See Sit Reps below and special thanks below.

What a day this was, starting with a presentation at the memorial in downtown Monroe and proceeding on through Louisiana into Mississippi. We had so many overhead greeters in Louisiana and Mississippi that emotions were running especially high for many of our veterans today. Thanks to the generosity of many supporters, they really feel appreciated!

Jackson was marvelous, and most of the riders were able to take a leisurely walk through the Trail of Honor to enjoy it and learn about the wars fought by the United States. For those who don't know, Harley-Davidson of Jackson (owned by Earl Rottman) sets up the Trail of Honor with camps for each of the wars fought by the United States and more; re-enactors spend their time at the camps and are very knowledgeable in sharing information about the wars. The weekend before we arrive on Monday, they open the Trail of Honor to the public. For us, the Trail of Honor is "icing on the cake" after being in the presence of Medal of Honor recipients and other VIPs at the annual lunch hosted by Earl and his staff. This year, before lunch began, in addition the the Black Daggers jumping, there was a horse-drawn caisson followed by all of the re-enactors walking behind, followed by TAPS. That left us speechless.

In the evening, Meridian went all out, serving VERY fresh catfish with all of the trimmings. There were jets in the sky putting on a very nice show, too.

Photos by Ed "A-Ret" Kain and John McKee are below; others will be posted in June.

For the third year, our riders paid respects at the Veterans' Memorial in downtown Monroe. It's a time to honor veterans' sacrifices, past and present.

After Monroe, we headed to Tallulah to gas up, then on to Jackson. In both Louisiana and Mississippi this year, we had many escorts from state and local police. Photos below are from our "Jackson experience" this year. Thanks to Earl Rottman and his staff at Harley-Davidson of Jackson AND to hundreds of volunteers, we are always "blown away" by the grand events here and the Trail of Honor.

Left and below, photos from the Trail of Honor where so many, many volunteers work through the weekend before we arrive and on the day we are in Jackson to help people understand the sacrifices of our veterans during all of the wars fought by the United States of America.

More Trail of Honor photos by John McKee are below. Before the pack arrived under escort, this "bird" took off carrying the Black Daggers.

Re-enactors and current military personnel lined the route of our riders to salute them.

Right, International FX's film crew is creating a documentary of this Twentieth Anniversary ride on the Southern Route, as well as a book of memories. They are for sale at our daily stops or online. Below, Cowboy and granddaughter Danica arrive.

Left, First Platoon leaders, Ray "Too Tall" and Kay "Too Small" McDowell, and Assistant Route Coordinator, Greg "Pied Piper" Smith arrive.

We are so honored to be in the presence of current military personnel and veterans such as the Tuskegee Airman below and Medal of Honor recipients, as well as former POW/MIAs.

Left, Mississippi Lt. Governor Phil Bryant talked with Jack Lucas, our very special Marine MOH recipient from WW II via phone conference. We missed you, Jack!!

Below, MOH recipient, Gary Wetzel, spoke to us.

RFTW XX, Day 6, May 19, 2008
Monroe to Meridian

Good morning RFTW XX. It is now Day 6. After a good nights rest, the riders met at the Sams Club parking lot for their morning meeting and departure for Tallulah, Mississippi for a quick fuel stop and their escort into Jackson, MS for lunch and ceremonies at Harley-Davidson of Jackson.

The riders were escorted into Mississippi by scores of motor officers and squad cars, with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. As we crossed the Mississippi State line, we were greeted by two Huey helicopters provided by the Mississippi National Guard. These two helicopters not only created an entry into the great State of Mississippi, but also escorted the riders into the state and to Jackson Harley-Davidson.

The riders were treated to a static display of military weapons and vehicles. Prior to entering the building for lunch, a horse drawn Caisson bearing a flag-draped coffin followed by a rider less horse and inverted boots (signifying the loss of a fallen warrior) made its way past the hundreds of riders in attendance. Once inside, riders had lunch and were treated to presentations from various speakers to include keynote speaker Gary Wetzel, Medal of Honor Recipient. In attendance, were many dignitaries from the State of Mississippi to include the Lieutenant Governor, the Adjutant General, several Medal of Honor Recipients, Ex-POW’s, highly decorated veterans from WWII, Navajo Code Talkers and Tuskegee Airmen. One very special person was not in attendance but was brought to us via a conference call to his hospital room in Hattiesburg, MS, Medal of Honor Recipient, Jack Lucas.

After the events inside the dealership, it was outside to wander through the Trail of Honor, hosted by Harley-Davidson of Jackson and the many volunteers who depicted every era of war that the United States has fought in. It is like going back in time when you wander the trail and speak with the actors who are not only experts on the era they represent, but present the information in period clothing and props. They make the history come alive again. There just isn’t enough time to take it all in during a single day.

Overhead there were several low altitude passes by an assortment of military aircraft. It seemed like we were only there for 10 minutes when to our surprise, 4 pm arrived and it was time to mount the bikes for our police escort into Meridian, MS.

This concludes this day’s report on the “official” day’s rout of RFTW XX. For information on a side trip that was taken, please see the “continuation” below.

