This video was taken Sunday morning, just east of Weatherford, a bit after 8 a.m. What a thrill it was to see these dedicated veterans, family members, and friends, 500+ strong! While there are always those who support RFTW by riding a day or two (especially on the weekends), there are many who travel more the 6000+ miles to participate (from their homes to Rancho Cucamonga, CA, across the United States to Arlington, VA, and back home). They "ride for those who can't." Their stated mission is: 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.
Added January 17, 2011 - Photo of the Tarrant County Bridge Party sponsored by American Legion Post 60
and VFW Post 8561, both in Arlington, submitted by Monica Sloan...sorry we didn't have this photo earlier! We are grateful you showed up to support RFTW riders!
The first photos below were taken by Frank and Anne Perry at the morning staging, Road Guard meeting, registration, non-denominational services, and riders' meeting.
Staging began early in the morning...platoon numbers are clearly marked. Below, left, RG Ray "Groundhog" Stephens. Below, right, Raven (of Raven and Sapper on Facebook) from Bandera, TX; she is still doing a wonderful job of uploading photos to their page every night!
Above, RFTW BoD President, John King, with Polley Berry, RG. Above, right, facing the camera on the left is Greg Smith, 2009 SR Route Coordinator. On the right, facing the camera, is Cowboy, the 2008 SR Route Coordinator, talking with Wonder who came to send the riders off with good wishes. Last year, Wonder rode all the way from Weatherford on her own bike; this year, she leaves for college in two weeks and couldn't spare the extra time to actually ride.
Above, left, Jean and Krash Winn are another couple who've been active workers on the Run for years. Above, right, Bill Powell (black shirt) gave more of his patriotic key chain to Kay McDowell to give out to veterans. In the middle is Frank Perry, SR Route Coordinator in 2007.
Above, left, Preacher with a veteran friend. Above, right, another active-duty visitor...great to have you supporting RFTW!! Below, the daily Road Guard meeting.
Above, listeners gather around the Chaplains' non-denominational service offered from 6:45 - 7:10. It was a real treat this year to hear the beautiful jazz trumpet and singing of Keith O'Neal from Fayetteville, NC! For more information, go to www.RestorationNET.org; on Facebook, keiththebigo. Below, Cowboy and Too Tall. They registered 129 riders in Weatherford!
Left, the special non-denomination service. John Barker, right, walks his dog (who keeps Dee company in the chase truck). Below, Della and Don Morris supporting Larry "Stepper" Rodgers' widow, Pat, during the morning services.
Below, Lead Chaplain Gary "Shepherd" Burd introduced the Chaplain Corps riding with us.
Bill Powell, left, presented Too Tall with a $300 check from the College Station/Bryan VVA Chapter 937. That chapter has budgets $300/year for RFTW. We appreciate their support!!!
Ed Kain's photos and commentary on Day 5 begin with Navy Lt. Commander Tim Moore, Chaplain for the Submarine Service in Honolulu giving the non-denominational morning service, below.
Above, right, Gary "Shepherd" Burd introducing the Chaplain Corps on the left. Below, left, Navy Captain Smyers was there to bring local support.
Above, support for Pat Rodgers came from so many riders. Richard "Preacher" Moore introduced her (below). We know it was tough, Pat, but thank you for being with us! Below, middle, Dutch daily tries to match lost items with riders; he's trying to get folks to put their names on things they might lose! Below, right, Slammer was stern...safety is his/our primary concern. The Road Guards are there to help keep riders safe.
Keith O'Neal from Fayetteville, NC, returned to introduce Cajun! (It's worth repeating: for more information on Keith, go to www.RestorationNET.org; on Facebook, keiththebigo.) Cajun reviewed the hand signals.
Above, left, a photo taken of the now-famous Duncanville Rd. gathering. This was 15 minutes ahead of the pack...there were lots more folks present to support the pack when they rolled under that overpass. Thanks again, Duncanville!!!
Terrell, the morning fuel stop, always shows "total town" support! We are thrilled with Brookshire's large parking lot...it's truly needed! Above, right, registration in Terrell; over 100 registered there! Below, right, is the line for registration. Below, left, another modified bike which just came to visit.
Above, C.Q. and his lovely wife, refueling. Above, right, Baron looks pretty good for being an "old guy" at 61. Below, left, is Krash Winn and behind him, as well as below, right, Billy "Tumbleweed" Smith...great to have him home from Iraq. We're missing Kurt Wahl, also just home from Iraq, but on a new assignment. Thanks to both of you for your service to our country!
