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
