Welcome to
Run For The Wall
Southern Route
May 22, 2010
Odessa, TX, to Weatherford, TX
22 YEARS OF HONOR
Riding in Freedom for Those Who Can't
"Honoring All American Warriors"
A video is posted on YouTube of the Southern Route as they approached Weatherford on Day Four. It had been a long, hot day for them. Click here to access it.
Viewers/readers should realize that our Lead Photographer, Ed Kain, and Holly Thomas, who is transcribing Sit Reps from Steve "Hawgwash" Hill, are both riding with RFTW. They are not driving in separate cars, etc. After the demanding day's ride, they are making every effort to process their other jobs for viewers/readers' benefit. The hold-ups on Day Four and Day Five were due to the fact that "sidelines supporters" Frank and Anne Perry (webmistress) drove to Weatherford to greet RFTW and wish them safe riding. Thank you for your patience!
Above and below, Chief Luis "Watching Wolf" Tijerina of the Commanche Nation joined us for the fourth year. He is praying to the Four Points of the compass and to Mother Earth.
Above, Bill “Wild Bill” McNeil, one of the organizers for activities at the Permian Basin Memorial. He rode all the way with RFTW from Odessa in 2007. Above, right, is a WWII veteran who spoke at the Permian Basin Memorial. Below, the RFTW Honor Guard wreath presentation. Michael S. Donahue, Sgt. U.S. Army, Ret., presented the wreath; he is also the rider driving the custom, black motorcycle (see photos on Days 2 and 3).
Above, a Gold Star Mother Paula Gonzalez, who lost her son in Iraq, addressed the group. Watching her (above, right and below, left) was a very solemn crowd. Permian Basin is always "the point in the trip where it's no longer a physically-demanding Run as much as it is an emotionally-demanding Run. If you look at the expressiona on the people's faces there, they're starting to really be hit by this." ...quote from Ed Kain.
Above, Too Tall, also affected by the speeches, had a rough time reading his "why we ride" presentation this morning. This is definitely a brotherhood. Below, left, some riders opted to receive individual blessings from the Native Americans. Chief Tijerina is of the Commanche Nation; his assistant is of the Cherokee Nation.
Above, one of hundreds of FNGs. Right, RG Glenn "Viper" Scott conferring with a woman who is probably of the Apache Nation. Below, Road Guards Vipe and Pace "Pawkee" Bonner converse with a Texas DPS officer. Superb support from law enforcement has continued in Texas. Below, right, they lead the Road Guard contingency.
Below, the wreath presentation at the Big Spring Memorial. Mayor Tommy Duncan, below right, gave a very short presentation.
When we stopped for gas in Colorado City, the new owner, Stripes, had free ice water, cookies, and hot dogs available. Right, Firefly just couldn't resist the chance to take a break!
Photos of the refueling process...a smooth operation!
Above, right, a couple of the ladies from Stripes walked around passing out free hot dogs and water...wonderful hospitality and very much appreciated! Below, left, active-duty Chaplain, Lt. Commander Tim Moore is enjoying his ride; he is stationed in Hawaii. Below, right, FNG Glenn "Doc" Holden from San Bernardino, CA, has "made a significant contribution to the welfare of the RFTW Southern Route riders."
Above, the Advance Team Leader, Steve "Hoppy" Hopkins, conversing with Too Tall.
Years ago, one of the SR Road Guards stopped at a Colorado City Middle School car wash and discussed the RFTW mission with the kids and their sponsor. That led to the middle school offering lunch to the riders, but then RFTW grew. The past few years, the entire community of Colorado City has sponsored the lunch at the historic Railhead Building; they continue to honor their own county-wide veterans (a thrill for us to share since the some lucky riders are interspersed with local veterans and their families) and RFTW's mission. It is an awesome example of community support...thank you ALL!!! Below, Too Tall and Too Small enjoy lunch with Don "9-Ball" and Della "Pockets" Morris and other Road Guards and Platoon Leaders.
It is ALWAYS an honor to participate with Colorado City which honors their own veterans and RFTW with this annual luncheon. Middle school students have, for years, had special projects honoring local veterans, and the posters are displayed annually. Below, right, Holly Thomas and Steve "Hawgwash" Hill (responsible for our Sit Reps).
Above, notice the local folks interspersed with the riders; these are our luckiest riders...they are able to hear the local stories. Below, the Advance Team (like the Road Guards) have to "get busy and eat" so they can get off to their next assignment. It's GREAT when can actually sit down and eat; they frequently miss out on the local inspirational meetings, but that's a necessary "fact of life" on this mission. They know that they're helping the rest of the riders...hopefully, they had their own healing from the inspirations during their FNG year.
