Today the Southern Route began with a few more leadership meetings. The Platoon Leadership met, then the Ambassadors had a meeting and finally the Support Team met. All Southern Route Leadership is squared away and ready to go to work! We are committed to safely move the Southern Route across the country to Washington D.C.
The official Run for the Wall festivities began at 3:30 with a wonderful concert by the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band. They performed marches, traditional patriotic music and the branches of service songs/hymns. Their performance lasted nearly an hour. They then joined the RFTW family, now nearly 1,300 members strong, for a “family” dinner. The hotel was bursting at the seams trying to fit us all in.
There was a short formal meeting where board members that have completed their three year term were given a plaque and thanked for their service. A new sustainability committee was announced. Their function will be to ensure the continuance of Run for the Wall. They will be looking at ways to appeal to younger veterans and riders. Board member Kirk Olson asked that as we post to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that we ALWAYS use the following hashtags: #runforthewall #runforthewall2017. I hear over and over, “what’s a hashtag?” Trust me, you don’t need to know, just do it. Plug those two hashtags in at the end of every post you make to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It will help Run for the Wall! If you want to know more about it, seek me out and I will explain it.
The last official event of the evening was the awarding of the Hero Bike. This is one of my favorite events of the run. Imagine being young, injured and unable to ride and someone gives you the gift of mobility and “wind therapy”. I watch every year as “that look of happiness” crosses the recipients face. This year was no exception. Ken Kraft was awarded a custom-made Harley Davidson that was donated by a generous American. The bike then was customized to accommodate Ken’s specific needs and wishes. Can you tell from the five pictures included in this Sit-Rep that Ken is an Army Veteran? Ken lives in Oregon and will be serving as the President of the VFW. Congratulations Ken on your new bike. We look forward to riding with you next year. (If you would like to see the video of Ken learning to ride his new bike, it will be posted to the Run for the Wall Facebook Page).
My Mama always said, “Early to bed, early to rise”, so Good Night and God Bless.