People in the Spotlight, Day 6

Earl of Jackson Harley-Davidson – What else can we say about this spectacular individual, other than “WOW”! Earl’s famous last words are always “Wait until next Year” when asked how he could possibly top the presentation he sets up each year for RFTW. Thank you for making RFTW XX in Jackson, MS a magnificent event and as Jack Lucas says, you are “a prince among men”. You embody the words that appear on the sign as we enter your great State, “It’s like coming home.” For those of you who may have seen his “Trail of Honor” the first time this year, Earl only crafts his “Trail of Honor” for RFTW. He opens it on the Saturday and Sunday before we visit to the public, but after we have visited it, he dismantles the “Trail” until next year.

Ruby Lucas – Over the past several years we have grown to know Ruby Lucas and her unwavering devotion to Jack. Always behind the scenes at military events and ceremonies, she is not only his wife, best friend and social secretary, but a downright caring person who does an extraordinary job in balancing Jack’s travel schedule, and talking care of his personal health needs. We salute you Ruby, because you are a very special person and if we could award medals to our civilians, you would certainly be deserving of the highest award we could present.

We dedicate this day and this portion of our ride to PFC Jack Lucas, Medal of Honor Recipient, WWII (Iwo Jima), the youngest American in the 20th Century and the youngest Marine in history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Get well soon and we hope to see you on RFTW XXI


(Continuation….)
Holly Thomas and I accompanied by International Pictures FX departed Jackson Mississippi, for a 90 minute ride to Hattiesburg, MS in order to spend some time with Medal of Honor Recipient, Jack Lucas. Jack did an on-camera interview and spoke to all of the RFTW riders and thanked them for their dedication and their continued service.

It is really ironic that a Medal of Honor Recipient considers all of us as his heroes. Jack was presented a carving from Holly that has been an ongoing project since early January 2008. It was created out of Brazilian Soapstone and was a representation of the actual Congressional Medal of Honor. On it was the inscription, “To Jack Lucas, February 20, 1945, Iwo Jima.” After Rick “Hollywood” and his staff from International Pictures departed, Holly and I remained at the hospital for some personal time with Jack until 6 am of Day 7, RFTW XX. An early morning departure insured our rendezvous with the Southern Route at the Lunch Stop in Tuscaloosa, AL

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

- - - - - - - - - -

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 Louisiana and Mississippi:

City of Monroe, LA
Sam's Club #8237, Monroe, Louisiana
Barak Shriners #185, Monroe, Louisiana
Louisiana Division Sons of Confederate Veterans

Honorable Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi
Honorable Phil Bryant, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
General William "Bill" Freeman, Adjutant General, Mississippi
National Guard
General Harold Gross, Adjutant General, Mississippi National Guard
Wayne Butler, Jackson, Mississippi
Earl Rottman, Jackson, Mississippi
Chuck Holifield, Jackson, Mississippi
Fire & Ice, MC, Jackson, Mississippi
Ken Storms, Meridian, Mississippi
Cheri Barry, Key Chapter American Red Cross
G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Foundation
Omar Bhatti, Meridian, Mississippi
Bill Smith, Meridian, Mississippi
Jeremy Campbell, Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism
RFTW Mississippi State Coordinator Don "Papa Bear" Stringer
RFTW Assistant Mississippi State Coordinator Tony "Spoiled Rotten" Compton

Return to Run For The Wall - Southern Route - 2008

Left, Cheryl Depeau, wife of Bob, was able to see what Bob had to contend with as an RTO during his tour in Viet Nam. Cheryl and Bob are from Australia; Bob moved there after serving two tours in Viet Nam for the U.S. 1st Marine Division.

6/2 - Below, the photos of this very special dog were sent in by Polley Berry. The following information was sent today by Chuck Holifield:

"Dustin Jerome Lee and his German shepherd, Lex, scoured Iraq for roadside bombs together and slept next to each other. On March 21, 2007, when a mortar attack killed the 20-year-old Marine in Fallujah, Lex, whimpering from his own injuries, had to be pulled away from Dustin. That strong bond compelled the slain Marine’s family to adopt 8-year-old Lex even though the military said he still had two more years of service, even with shrapnel still lodged near his spine. The Lee family succeeded in the adoption after months of lobbying the military. It is the first time the military granted a dog early retirement and adoption by someone other than a former handler. On February 16, 2008, at a ceremony held at Aglin AFB, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter #566, presented Lex with a commemorative Purple Heart, for wounds sustained in combat.

"Dustin Lee is the son of Rachel Lee and MSgt Jerome Lee, 186 ARW Firefighter and a Mississippi State Trooper. Jerome had only been back from deployment less than a week and was able to be at the event [for RFTW] to lead Lex across the quarterdeck. Dustin is also the grandson of MSgt (Ret) Jerry Rich, a 30 year veteran of the MS ANG. This is a family with close ties to both the military and law enforcement.

"Rachel and Lex's new mission is to visit VA and Military hospitals to help wounded veterans in their healing process."

Below, Trail of Honor photos by John McKee

Gary Baird sent the photo below of Marty and Gayle in Jackson on 6/14/08: