worked out and will be published by Midway RC Glenn “Wombat” Waggoner in a future Midway RC message.  RC messages are published monthly on the website under the Run Information tab.

Another issue discussed was the large number (320) of “walk-in” registrations from all three routes in 2018. That amounts to 16 platoons we had no information on for planning purposes. In this case information does equal safety. Moreover, the manhours to enter these 320 handwritten registrations into the database takes weeks given hard-to-read handwriting, forms that were rained on while written on a tailgate of a pickup, and phone calls to straighten out unreadable blocks of information. The BOD, and the Risk Manager in particular, want everyone to know that when you register online you do not have to make the $30 payment. You can wait to pay when you pick up your packet at whatever location you join RFTW.

The BOD announced that beginning with the 2019 RFTW, any walk-in riders who have not pre-registered online will be required to pay a $50 fee, if they register as a walk-in, and not online.

During the past few months the RCs and BOD have been working on an array of improvements mentioned in after-action reports. One project that should resolve the problem of FNGs not having enough information prior to the runs is a newly created FNG diary titled, “Ten Days in May.” This covers a generic FNG from Ontario to Washington riding on the Central Route. This information and other FNG-related information will soon be found on the home page under a new tab titled, “FNG Data.” The Board of Directors has asked the Midway and Southern Route Coordinators to find a volunteer to write a similar diary that contains the culture of their respective routes. We hope this will give FNGs a chance to learn how each route finds “the path home” and the reason we use the phrase, “One Mission, Three Routes.”

Since our riders are our best recruiters, they continue to ask for advertisements to assist their efforts. Since newspaper and magazine advertising are beyond our budget, we created our own advertising poster so they can spread the RFTW story and leave posters at motorcycle dealerships, Legion/VFWs, and other service organizations. That project is also complete and the flier will be downloadable under the new FNG tab and the “About” tab. The poster is designed to be read quickly and encourages the reader to visit our website. Technical work on the website is underway for this project and should be ready for use in the coming week.

The annual RFTW all-routes reunion at Angel Fire was held over the Labor Day weekend. The weather was perfect through out the weekend and allowed for a mission complete at the Angel Fire Veterans Memorial. As you may know this is a working weekend with riders laying a record number of (581) memorial bricks by days end Saturday. The planning and coordination for this mission is amazing and congratulations to the vast number who participated and organized the weekend, an effort headed by Steve Berniklau.  Thanks to Alfredo Gomez for organizing visits to two Native American schools prior to visiting the Angel Fire Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Don’t forget the Kerrville, TX, all-routes reunion Sept. 21-22. For information logon to rftw.us and this thread under the Announcements tab: https://rftw.us/forums/topic/tx-reunion-2018-for-all-rftw-riders/.

Sept. 21 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

“To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for and 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.”

Is it May yet?

Les “Easy” Williams
President
Run For The Wall Board of Directors

Posted on Leave a comment

Central Route Coordinator News – Sept 2018

G’Day,

Just back from a great weekend at Angel Fire NM, I always think of this special place as the spiritual home of the Central Route. There were riders from all Routes helping place the bricks. We laid 580 + bricks, the most that we have ever laid and the last brick laid was for John McCain, it was very moving when his brick was placed, with a bagpiper ( Kim Greeley) leading and the NM national guard walking behind. Thanks to the generosity of the RFTW riders we were also able to collect enough money to lay 15 more bricks for Gumps colleagues.

The process for the 2019 Run is moving along with leadership being picked and the State Coordinators working hard to make sure everything runs smooth in their particular state.

Registration :  If you would like to help the Run operate smoother please register online, you don’t have to pay the registration fee of $30.00 until  the day you are joining the Run. By doing so it will cut down on all the manual data entry that has to be done for walk-ins, its just one or two volunteers doing all the data entry .