Above, left, Jim "Cracker Jack" Ray is a welcome addition to the Fueling Crew. Above, right, is John "Hard Charger" Barker. It looks like the humidity and heat is taking its toll on some of our riders. Below, left, Terrell hospitality offers free drinks, a complete variety of snacks, etc. Thank you, thank you, Terrell! Here, Terrell is especially appreciated by Too Tall and Duck Tape. Below, right, Danica "Lil' Bit" Henzel, is a Tailgunner this year...no longer riding with Cowboy.
Above, left, another platoon was added for those who registered here in Terrell. Above, right, Lt. Moore. Below, left, the Merchandise Trailer was quite busy. Below, right, Rand "Gator Bait" James with Dee Gibson, who ended up riding with Jerry McNelly and helping with picture-taking tasks.
Above, left, the Marine Corps League Honor Guard presented the colors at Terrell. Above, right, the Mayor of Terrell addressed the group. Below, more of the local supporters. Below, right, Raytheon and the Raytheon riders both gave a lot of support to RFTW. It's good to see Mike back in the group!
Raytheon tried to give Too Tall a shirt, but Too Small took it. It was too small for Too Tall! Below, right, the Raytheon riders received a plaque of appreciation for their support of RFTW.
Above, Raytheon itself also received an appreciation plaque from RFTW. Below, left, the City of Terrell received an appreciation plaque, as did other important folks from that area.
Above, Terrell Police and the Manager of the shopping Brookshire's of Terrell also received appreciation plaques. Below, veterans' groups receive RFTW appreciation plaques. Again, thank you ALL!!
Above, the people who provided the sound for this huge group and Cynthia and Ben Gurganus, the East Texas State Coordinators for Run For The Wall. Below, left, local biker group, Junk Yard Dawgs, presented a check to RFTW for gas support; that's ALWAYS a HUGE help for the riders! Thank you!
Below, Longview support waiting for the riders. Below, right, Bruce "Duck Tape" Officer and his wife riding in through the line of flags waving...always a thrill to see those flags!! Click here to view very nice television coverage in Longview from KLTV News.
Longview was efficiently organized so it was easy for the riders to serve themselves quickly. They could have hamburgers, hot dogs, or both with all the condiments, etc.
Above, supporters help a rider with drinks. Right, Johnny Rusk and Sharon McGee continue riding with us. Below, the Commander of the VFW Family Post 4002 in Longview addressed the riders, and Shepherd offering the blessing.
Above, three WWII veterans were honored by the group. The lady on the left was in the Navy when WWII began. Above, right, Ben Gurganus, one of the East TX State Coordinators for RFTW. below, left, a gentleman from Woodmen of the World (which presents American flags to various organizations) presented a new flag to the VFW at this time. At the center, our good friend Helen Smith, the widow of Allen Gordon Smith, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, and a loyal POW supporter, joined us again this year. The lady on the right hustled around and came up with about $800 to help pay for gas for RFTW riders...WOW! What a day this has been for donations! Thank you, thank you!!
Above, Cynthia Gurganus, the other half of the East TX State Coordinators for RFTW. Above, right,and below, RFTW appreciation plaques are presented to local supporters, Keith Robinson and Family, the Gregg County Sheriff Department, and the Longview Police Dept.
Below are photos of the traditional welcome to Louisiana which RFTW receives. These four were sent by Mickey Lowe, one of the greeters on the overhead...
The rest of the photos are from Ed Kain. Our dinner at Barak Shriners #185 is always excellent with catfish and gumbo!! Support is terrific there in Monroe, LA.
Above, Too Tall gives an RFTW plaque of appreciation to Todd Owens, Commander of Sons of Confederate Veterans. Above, right, is Mike Cappel, Louisiana State Coordinator for RFTW. Below, left, "LA Dust-off" riders collected some money and gave it to Too Tall to help pay for a gas stop. Below, right, Bailey Reed, age 9, sang the National Anthem and another song; her voice was outstanding!
Above, the crowd listens intently to Bailey's songs. Above, right, Too Tall presented a plaque of appreciation to Todd Owens and Chuck Rand, Chief of Staff for the Louisiana Division, Sons of Confederate Soldiers. Below, Louisiana State Coordinator Mike Cappel received an RFTW plaque of appreciation. Below, right, his brother, Joe "Firefly" Cappel, long-time Road Guard Captain, Retired, and continuing RG was also given a plaque of appreciation from RFTW for his many years of faithful service...well deserved, to say the least!!
Above, Chuck Rand led the group which does the traditional flag presentation...always very interesting program! Thank you, supporters in Monroe!
