4th of July Special - Run For The Wall & Rolling Thunder 20th Anniversary Cross-Country Ride with GunnyRun For The Wall Riding Over Arlington Bridge In late June CycleWorldNetwork received an email from "Gunny" asking if we would be interested in his journal of a 20th Anniversary cross-country ride from Pasadena, California to Washington, DC with the group he co-founded, “Run For The Wall”. The annual Memorial Day event brings hundreds of thousands of bikers from all over North America to pay tribute to veterans, honor the sacrifice of all military personnel, and bring attention to causes related to veterans (especially POW/MIA). We quickly responded, “Absolutely!”, and while we are still wading through the volumes of diary entries and pics (that could fill a decent sized book) we wanted to get an article up for the U.S. Independence Day weekend. If the story that follows doesn’t put a lump in your throat then please check your pulse!
Gunny, May 25th, 2008 All of Run For The Wall was up early this morning as the bikes were packed and placed in line for the ride to the Pentagon parking lot and the beginning of Rolling Thunder. At 0600 we rolled out of the hotel parking lot with Road Guards leading the way one last time. Some riders would remain in DC one or more days but most, including my wife, Patti, and I, would pull out this afternoon after RT (Rolling Thunder). A beautiful sun rise filled the sky, the air dry and warm. Arriving early affords RFTW (Run For The Wall) to be placed near the beginning of Rolling Thunder. This is important as RT has become so large that being at the end may mean a 2 to 3 hour delay before actually leaving the Pentagon. Just as we began to park I heard a familiar voice yelling my name. My older brother, Buddy, and his brother in law, Pete, have ridden up from Florida with the Daytona Beach Harley shop. Only 200 allowed in their group with three days to make the police escorted trip. My cousin from Atlanta, Ann and husband Jonathon are here with their HOG chapter. Thousands of other riders continue to fill the North lot then overflow to the East lot. My mind fills of memoires of 1989 when we had maybe 3,000 riders and thought we were large. That year RFTW lead RT with Gary Wetzel, Artie Muller, Bill Evans, Greasy Belcher and myself riding four across. We even road back across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of The Unknown. No more. With maybe half a million riders and another half a million well wishers along Constitution and Independence Avenues, Rolling Thunder has turned into the largest one day bike event in history. Also, we were not truly welcomed by the the media and locals back then but now Artie and crew visit the President at the White House. What a difference 20 years make.  Run For The Wall Bikes Ready to Roll twelve days earlier in Pasadena, California (May 13, 2008) With three hours to go before leaving, Patti and I roam the parking lot. We speak with many folks, check out bikes, sign up for a run pin at the HOG tent, eat "breakfast" from a fast food vender, receive welcome free cold water from members of the Christine Motorcycle Association and visit Mark Peterson at the UAW military painted Mack and Volvo trucks. While waiting to use one of the too few port-a-potties, we talk with a group of fire fighters from Philadelphia who rode down just for the day. Great guys - funny and entertaining.A fly over of Huey choppers in the missing man formation fly low and slow as well as President Bush in Marine One. A Coast Guard Dolphin circles over head. Is this photo opt time? Homeland security? Or both? Many of the bikes are decked out with flags, painted in military themes, have music playing the Marine Hymn. Patti and I say our last good byes, hug and cry. Emotions are running high.Finally its time. At exactly 12 noon Artie and the lead bikes began to pull out. It takes about half an hour for RFTW to start to roll. RT security is right there to keep bikes from cutting in from the back - thank you for that. Bike after bike pulls out on Washington Parkway then over the Arlington Memorial Bridge. We spread out four across, give a minute or so spacing from the group ahead. As we turn left towards Constitution by the Lincoln Memorial a lone Marine in Dress Blues stands at attention saluting each and every bike. I have heard of this warrior from past RT riders for several years. Who is he? Is it the same Marine every year? He wears white trousers, is he from 8th and I? He must stand there for hours to salute the entire pack! "Semper Fi" I think as I return the salute. The crowd goes wild. Folks are yelling, cheering clapping, saluting, thumb-upping. "Welcome Home", they scream. The tears freely roll down my checks. Patti is so into the parade she doesn't take one photo. That's OK, for all the faces and bodies are etched on my brain forever to be replayed for years ahead. As we past the Smithsonian (named after a very distant relative) we spot Skipper and RedLite waving from a shady area along the curb. They elected to welcome the parade riders instead of being in the parade. All too soon we come to the end. The police point us to the parking area but we don't want to park, just keep moving. In the past it was easy to cut south down Ohio Drive around the Basin to I-395 to I-95. Today we are forced to ride north, under the Memorial Bridge past the Kennedy Center to Georgetown then over Key Bridge to I-66, I-495 to I-95 South. Rolling Thunder has created a traffic jam around DC, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown but that's OK. We creep along with the cars until we can finally move out to the interstate, heading out of town on I-66, the route we arrived on just two days before. Its now "just us" going home with thoughts, memories and miles to go. 