If you decide not to pre-register  the walk in registration fee for 2019 will be $50.00

Note: even if you do pre-register you still need to bring your MC license/ insurance/MC registration to the registration point so that they can be checked. If you are bringing a minor with you, the release document must be notarized.

Posted on Leave a comment

RFTW SR RC Newsletter – AUGUST 2018 – Part 2

Greetings from Pax River!

With Part 2 of the August Newsletter, we begin discussions of Rider Safety and Operating Procedures used on Run For The Wall. It’s never too early to start getting ready and a clear understanding of how we ride is a primary factor in creating and maintaining a safe environment on the road. So, Kick Stands Up – here we go…

Stagger Formation – A Basic Guide

Formation riding can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience when everyone in the group is locked on and the formation remains tight and consistent. When the opposite occurs, the formation ride may become frustrating at best. Very often the difference isn’t necessarily due to rider ability as much as a basic understanding and uniform approach to how the formation is defined. The Stagger Formation is basic to any group ride. It allows for efficient passage on highways, flexibility in traffic, group integrity through intersections and can be safely executed by riders of almost any experience level.

I had the honor and privilege of leading a Platoon in Stagger Formation on RFTW XXVIII in 2016. Along the course of close to 3000 miles that we road together, this group set and held a textbook Stagger Formation that was truly impressive to behold – really, I’ve seen video! Here’s how we did it…

As with any large or complex task, the success of execution depends on attention to the details. A successful Stagger Formation depends on a consistent application of its individual elements.

The Roadway
     >The roadway lane is divided into three tracks – Left/Middle/Right.
     >The Stagger Formation will use the only Left & Right tracks.
     > DO NOT ENTER THE CENTER TRACK except for safety of the lane.

The Formation
     >Each two bike group is a “Section”: Bike 1 & 2, Bike 3 & 4, Bike 5 & 6, etc.
     >The Bike on left is the Lead Bike of the Section, the Bike on right is the Wing Bike.
    >The Lead Bike maintains a set spacing on the bike directly ahead, in the Left Track.
    >The Wing Bike maintains half that spacing on their Lead Bike, but offset in the Right Track.
    >The Wing Bike maintains their spacing on their Lead Bike regardless of the Lead Bike’s spacing except for safety of the lane.

Maintaining Position
    >The Lead bike should watch ahead 2-3 bikes to anticipate fluctuation.
    >Think “Micro-adjustment” of the throttle, no big accelerations or decelerations.
    >Sight Picture – The Wing Bike should observe and set a sight picture in the correct position such as aligning the Lead Bikes right mirror to a spot on the windscreen. As long as the sight picture is lined up, you’re in position.
    >BRAKES should be used only when stopping the formation – spacing is maintained by judicious use of throttle and down shifting.
    >Accordion Effect – The smallest change in speed is magnified as it affects each following rider.
    >Bike Overlap – Unless the formation is coming to a stop, NEVER close the formation to create an overlapping condition between the Lead and Wing Bike.
    >Deceleration Discipline – When the formation slows down, do NOT create an OPENING/INCREASING GAP in front of you. Slowing more quickly than the bike in front of you steals space from the bike behind you.
    >If a rider drops out, the riders on that side move forward to close the gap.
    >When stopped, the formation collapses to side-by-side, then reforms the stagger when rolling.

This concept of the Stagger Formation removes some variability since the primary spacing is maintained only by the Lead Bike of each section. Less experienced riders are often more successful riding in the Wing position. But regardless of position, a good briefing and clear understanding of each rider’s responsibilities will make for a tight and consistent formation, even if you’re NOT riding 3000 miles.

Watch for Part 3 coming soon…

Bugs out!

Posted on Leave a comment

RFTW SR RC Newsletter – AUGUST 2018 – Part 1

F8BA9468-8B1E-4BA4-AAE0-0036D683E6A4

Greetings from Pax River!