Run For The Wall wishes to express its deepest appreciation to ALL supporters, from those who provide support standing beside the road or on overpass bridges as we pass by to those who provide financial support. As always, it is impossible to know and thank all of the kind folks who help us as we cross the United States. In East Texas, a few of the supporters included:
In Terrell:
Raytheon, Space and Airborne Systems
Raytheon Riders
David Quinn
American Legion Family Post 517
American Legion Family Love Field Post 453
City of Terrell
Terrell Chamber of Commerce
Terrell Police Services
Junk Yard Dawgs, Terrell
Brookshire's of Terrell
In Longview:
"Go Texans"
Keith Robinson & Family
Veterans of Foreign War Family Post 4002
American Legion Family Post 267
Gregg County Sheriff Dept.
Longview Police Dept.
In Monroe, LA:
Louisiana Division Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sam's Club #8237
Barak Shriners #185
The City of Monroe, LA
Quick-Draw Casino
Day 5, Sunday, May 23, 2010
Good morning Run for the Wall, Day 5. It's hard to believe that we are nearly half-way through RFTW XXII. Riders were up early and gathered for morning worship at the Host hotel prior to the riders meeting and Platoon briefings. We had 129 FNGs sign up in Weatherford, Texas this year, which is very impressive.
It's a beautiful day to be heading east, the weather is cooperating and the winds have calmed a little. The first leg is to Terrell, Texas for fuel, hydration and to bring on many more new riders to the run. Historically, Terrell has been one of the best stops for signing up more riders. It just seems we never have enough time to spend there with all the people who have come out to show support for RFTW. There were several speakers and an amazingly-long list of local businesses and organizations that donated either money, food, snacks and drinks for the riders. Brookshires donated all the water this year for the riders and many people from the VFW and American Legion made the sandwiches and fresh fruit packets for the riders. We love coming into Terrell; it is a wonderful sight to pull into a parking lot full of new riders and local people cheering us on. At the end of the presentations, David Quinn of Raytheon presented Run for the Wall with a $1,000 check to help the riders along the way. There were other cash donations, but my pen could not keep up with the amazing list of wonderful businesses and people that donated to help Run for the Wall. We will strive to present a full listing of all the businesses and organizations that helped Run for the Wall along the way at the last Sit Rep.
From Terrell, it was off to Longview, TX, for lunch at the VFW Post 4002. Riders were treated to hot dogs, hamburgers and all the trimmings and many carts full of deserts to include home-baked cookies the size of personal pan pizzas. In fact there were so many cookies that riders were encouraged to take handfuls with them as they departed. Once again we got to see an icon of the VFW post, Ms. Helen Smith who at the young age of 83 was out there giving hugs to all the vets as they arrived. Helen is the POW/MIA Ambassador for her VFW post. Helen continues to fight to get all the POW/MIA's back home. For those of you who did not have the opportunity this time to talk to Helen, she is the widow of Allen Gordon Smith, a survivor of the Bataan Death March. A special part of the presentation included Run for the Wall participants watching the Post receive a new ceremonial United States Flag.
After gorging ourselves at lunch, the riders mounted their bikes carefully and headed to Minden, LA for the afternoon gas and go. It's too bad that many riders stuffed themselves with hotdogs and hamburgers at lunch because a huge catfish dinner was being served for dinner in Monroe, LA, with all the trimmings to include rice and beans, gumbo, salads, and a mile-long table of desserts, to include Pecan Pie. The people of Monroe, Louisiana, don't want us to go hungry, and made very sure we all had more than enough to eat. Finally Hawgwash got to get a big "hunken" glass of Sweet Tea... why don't they have Sweet Tea out West?
Live entertainment was provided both before and after the ceremonies in Monroe, LA. After dinner, there was also an awards presentation. Of special note was the singing of the National Anthem by a young woman (9 years old) that had all of us teary eyed. Her next song was "Amazing Grace" and that had us flat-out crying. If she continues in her singing career, we expect that she will put many current singers to shame. During the awards ceremony, the Louisiana Chapter of the Sons of the Confederacy presented a check in the amount of $2,000 to Run for the Wall as a result of money collected at bike nights and rallies in the New Orleans area in honor of "Den Mother".
We also had the good fortune to learn more about the history of the flags of the South and of Louisiana specifically. The presentation was conducted by Commander Todd Owens, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Many, many thanks to Mike Cappel, Louisiana State Coordinator and the representative of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. Thoroughly stuffed, the riders managed to waddle their way back to their bikes and head out to the various hotels for a good night's sleep and preparation for the final half of Run for the Wall XXII.
Respectfully submitted by
Steve "Hawgwash" Hill
MSgt. USMC (Ret.)
