Planning to roll home today

Spent two wonderful nights campung at Arlington Assembly of God church.  These people feed us, provide showers and ask nothing in return.  Except for Rainelle and the wonderful kids there this is one of my favorite stops on the run.

This year my $30 registration fee got me 12 days of hard work, free food, water, snacks and so many hugs and thank yous I can't count them.
Several free gas stops, greetings from friends I only see once a year.  I sincerely wish I had known of this run long before 2004.  I do not know what will come, but I just put my first 5 dollar bill aside for 2016.

Thank you to all who participated this year. Write your after action reports if you want change.  Mine will be positive and will include the things we did to make entering the highway safer.

Final note our most expierenced riders were not used this year except for 2 legs.  Those were the smoothest and tightest 2 legs we had.

Mission accomplished

Run for the wall 27, 2015 is complete for me.  We start every day with a Prayer, the Pledge and a rememberance of why we ride. The last few years we do one remembrance from Vietnam (the one I had this year was of an Air Fofce Major whose remains have been found and returned. His name is on panel 16W line 63) we then do a rememberance of men and women lost in the Global war on terror.
This year as I stated in a previous post I rode in honor of my Dad, the Old Marine.  He loved this Run, this Route and this Mission.  He once said that the Vietnam Veterans got a raw deal.  My friend Eamon said that the Australian Vietnam Vets were treated badly becauseit was not considered a war.

This year I adressed a lot, and I do not know if I will do this run again. If I do my Dad will be with me.  I will have his memory forever, and I will keep missing him. We didn't always have good times and the bad times were sometimes horrible, but I think I will try to remember all the good times.

Thank you Dad for the life I do have.  I  love you and I miss you.

Made DC safely. Headed to wall to complete mission

I have a rememberance for Maj. James Eugene Dennany, USAF
MIA 11/12/69 and a picture of my dad The Old Marine with his unit flag and his friend Top from 2005 that The Old Marine had in his special display.
Donald Eugene Smith Jan 5 1935- Sep 19 2014. Rest in peace Marine you earned it. There are so many stories I could tell you  about this man and I will someday but I miss him too much now

Bounce

We Have a Recipient of the MOH riding with us, and yes Shadow he was my friend first

On Monday I rode to OOIDA with 5 bikes, Me, Msgt Ret Leroy Petry, Pokey, Piccolo, Katmandu and Boomer.

MSgt Petry is a really nice and easy going guy.  He has been asked to speak before some of the venues we stop at.  That is expected of a holder of the MOH.

Leroy could ride anywhere he wants to in the  pack, including in front with the Route Coordinator.  He insists on riding as a regular rider, and he is a good rider.  He has become a friend, and he is the second MOH that I have met and Befriended, the first being John Bacca.

Leroy did an interview with Reed Black of Land line now magazine and radio show.  That is airing on Sirius XM radio tonight with repeats until Memorial day.  I also answered a few questions.  Then Eamon Tensey, aka Boomer (which I have told is Aussie slang for a really big Kangaroo)  answered a few questions.  I never knew that the Australian Vietnam Vets were treated badly.  Eamon says they were just ignored because no one there considered Vietnam a real war there.

OOIDA treated us well and we made it to lunch on time.  After 7 days of riding this year I am sore and tired and yet I am determined.  I am taking a picture of the Old Marine to the wall.  My brother is carrying two of our Dad's hats to the wall.  The plan is to leave one hat at the Korean Memorial, and the Other at the Wall.  We will leave his RFTW hat at the Korean Memorial, and his Korean Vet Marine hat at the Vietnam Memorial.
This way the crossover between the two generations of warriors will be represented.

Clyde is running great.  Amazing what a new transmission will do for a motorcycle.


Bounce out