Above, right, Megan Merrell, sang with an excellent voice; she is the daughter of Colorado City Middle School's Principal, Mark Merrill, a long-time friend of RFTW.
Above, the students ran this Saturday ceremony...we have always been impressed with their dedication! Center, right, is a local song writer, Elliott Park, performed two of his original songs during lunch. One was "Soldier and the Oak," and the other was "Flyboy." Far right, Sharon Davis, was representing the WASP Museum - Women Army Service Pilots - and presented Too Tall with a nice appreciation (photo see below).
Of course, one of a Route Coordinator's most enjoyable tasks is meeting responsible youth and presenting a donation to the school and a RFTW plaque of appreciation to them. Also, a $1,000 scholarship was begun this year in Larry "Stepper" Rodgers' name; it's availability was announced below.
Above, left, Too Tall was presented with a beautiful, carved flag. Above, center, Too Tall presented a RFTW plaque of appreciation to the Mayor of Colorado City. Above, right, Principal Mark Merrell of Colorado City M.S. Below, left, is the Colorado City Jazz Band; they also provided excellent entertainment during lunch.
The American Legion provided breakfast in Odessa. Below were the riders who were eager to participate; fortunately, the line moved along quickly. Below, right, a lost windshield is returned by Preacher.
RFTW appreciation plaques were presented to (above, left) a representative of the American Legion and to Karoni Forrester (above, right) for her work representing families of POW/MIAs. Below, left, are the new FNGs (Class of May 22nd) for Day Four. Below, another beautiful award given to Too Tall.
Left, Too Tall and Too Small. Left, below, Della "Pockets" Morris, the Missing Man Coordinator. Right, below, Diann "Mojo" McKee, West Texas Coordinator for RFTW.
Weatherford seems to be a place where we meet up with many "old friends" of RFTW.
Above, left, Chuck Catlick, WWII Battle of the Bulge survivor and Chaplain at the American Legion. He's always there trying to help out, provide information to the riders, and generally checking up on us all.
Above, right, is Pat Rodgers, Larry's widow came to meet with her RFTW family; the flag in Larry's honor and memory at right is being flown on the back of Cowboy's bike as he travels on the Run.
Below, left, Holly Thomas, Anne Perry, and Steve "Hawgwash" Hill...folks who write the SitReps with the webmistress.
Right, Frank "Tadpole" Perry, RC in 2007, with Bobbie and Speedy Drake.
The caption for the photo to the right submitted by Doug of Chris is "When the time is right."
(The Road Guards do have fun, too.)
Photos below were taken by Anne Perry as the pack rode into Weatherford and at the American Legion Post 163.
Below, Rick "Spook" Hayden and Richard "Poncho" Pontius are Merchandise Road Guards.
Above, we marveled at the tremendous contribution of Mission: M25, Ministry of Hope serving RFTW. In addition to the Hydration Team and Trailer we've had for a number of years, there are other personnel and equipment this year. Among these, Danny Stewart, above, is driving a chase truck. Also, C.J. Steele is driving the Merchandise trailer with their truck. Several of the Chaplains are from Mission: M25, and they are all led by Gary "Shepherd" Burd. How grateful we all are!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!!
Bill Powell, below, left, and Frank "Tadpole" Perry hung signs and flags at the Brock overpass above I-20, and at the host motel.
Above, parking for American Legion Post 163, our dinner hosts, spilled over into many adjacent lots.
Above, left, Lynne Fouraker and Edwin Craft are on the Advance Team now. Above, Mechandise Team members Chelle Phelan and C.J. Steele (also the driver) with Team Leader Carol Olmstead. Left, Sgt. Rock is with us again...his 15th year with RFTW (both Central and Southern Route); this year, he's in the Chaplain Corps.
Below, left, Roy and Val McClymonds. Roy is a Road Guard, and Val helps Shirley Scott with Registration. They are among many couples supporting RFTW. Below, right, $5 Marty works selling raffle tickets. We're missing Gayle McCook who is in our hearts and prayers.
Registration pinning and hugs to welcome veterans home are Shirley's gift to RFTW. We're missing her husband, Vance Scott; he is held dear in our hearts and prayers. Left is Gary "Shepherd" Burd with his team. He has 18 volunteers riding with us ALL THE WAY this year to minister. Thank you, thank you, volunteers!
RFTW campers at Serenity RV Park in Weatherford. Some of these campers were elaborate!
