RFTW XX, Day 1, May 14, 2008

Good morning Run for the Wall XX, Southern Route!  It has been a long year, the planning has been done, the preparations have been made, the teams have come together under the leadership of Roger “Cowboy” Mead and we are about to embark on our 20^th Anniversary journey to Washington, D.C.  A special thanks to the Board of Directors, the route Coordinators and their Assistants, the State Coordinators and the various elements of the leadership team for all of their planning prior to the event.  It is a beautiful morning, and we are about to depart Rancho Cucamonga, California from the Victoria Gardens Mall with our first leg to Coachella, CA for our first fuel stop and our Southern Route Briefing. 

After a brief fuel stop at the TA Truck Stop, we staged at Spotlight 29 Casino for the Riders meeting and hydration.  From there it was off to see our friends in Blythe, CA for lunch, awards ceremony and the POW /MIA presentation. 

From Blythe we crossed the Arizona State line, heading towards Tonopah, AZ for the afternoon fuel stop.  From there, under the escort of the Arizona Department of Public Safety “Highway Patrol” we were escorted to the Carl T. Hayden VAMC for visitations with the patients.  After spending time with many of the veterans, it was off to the Radisson Hotel for dinner and to complete our first day of RFTW XX. 

"Thanks you"s go out to:  Morning - Rancho Cucamonga Police Department (Sergeant Greg Kreps , Officer Stroder and Deputy Long); CMA for breakfast; ABATE of California for the coffee; Pomona Valley Harley-Davidson for the Donuts; REI for the munchies and lip balm; CA Highway Patrol (Lt. Les Bishop, Sgt Mario Lucio, Sgt Billy Rangel, for over 40 years of service to the motorists of California); Richard of Spotlight 29 Casino (food & beverage director) for the many pounds of ice he donated.

Afternoon - Blythe Air Ambulance; Palo Verde JROTC, Blythe California, under the direction of 1^st Sgt Edwards; Floyd Marlow and Janet White of Sizzler Restaurant in Blythe, CA.  A very special thank you goes out to Christine Becken of Sizzler USA, San Diego, CA for the generous donation of lunch for the riders.  A big thank you goes to the citizens of Blythe for their generous fuel donation; and the Blythe Police Department (Capt. Tim Wade, Sgt Wade, Sgt Ramirez, Det. Adams, Det. Cavazos, Cpl. Fabanick, CSO Tilch, CSO Elizabeth Wallace, and Officer Gloria Bluth).  

The afternoon fuel stop was donated by Swift Trucking Company .  After the afternoon fuel stop, we were escorted into Phoenix by Arizona DPS under the command of Sgt Leslie and Officers Bulger, Ritchie, Borquez, Graff, Murray, Barahona, Cook, Nelson, Grism and Pruet.  Thanks again for getting us safely into Phoenix. 

Many thanks to Outback Steakhouse for the fabulous dinner at the Radisson Hotel in Phoenix.  The presentation of colors was by the Scottish-American Veterans of America for the evening ceremonies.  Recognition by BGen. Maxon US Army (Ret) and LCdr US Navy Reserve representing Mayor Gordon Ryan Burke who read a proclamation designating May 14, 2008 Run for the Wall Day in Phoenix.

People in the Spotlight, Day 1:

Ryan Vega (11 yrs old) made 400 Vietnam Veteran key chains and distributed them to the riders in Rancho Cucamonga.   Many hours of labor and love went into his gift to the riders.  Thank you so much.  He was escorted to the event by Bob Rohm, Chapter 785 VVA.

Cadet Marlo Barron – due to graduate May 28^th from the US Air Force Academy and will be commissioned as 2^nd Lt. in the US Air Force.  After commissioning, she will be off to flight school to fly jets.  We wish you many safe hours in the sky and a successful career in the Air Force. 

The remains of Dick Darnell have been divided up so he can take his last ride on both the Southern and Central Routes where his ashes will be taken to the wall and then released to his family.

Submitted by MSgt Steve Hill, USMC (Ret) “Hawgwash”

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As always, it is impossible to know and thank all of the kind folks who help us as we cross the United States. However, here is a list of special people and organizations who helped us in Arizona:

Honorable Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
Mayor Phil Gordon, Phoenix, Arizona
Carl T. Hayden VAMC
Elks Lodge of Willcox, Arizona
Radisson Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Department of Public Safety
Arizona Highway Patrol - Metro Motors
Carl Buttler
Joeta's Leather
David Russell
Swift Transportation - Jerry Moyes
Arizona Department of Veteran's Services
Willcox Department of Public Safety
Jake Weaver

Return to Run For The Wall - Southern Route - 2008

9/5/08 - new photos from Gunny Gregory.
The photos directly below were taken by Lynne Fouraker:

The parking lot was soon filled at Victoria Gardens Mall. What a wonderful set-up!! Thanks to Jim Frost for such good planning!!

Left, Lead Chaplain Richard "Preacher" Moore talks with Cowboy. Above, Greg "Pied Piper" Smith is taking photos for his blog (click for link).

Board of Directors members were introduced at the morning Riders' Meeting. Below, left, Richard "Preacher" Moore reads the "AMA Moment." Below, right, Cowboy introduces Dave "Wrong Way" Cappel, Road Guard Captain.

Right, our trusted leaders: Greg "Pied Piper" Smith, Dave "Wrong Way" Cappel (yes, there's a story about how he got that name), and Roger "Cowboy" Mead.

The first Southern-Route-only riders' meeting is held at the TA in Coachella, CA (below, left). Below, right, Blythe greeters turned out in full force when we paraded through town. A FNG later told me that Blythe's greeting "just blew me away." They gave us a warm and wonderful welcome AND lunch!

In Phoenix, we visited the Arizona State Veterans' Home. At the Radisson, we had a wonderful Outback Steakhouse dinner and presented us with the Mayor's proclamation of Run For The Wall Day (May 14, 2008).

The following photos were taken by Anne Perry:

The riders crowded into the parking lot at Victoria Gardens...a much larger and better place for staging on the first morning. To the right, a Central Route Platoon Leader holds one of their new extension paddles to help riders find their staging spots. Below, Road Guards have new Glo-Gloves this year, and they are a great improvement for seeing! Information on the highly-visible Glo-Gloves which our Road Guards are using may be found at <www.gloglov.com>.

Below, a Fuel Crew of cowboys and cowgirls! We have to get a laugh somehow with the high gas prices this year.

Above, riders enter the Blythe Fairgrounds under a sabre salute and to clapping and handshakes. Right, the Phoenix Outback Steakhouse folks cooked our evening meal...a wonderful one, too.

Our riders enjoy offering ride pins as a token of our appreciation. Above, Daryl Neal pins Sgt. West after his moving playing of TAPS.

Our Road Guards meet frequently to discuss what is going on. This photo was taken by Greg Smith.

Gary Baird sent the following photo of Fernando (left) in on 6/14/08:

9/5/08 - Gunny Gregory sent the following photos taken on Day One. On the left, Gunny with Nina and Scotty; they met at the fuel stop in Arizona this year. In 1989, they rode "all the way on the first RFTW. Scotty was a Marine sniper in WW II and still rides his trike with Nina. On the right, Cowboy (who also rode in 1989) with Lil' Bit.