Ken Bingenheimer
examiner.com
Riders in the Run for the Wall head back to the highway after getting gas in Limon yesterday. Click to enlarge the image.
Credits:
Ken Bingenheimer
They left Rancho Cucamonga, CA, on Wednesday, some taking a southern route, the rest a more northerly route, with everyone on their way to Washington DC. The Run for the Wall 2011 is rolling east across the country, with the intention of being part of the Rolling Thunder pro-veteran demonstration slated for Memorial Day in DC.
The Central Route group came through Colorado yesterday and I rode out to Limon to meet them. The number of riders appeared smaller this year than when I last met the ride in Limon two years ago. The word is that tight dollars and a bad economy are taking their toll on what, in reality, has to be a fairly expensive proposition. For any rider making the entire trip it starts with riding from wherever they live to California, riding from there to DC, and then riding home again. A lot of meals are provided free by supporters along the route, as is much of the gas, but there are hotels, wear and tear on tires and such, and all the costs getting to California and then home to factor in.
Why do they do it? The official website for the event provides this mission statement: To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.
The Central Route group came through Colorado yesterday and I rode out to Limon to meet them. The number of riders appeared smaller this year than when I last met the ride in Limon two years ago. The word is that tight dollars and a bad economy are taking their toll on what, in reality, has to be a fairly expensive proposition. For any rider making the entire trip it starts with riding from wherever they live to California, riding from there to DC, and then riding home again. A lot of meals are provided free by supporters along the route, as is much of the gas, but there are hotels, wear and tear on tires and such, and all the costs getting to California and then home to factor in.
Why do they do it? The official website for the event provides this mission statement: To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.
One rider I spoke to, K.L. Hamilton of California, said he rides "To pay respect to my comrades, my brothers and sisters, who never got home."
Buy why, I pressed, do this in particular when there must be many ways to pay those respects?
"Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for anybody to do, is to join this organization, and make this trip to the wall. You'll never understand what it's like until you do it."
Santa, a road guard I also spoke with, was more heated in his response to the question.
"I'm doing this to help make people aware that we still have a lot of missing people that aren't accounted for, from the Second World War, the Civil War even. And our federal government, at least as far as I'm concerned, they don't give a s---. They're not doing nothing about it. It's mostly volunteers. So if we keep everybody aware of it they are doing something."
The central route group is crossing Kansas today, with their stop planned for Junction City, and will ride on to Wentzville, MO, on Monday. From there they are headed to Corydon, IN; Hurricane, WV; and Lewisburg, WV before they reach DC.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Run for the Wall rolls eastward - National Motorcycles | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-national/run-for-the-wall-rolls-eastward#ixzz1N8ELoLph
Buy why, I pressed, do this in particular when there must be many ways to pay those respects?
"Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for anybody to do, is to join this organization, and make this trip to the wall. You'll never understand what it's like until you do it."
Santa, a road guard I also spoke with, was more heated in his response to the question.
"I'm doing this to help make people aware that we still have a lot of missing people that aren't accounted for, from the Second World War, the Civil War even. And our federal government, at least as far as I'm concerned, they don't give a s---. They're not doing nothing about it. It's mostly volunteers. So if we keep everybody aware of it they are doing something."
The central route group is crossing Kansas today, with their stop planned for Junction City, and will ride on to Wentzville, MO, on Monday. From there they are headed to Corydon, IN; Hurricane, WV; and Lewisburg, WV before they reach DC.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Run for the Wall rolls eastward - National Motorcycles | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/motorcycles-in-national/run-for-the-wall-rolls-eastward#ixzz1N8ELoLph