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 West and Central Texas, a few of the supporters included:
American Legion Earl S. Bailey Post 430, Odessa, TX
Ray's Equipment, LLC, Odessa, TX
The Community of Colorado City, TX
Colorado City Middle School, Colorado City, TX
American Legion Post 263, Weatherford, TX
Central TX State Coordinator for RFTW - Diann "Mojo" McKee
East Texas State Coordinators for RFTW - Cynthia and Ben Gurganus
- - - - - - - - - -
Day 4, Saturday, May 22, 2010
After a good night’s rest, the riders all met at the American Legion Post 430 for a Texas-sized breakfast. Riders meeting completed, it is off to one of the most spectacular memorials on our route… the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans Memorial, complete with a Huey UH-1 helicopter flying into the LZ to extract the team of warriors… a fitting tribute to the “Last Dust-off’ and a fitting tribute to all the West Texans who paid the ultimate sacrifice so long ago. The sun is shining bright, and the ceremonies are about to begin. The honor guard presented a wreath at the memorial and then the riders listened to various speakers tell about their veterans in this part of the country. We also learned how this memorial transpired from a drawing on a bar room napkin to this spectacular memorial that people see today. As the riders were walking around the greatly enhanced Memorial, several members of the Comanche Nation walked around and blessed all of the motorcycles.
Keeping on schedule, the riders then departed Odessa, TX for the short run to Big Spring, Texas to visit another memorial dedicated to the Veterans of the Vietnam Era. This memorial was complete with helicopters, jet aircraft and an armored vehicle. After the Wreath Laying ceremony and some time spent viewing the various monuments in the park at Big Spring, the riders headed out for lunch in Colorado City, Texas.
For the FNG’s on the Southern Route, it was their first exposure to the many students that we will see in the days ahead. Colorado City, Texas is a favorite lunch stop along the Southern Route. Students spend the year preparing for our visit by creating their own “Walk of Heroes”. As you walk down the rows of tables, you get a pictorial view of those in the community who have served or are on active duty now. The students are sustaining a piece of history and providing a lasting assurance that the Veterans of Colorado City will always be remembered. We also learned of a new memorial to Woman Aviators that is located at Avenger Field, in Sweetwater, Texas.
“Too Tall” made a presentation of $1,000 scholarship to the student body in memory of Larry “Stepper” Rogers. This fund was set up by Larry prior to his departure to ensure that his beloved students of Colorado City Middle School would have funds for future use. Larry was a dedicated participant and Leadership Team member of the Southern Route for many years and he will be missed dearly. We know he is looking down today on one of his favorite stops along the Southern Route.
The riders were again surprised at the fuel stop in Colorado City. One of our FNG’s this year, who requests to remain anonymous donated fuel to the riders. To that particular FNG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Your generous donation is greatly appreciated by all riders.
After lunch, and the ceremonies put on by the students, the riders departed for Cisco, Texas for the afternoon fuel stop. Back on the road again, (and yes, we are STILL in Texas) we arrived at the Weatherford American Legion Post 163 for a great dinner. Veteran riders of the Southern Route immediately began looking for friends of this Post. The FNG’s were greeted heartily for the first time by this great group of people. Holly and I had the pleasure to once again visit with Chuck Katlic. Chuck is a veteran of World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge where he received the Bronze Star for Valor in Combat. When not performing his duties as Post Chaplain, Chuck can be seen educating the young people of his community and helping them place flags at the veterans’ cemetery on a regular basis.
After dinner all the riders waddled back to their various hotels for a good night’s sleep in anticipation of Day 5 where we will STILL BE IN TEXAS for most of the day. Does this state ever end?
A hardy congratulation go to all the riders, especially the FNG’s for braving the high winds and warm temperatures that accompanied them pretty much all day long. We would also like to thank the Advance Team for their dedication and assistance in getting the riders fueled up and staged in an orderly fashion so that the riders can maximize their time out of the saddle to hydrate before riding the next leg.
EDITORS NOTE: Since I ran ahead of the pack on Day 3 and could not attend the Wreath Laying ceremony in Las Cruces, it was brought to my attention that a very special lady, a Gold Star Mother - Paula Gonzalez, was part of the Honor Guard that placed a Wreath at the Las Cruces Veterans Memorial Park.
Respectfully submitted by
Steve “Hawgwash” Hill
MSgt. USMC (Ret.)
Left, in the white shirt, is Frank Hidlebaugh of Blanchard, OK. He is the Assistant Platoon Leader for the bikes with trailers and trikes.
