Welcome to
Run For The Wall
Southern Route
May 25, 2010
Meridian, MS, to Chattanooga, TN
22 YEARS OF HONOR
Riding in Freedom for Those Who Can't
"Honoring All American Warriors"
Class of May 25th of FNG registrants, above and below, and greeted by the riders. Below, right, Rick "Spook" Hayden about a friend who had passed away.
Below, Slammer called up this rider (also a medic) and commended him for stepping up to give medical assistance at an accident scene.
Cajun reviewed proper hand signals with Too Tall demonstrating. This particular vigorous waving of hands and arms is to request assistance from a chase vehicle. Right, Preacher addressed the group. Below, Too Small and Too Tall. Kay "Too Small" McDowell also addressed the riders.
Dutch's morning ritual of displaying lost items which may be retrieved for donations to RFTW has become very amusing; again he asked that names be put onto items which are likely to be lost. Above, right, one rider "purchased" back his one-of-a-kind hat. The plaque below was given by a group in South Africa to "Top Sarge" to be carried and presented to the Wall; it's very hard-hitting...read the words.
Erika Brown, left, joined us last year after returning from Bosnia. She and her partner are selling tickets this year. Below, right, Too Tall presented an RFTW appreciation plaque to a representative of the City of Meridian.
Above, another RFTW appreciation plaque was presented. Above, right, staging outside of the Ag Center in Meridian. Below, left, excellent police support continues. Below, right, the Advance Team...our treasured fuel and staging crews.
Above, left, the Advance Team lined up at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center to salute our incoming riders. They visited with the Medical Center's patients; this is a major occasion for both the patients and the riders. The lunch there is always wonderful and nutritious, too! Below, left, representatives of a couple of police departments guided the pack into the Medical Center.
Above, left, Damon Stevenson, Public Relations representative of the VA Medical Center. Above, center, is Allen Tyler, Director of the VA Medical Center. Too Tall presented RFTW plaques of appreciation to Mr. Stevenson and to Mr. Tyler.
Above, Too Tall presented a RFTW plaque of appreciation to Steve "Slinky" Mozian, RFTW State Coordinator for Alabama. Anna Brown, right, received a certificate of appreciation for her assistance to RFTW. The First Platoon Leader, below, presented some money to RFTW.
A Quilt of Valor was presented to James Sellers at the Medical Center.
Below, the reception at Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson in Chattanooga, TN, by Rolling Thunder #2 TN (TN Valley Patriots) was so wonderful at the end of this long day. Many folks turned out to help this evening...thank you all!
Right, J.D. Edge sang a few songs for RFTW and supporters. Below is the Tennessee Wall of Honor, their equivalent of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. Below, right, a beautiful tow truck on display.
Below, Alabama State Coordinator for RFTW, Steve "Slinky" Mozian and Mr. Pig at the afternoon fuel stop, Piggly Wiggly Fuel Express, in Ashville, Alabama. Thanks for sending the photo, Slinky.
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 Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, a few of the supporters included:
Mississippi - Meridian -
The G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Foundation
The City of Meridian
The Red Cross
Ken Storms
RFTW State Coordinator for Mississippi, Don "Papa Bear" Stringer
Assistant State Coordinator for Mississippi, Tony "Rotten" Compton
Alabama -
Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center
RFTW State Coordinator for Alabama, Steve "Slinky" Mozian
Tennessee - Chattanooga -
Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson, Chattanooga, TN
Rolling Thunder #2 TN (TN Valley Patriots)
Best Western Heritage, Chattanooga, TN
RFTW State Coordinators for Tennessee, Clyde "Rock" Luttrell and
Gerri "Sassy" Tramel
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Day 7, Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day seven, riders were up and at ‘em early and converged on the AG Pavilion. There are many FNG’s on this year’s run and one in particular was adopted by Hawgwash and Shooter. This FNG joined us in the run in Monroe, LA. It is my honor to introduce MSgt Tim Gerdes, USMC, (Master Gunnery Sergeant Select) from the 4th Marine Division Headquarters, New Orleans. Tim is a veteran of Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Among his numerous decorations, he is a Bronze Star Recipient. On a personal note, Tim is the proud father of six children, three boys and three girls and in keeping with a long-standing Run for the Wall tradition, several of us decided to give him his “official” road name. We would like to welcome to our Run for the Wall family… “Six Shooter”.
We were hoping Tim could ride all the way to D.C. with us, but he has a prior commitment to report back to his Headquarters so that he can be promoted to the highest enlisted grade in the US Marine Corps. We are quite confident that we will see “Six Shooter” on future runs.
At the AG Pavilion, the riders were treated to an endless supply of home-made pastries from the citizens of Meridian, Mississippi. After gorging themselves on these delicious treats, many riders were stuffing the additional muffins anywhere on their bike, by order of the citizens of Meridian. And there were still muffins left over when the riders departed. What a great time that was had by all from the time we entered Mississippi until we crossed the state line into Alabama.
Heading east, the riders arrived at Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a quick fuel stop and then onto one of the most pristine medical centers in the country. The riders arrived to the thrill of the patients who lined the streets of Tuscaloosa Medical Center. The streets were lined with full-sized American flags. And as usual upon arriving, riders saw the well manicured lawns and shrubs of this great facility, which looks more like a Southern Estate than a hospital. After being greeted by the Director of the facility and his staff, the riders proceeded inside for lunch and visits with patients on various wards in the hospital. After spending some time at the hospital, the riders headed out for the mid-afternoon fuel stop and the traditional hot dog snacks that awaited them in Ashville, Alabama.
We don’t know how they do it, but these folks in Ashville can take a simple hot dog and turn it into one of the most delectable works of edible art. There is nothing fancy to them, but they are soooo good with all the trimmings. There were also beverages, water and energy drinks provided for the riders. As an added benefit this year, we had a Kiowa Warrior helicopter circling to honor the RFTW riders. After the stop in Ashville, Alabama, the riders mounted up and headed for Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Deviating from the norm, the riders had an uneventful ride into Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson… the traffic cooperated and the weather cooperated for the first time in many years. At the dealership, riders were treated to dinner. As part of the ceremonies this year with appropriate music, the veterans of the Cherokee Nation lowered the POW/MIA flag, the state flag of Tennessee and the United States Flag, which were well worn and due for retirement. The Cherokee veterans then hoisted a brand-new American flag, State Flag and POW/MIA flag to the thrill of all the veterans and guests in attendance.
It seems like every time we show up at Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson, the service department is prepping a brand new bike that has just been sold. We don’t know if this is a direct result of RFTW being there, but if so, maybe Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson should put us on the payroll.
Dinner completed, ceremonies completed, the riders are off to their various hotels for a good nights rest. They will converge in the morning to Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson for the morning riders meeting.
Editor’s Note: Thus far we have approximately 900 riders that have registered since California, and nearly 450 that are currently riding with the pack. We also have a record number of FNG’s this year, which is great.
Respectfully submitted by
Steve “Hawgwash” Hill
MSgt. USMC (Ret.)
Above, left, and below are photos of the set-up in Ashville at the afternoon fuel stop, the Piggly Wiggly Fuel Express. There were donated hot dogs, cold drinks, and ice cream, as well as loads of volunteers. Thanks to everyone involved!!!
