Audrey’s Run For The Wall

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is a Federal Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense.

The report from this agency, dated June 2, 2015, shows a total of 82,328 American soldiers and sailors that have been listed as "Missing In Action" (MIA) since the end of World War I.

Seven months later, on January 2, 2016, their website (dpaa.mil) has increased the number of Americans listed as MIA to 83,099.

This number should be going down…not up.

If there was a city in the United States, with a population of 83,000 citizens, who all went missing over the course of 65 years, I would think that one of the most powerful nations the world has ever known would find out what happened to them.

However, this does not appear to be the case for the increasing number of American men and women in uniform, who stood up and answered the call of their nation, only to end up listed as "Missing In Action".

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Twenty-seven years ago, a group of Vietnam Veterans rode their motorcycles across the United States, from California to the Vietnam Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, DC, in an effort to raise awareness of the 83,000 missing members of the American military that our Country doesn’t seem to be able to find.

The event is known as the RUN FOR THE WALL.

The event has grown over the years. Active-duty military, ex-military, non-military, citizens of other countries, and young & old alike have joined in on this annual motorcycle journey since its inception.

This trip is NOT a vacation. It is a long, hard 10-day ride. Rain, hail, snow, ice, wind, dust storms and tornadoes have plagued the riders over the years. However, the group has always arrived in DC on time…on the Saturday before Memorial Day each year.

I am also a Vietnam Veteran. My wife and I were proud to make the Run For The Wall last May, in 2015. My step-daughter (Audrey) saw us off at the Ontario, CA beginning of our journey. As we pulled away, it was written all over Audrey’s face…she really wanted to go with us. Audrey is a beautiful and responsible young woman who also rides a motorcycle every now and then. However, this trip is not for the average occasional rider.

After leaving California, my wife and I were amazed time and time again, by the incredibly high levels of unbridled patriotism that exists in the rest of the United States of America. There was hardly a single highway overpass that didn’t have people waving American flags for us, as we drove under. American Indian tribes held a pow-wow celebration for us in Gallup, New Mexico. Some cities along our route (the entire group splits up onto three routes) provided lunches for us along the way.

The simple fact that "someone cares" caused a feeling that cannot be described to well up within each and every rider.

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The only unfortunate aspect of the trip is the simple fact that after 10 days on the road, plus another couple of days in DC, each of the riders still has to get back home. For my wife and I, the overall cost of the round trip makes it financially difficult for us to repeat.

After giving it some thought, my wife and I recently asked Audrey if she would like to participate on a portion of the 2016 Run For The Wall, by riding with me for a few days. Due to the costs, I had no intention of going "all the way" again, but I thought Audrey might enjoy a few days with the group. After that, I offered to fly her home to California, and would have her mother fly out to meet me. At that point, her mom and I would ride back to our home in Arizona. This would keep the costs down to about 25% of the cost of the entire round trip.

When we proposed the idea to Audrey, her mom and I were stunned to find out that Audrey was quite enthusiastic about making the trip…the whole trip…to Washington, DC. She would like very much to see our nation’s capital, and can’t think of a better way to get there, than riding across this great country of ours, with 1,500 (or so) veterans and patriots. We had no idea that her reaction would be so strong.

She has never taken vacation time from her work, and plans to take two weeks' vacation, to make the 10-day ride, spend a couple of days in DC, and fly back. She works in a management capacity, and is prepared to change jobs, if it becomes necessary. This is how badly she wants to participate in this event.

Audrey's mom and I bought a leather vest for Audrey, as a Christmas present. A couple of days ago, the RUN FOR THE WALL patches arrived, for her vest. My wife and I will make this happen for Audrey, one way or another. The patriotic and emotional learning experiences of this event cannot be measured.

In spite of the fact that I was wounded in Vietnam; my injuries pale in comparison with the injuries that so many of our young warriors have suffered. Although I’ve had a limp for the past 45 years, I still have all my limbs. I retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs about a year ago, where I worked at one of our National Cemeteries, conducting over 6,000 military funerals for our fallen veterans and their families. I am not a person who typically asks for help. However, I will make an exception in this case, if it helps to make this happen for Audrey, my wife, and me.

Thank you, and may God bless you.