On Thursday, 16 AUG 2018 your previous and incoming Leadership Team gathered for a “Hot Wash” of events from RFTW XXX. Having reviewed all the AAR’s received so far (it’s still not too late to send…), we discussed what went well and started looking at improvements in some areas. In the end it was a very good gathering for the closest we have to a “Change of Command” as the reigns are handed off to the new team.

New Leadership Team Members
Speaking of the new team, we’ve now filled the Ambassador and Staging Lead jobs…
> Ambassador Lead: Michael “Wizard” Turner
> Staging Lead: Steve “Hard Rock” Powell
Both are very experienced RFTW riders and team members with a passion for the mission, our riders and the people we support. Later this week, I’ll be updating the leadership contact list on the web site at rftw.us/southern-route-contacts. If you’re interested in volunteering for one of the support teams, contact that team lead – they’re already building their teams.

Platoon Leadership Volunteers
Our Platoon Coordinator is assembling the recommended list for Platoon Leaders, Assistants and Tail Gunners and will be submitting that list to me at the Kerrville Reunion next month. If you submitted a volunteer card, then Big Vic has it and you’re on the list. If you didn’t, it’s not too late – but time is running short. Please contact Big Vic if you are unsure if you’re listed or if you need to sign up to serve.

Outreach Team Lead – Memorials
Karoni Forrester has done an outstanding job over the past years as our Outreach Team Lead and will continue to do so on RFTW XXXI. To allow her freedom to focus on the Outreach Visitation portion of that mission, I am seeking another Outreach Team Leader to focus on our visits to Memorials and Monuments along the Run. This Lead should have experience with outreach participation and be willing to prepare and present information on those various memorials as well as help guide the breakaway Outreach Missions. This Lead will also coordinate with the Honor Guard Coordinator as required to ensure wreath presentations are staffed and ready on these outreaches. If you are interested, please contact me or the ARC to volunteer.

SR Finance Coordinator
Another very important position yet to fill on the Southern Route is that of Finance Coordinator. This person must be an All The Way rider or participant who has a good background in Accounting, Finance or Bookkeeping. As a 501(c)(3) organization, our adherence to specific procedures for money handling and disbursement is extremely important. The Finance Coordinator will work closely with me and the ARC leading up to and during the Run to ensure all donations are properly collected and accounted for and that all our expenses, outgoing donations, educational grants, fuel bills, etc. are paid promptly and fully.  The Finance Coordinator also works closely with the Board of Directors with regards to all southern Route finances. If you are qualified, interested and want to be very involved, please contact me or the ARC to volunteer.

Kerrville Reunion: 21-23 SEP 2018
I always look forward to the Kerrville Reunion! Cowboy and Sam and many others work very hard to present an enjoyable and interesting weekend for the RFTW Family for a gathering in the interim between Runs. Besides the awesome Saturday Night Banquet, there is a Saturday morning breakfast, ride plans (including the Pie Ride), an open sitdown with some of the Board Members, and a Friday night VFW Mixer. Plus, your ARC and I along with many other Team Leads will be there to represent the Southern Route. For more information, go the RFTW Web Site Forums at rftw.us/forums/topic/tx- reunion-2018-for-all-rftw-riders. I hope to see you there!

Watch for Part 2 coming soon…
Bugs out!

62697EB6-ECA6-4550-B7F4-6473D61E3DB4

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

President’s Message – August 2018

The Board of Directors were invited to the Springfield, MO, All-Routes Reunion held in late July. The reunion was a great success with riders from all three routes attending. Many thanks to DeWayne and Linda Howard for planning all the events, rides and the great hotel. DeWayne and Linda have turned over the reins to anyone who would like to step-up and organize next year’s event. During this, I think I heard the “General’s Driver” say he would “look into it.”

The Board of Directors continued the planning process for 2019 by voting in favor of all three Assistant Route Coordinators. Central Route, Tom “Boomps” Miller; Midway Route, Ken “Six String” Dugas; and Southern Route, Robert “Captain America” Nelson. Moreover, two new Road Guard Captains were approved: Kay “Nine Mile” Klemme – Central, and Richard “Taildragger” Schultz, – Midway. Congratulations to everyone, and thank you all for stepping up to keep RFTW’s mission alive.