Gunny, Run For The Wall Founder, with Rolling Thunder Co-Founder Artie Muller Video Links:Rolling Thunder Co-Founder Artie Muller Interview with NBC 4 http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=255497 The Wives of Rolling Thunder Interview WTOP News http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1410260 The following is a quote from Jerry Eibert. Jerry rode with me on the first RFTW in 1989 and has been riding with RFTW ever since. RFTW – Maybe it’s my years catching up to me? I’m in this numb, funky mood having just returned from a fairly long, 7,000 mile, road trip. I did what I set out to do, ride in the pack across the USA on the 20th Anniversary run of Run For The Wall (RFTW). My desire to ride the 20th Run stemmed from my being one of the fifteen who rode “All-The-Way” on the 1st Run in 1989. A couple of years later in 1992 Bungee and I took the RFTW helm and joined a long list of people whose efforts have kept the tradition alive. Anyway, my state of mind is adrift as if I’ve returned from another dimension. I suppose the sheer intensity of pack-riding 3,000 miles side-by-side, the emotional visits to veterans’ hospitals, witnessing the open expressions of love for this country and seeing the outward appreciation for those serving in our armed forces was an overdose of things dear that I have been missing. Run For The Wall 2008 was everything I figured and more. The "more" was the organization’s polish and its expression of emotion. RFTW has noticeably been fine tuned to just the right amount of control and planning to facilitate the immense task of moving the pack coast-to-coast; the column’s numbers swelling at times beyond 300 riders and stretched 3 miles in length. The amazing aspect of The Run is its display of compassion stopping at VFW locations, memorial sites and veterans’ hospitals. I was truly impressed with the 20th Run. Initially RFTW was created as a POW-MIA ride from California to Washington D.C. intended to support and participate in Rolling Thunder. That focus remains but I believe The Run has become its own entity. It is virtually a “hands on” expression supporting the POW-MIA issue, veterans, military personnel and their families & friends. The Run is a patriotic gesture that reaches out to individual people. Rolling Thunder is the greatest single motorcycle demonstration ride; figure every rider from Sturgis Bike Week gathered together in one pack riding through Washington D.C. to support the POW-MIA issue! In comparison Run For The Wall is a 3,000-mile meet-and-greet motorcycle run that renews people’s beliefs in the ideals of our country. It evokes intense emotional gratitude and relief from those affected by war. People see the column of bikes and realize that the riders care enough about POW-MIA’s, veterans and armed forces personnel to trek all-the-way across the USA. The RFTW Mission Statement says it all: “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.”A mantra often heard throughout the 10-day run is “This is a Mission, Not a Party.” I think those words are an understatement. RFTW is not “the easy way to get to D.C.” An individual focused on fun or a brand new rider looking for a first time journey should pick a more solo path. Running side-by-side day-after-day requires a certain level of skill and an attitude conducive to sustained concentration. But, the side benefit of traveling in this harsh mode is that afterwards all other riding seems easy. All details covering Run For The Wall can be found at www.rftw.org |