Other issues decided at this meeting:

Anyone who has any Ontario event requests that are not annually held, or that might cost RFTW money, must submit an event request to the BoD no later than April 1,2019 for approval. After that deadline no changes will be made to the itinerary. For several years After Action Reports have complained about the lateness of the Ontario itinerary. Our effort is to have that itinerary published the first week of April. Submissions can be made to the Board President (me) via email at: les.williams@rftw.us.

**Additionally, Run For The Wall® is a registered trademark owned by Run For The Wall, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Use of this registered trademark without written consent from Run For The Wall Board of Directors (BoD) is a violation of Copyright Law. Consent may be obtained by sending requests to the BoD Secretary Dick McKay, dick.mckay@rftw.us , who will present the requests to the BoD for review and approval. Requests must include how the trademark will be used, e.g., posters, merchandise, shirts, etc. Please include any graphics that will be used in conjunction with the trademark. All profits from the use of the Run For The Wall® trademark must be used to benefit the Run For The Wall mission. The use of the Run For The Wall® trademark for personal gain is strictly prohibited.

Finally, a reminder that the Eagle Nest / Angel Fire, NM, All Routes Reunion/Mission weekend begins Aug. 31, 2018, and ends on the morning of Sept. 2, 2018. This year many riders will meet prior to the event in Albuquerque, NM, at the Holiday Inn, 5050 Jefferson Street NE on Thursday, Aug. 30. They will stage at the Holiday Inn at 1845 and ride to El Pinto’s restaurant for dinner. On Aug. 31 this group will depart at 0800 and ride to the Santa Domingo Elementary School and the Cochiti Elementary School to visit the kids that cheer the Central Route from the bridges heading to Santa Fe. As of this writing there are 16 riders that will be riding, including this writer. I understand Alfredo Gomez and Eamon Tansey will be leading the pack. If you are interested in riding on this mission, Gomez has it on his FB page and you can commit on that posting.

Also, there is a banquet and dinner on Saturday night in Eagles Nest, NM. If you want to attend that dinner, please register and pre-pay for the dinner, so the people preparing the food get an accurate count.

Register & Pay for the Saturday night Reunion Dinner here:
https://goo.gl/forms/IvlVATPUSKnDFjs13

Additional details regarding the Annual Eagle Nest / Angel Fire, NM Reunion and Brick Laying Project can be found here.
https://rftw.us/forums/topic/2018-rftw-reunion-brick-laying-project-at-angel-fire-nm-memorial/

Contact Steve Berniklau at: steve.berniklau@rftw.us for any other questions.

Here are a few Angel Fire Reunion/Mission pictures from last year’s event, courtesy of Janelle Olson.

Les Williams, President
Run For The Wall Board of Directors

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Central Route Coordinator News – August 2018

 

G’day

My name is Eamon “ Boomer” Tansey. I have been selected for the great honor of being Route Coordinator for the Central Route in 2019.

I served in the Australian Army and one year of that spent in Vietnam.

My Assistant Route Coordinator is Tom Miller who is also a Vietnam Veteran US Army. His experience as a Road Guard Captain and his leadership skills will be of invaluable help in setting up the Route for 2019.

Road Guard Captain for the Route will be Kay Klemme who as Assistant Road Captain in 2018 did a brilliant job.

Run for the Wall is for  Veterans and supporters of all Theaters of War

Over the next few months I’ll be setting up the Central Route Teams for 2019

Thank you to Harlan Olson and his Team for a job well done and making the 30thRFTW a success.

 

I look forward to all Vets and Non Vets joining me in 2019

 

Eamon “Boomer” Tansey

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Southern Route Coordinator News – JUL 2018 – Part 3

Greetings from Pax River!  

FOCUS ON THE MISSION!!!

As many of you may have heard, I recently retired from the U.S. Navy after a rewarding career spanning over 37 years.  During my ceremony remarks, I spoke about how one mission in life leads to another and how my military service to my country has slowly transformed into a veteran’s service to military members and their families.  Right now, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is reporting 1,597 Missing across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and China from the Vietnam War.  One of our Mission Statement objectives is, “To call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA)”.  That very important mission is taken up by ours and several other motorcycle centric organizations that may sometimes be confused with that of RFTW.  However, there are few if any other organizations that place as much emphasis as RFTW places on all our Mission Statements in such a proactive and dedicated way…

  • 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.

Your loyal dedication to those statements throughout the year culminating in a 10 day coast-to-coast pilgrimage of ACTION in May is what makes Run For The Wall a unique and special thread in the fabric of our great nation.  It is very frustrating to have the successes and accomplishments of our efforts attributed to another organization regardless of how sincere their efforts, but we must remain focused.  A true Patriot is not one who stands on the shoulders of others shouting to demand their rights, but rather a true Patriot is one who stands at the base of those rights to protect and preserve them ensuring our future generations may enjoy them as well.

Just this past weekend, Gwynne and I had the pleasure of a lunch visit with RFTW family.  I encourage everyone to stay in contact, attend the weekend gatherings and reunions.  This is what keeps our relationships strong throughout the year and will help us all stay focused on what’s important.

To all my Brother and Sister Patriots, I salute you and look forward to serving you in the coming year as we honor and support the objectives of Run For The Wall and CONTINUE THE MISSION!

Watch for August Newsletter series coming soon…

Bugs out!

Billie “Bugs” Dunlap

Southern Route Coordinator 

Run For The Wall XXXI

Posted on Leave a comment

Southern Route Coordinator News – JUL 2018 – Part 2

Greetings from Pax River!  

After Action Report Update…

Quite a few folks mentioned to me that they’d like to see some feedback on the AAR’s.  So far, the Southern Route Riders have generated over 50 After Action Reports (AAR’s) and I have read every one of them – thank you to everyone who took the time to write.  (It’s not too late – they are still coming in!)  The most commonly referenced items are addressed below along with the number of times they were referenced in an AAR:

  1. Rider Training (14) – This topic is extremely important and each of us as conscientious riders should take responsibility to ensure we are capable of handling our machines and always seeking to improve our skills.  Our Board President emphasized this very issue in nearly all his newsletters from last year.  With that being said, there are many different training opportunities out there and I encourage everyone to take advantage of them to improve their skills before RFTW XXXI.  I will be doing that very thing myself!
  2. Route Selection/Detours (9) RFTW XXX Southern Route experienced some extreme challenges with an unexpected arduous detour and the growing pains of a new stop along the route.  Your leadership team will be closely reviewing the issues associated with both in order to determine the best course of action for next year.  
  3. Schedule/Stops (8) – The Run schedule governing dwell time at each stop and the process by which that time is monitored are both under review.  Thank you all for the ideas on how to start and stop the clock as well as where we might shave some extended dwell time off a few of the locations.  You can expect some noticeable revisions coming for the RFTW XXXI Schedule.
  4. Staging (8) – There were some evident growing pains with the large number of participants on RFTW XXX as well as some issues with the equipment used to organize the multiple staging locations.  Many of the staging team members submitted AAR’s with ideas for improvement that promise to make next year’s operation better than ever.

There were several other issues touched upon such as Fueling Process, FNG Mentoring/Liaison, CB Requirements, and Trucker Coordination and almost all were constructive, thoughtful comments and suggestions – THANK YOU!  Your Leadership Team will be reading every one of these AAR’s to help generate actions improving our Run.

Watch for Part 3 coming soon…

Bugs out!

Billie “Bugs” Dunlap

Southern Route Coordinator 

Run For The Wall XXXI