Run for the Wall
by Kelley “Gonzo” Perry
“Why are you here?” I was asked this question
by a Vietnam Veteran in 2014, my first year of
participation with Run for the Wall. My initial
thought was, “Who the hell are you to question me?”
Fortunately, we continued the discussion and he
elaborated. Turns out that his rather blunt question
was simply an attempt at discovering why I, an
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, would want to be
part of an organization made up of mostly Vietnam
Staging in Grand Prairie, Tx in 2014. From left to right,
Veterans. I gave him an answer, but it wasn’t a true
Kelley “Gonzo” Perry (Iraq), Robin “Wildcat” Perry (Iraq),
Richard “Jogger” Conques (Vietnam)
answer. The irony was; I didn’t know the answer –
Several days went by, and each day we grew closer
and it would take me some time to find it.
to the Vietnam Memorial. Each day, my Assistant
Platoon Leader “Old School” said “DO NOT go to
Run for the Wall is an organization started in 1989
the Wall alone.” I had been several times before, and
by James “Gunny” Gregory and Bill Evans. Both
while it meant a lot, it had never been emotional.
Vietnam Veterans, the pair rode across America
Each day came with the same directive – “DO NOT
and talked to anyone who would listen about the
go to the Wall alone.” We eventually made it to
thousands of men and women still unaccounted
Washington, DC. I, along with a thousand or so of my
for from all wars. The mission has continued since
new RFTW family, visited the Wall to lay the “Mission
1989, and while POW/MIA awareness remains the
Accomplished” plaque. I saw the apex of the Wall
major focus of the mission, it also serves to give our
and I lost it. I cried almost uncontrollably for a few
Vietnam Veterans the “welcome home” that they so
minutes. I was again reminded that Run for the Wall
deserved but did not receive.
was a mission.
My wife “Wildcat” and I began the run in 2014
I first learned of Run for the Wall from a close friend
thinking it would either be a one-time thing or
and Patriot Guard brother Jere Bice. While he left this
something we’d do every 4 or 5 years. It was evident
earth before we could ride with RFTW together, I was
from day one that we were in for something much
honored to carry a shell casing from his funeral with
bigger than we could have ever imagined. We joined
me and place it at the Wall. In some way, I felt like I
the rest of the group in Grand Prairie, Texas. At
registration, we were given a pin with the label “FNG”, was bringing Jere home when I laid that shell casing at
which signified that we were new to the run. We were the base of the Wall. In a way, I felt like I was home.
I also had the honor of watching Wildcat’s father,
instantly welcomed with open arms. We staged in a
himself a Vietnam Veteran, visit the Wall for the first
Wal-Mart parking lot with over 300 other riders, but
WE were treated like family. We learned very quickly time.
that we were not making friends, but joining a family.
What Wildcat and I thought would be a one-time trip
We departed staging at our designated time, and with evolved into an integral part of our lives. In 2015, we
went “All the Way”, riding from Ontario, California to
the assistance of area law enforcement, began that
Washington, DC with RFTW and did the same again
day’s journey. My body (and my bike, of course) was
in 2016. We, along with hundreds of riders across
in Texas, but my mind was in Iraq. The CB traffic
the Nation (and at least one from another country)
was just like radio traffic on a mission. The level of
are already making preparations for 2017. Countless
organization was none other than military precision.
men and women will use all their vacation time to
All of the joking around had b een replaced by
spend 2 weeks or more on a motorcycle in sweltering
extreme focus. It was then that I first realized I was
temperatures, rain, sandstorms, and high wind, all
on a mission.
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while riding in tight formation. This is not a “fun
ride”. It’s tough. It’s exhausting. More than that,
however, it is needed.
“We ride for those who can’t” has become a mantra
for RFTW riders. While we sweat, ride through
rain, ride through dust storms, or make it through
the day off energy drinks and stubbornness, there is
a family waiting. Thousands of families still await
closure. Thousands of children await the return of
their parents to American soil. Thousands of men
and women await their siblings. Thousands await the
return of their spouses. Until they all come home, we
will ride.
Even beyond the mission of POW/MIA awareness,
there is healing for the Vietnam Veteran still haunted
by the sights of war. There is comfort for the Veteran
of Desert Storm, Iraq, or Afghanistan who can still
smell and hear the land they left years ago. There is
a camaraderie found only with brothers and sisters –
found only on a mission. This is why WE ride, this
is why I ride, and this is why I am here. It is worth
the relatively small sacrifice on my part if I can tell
just one person about the mission, or bring healing to
just one. It isn’t about us – it’s about the mission. If
people see the bikes and remember our mission then
we have succeeded.
Arrival in Arlington, Virginia in 2015. From left to right, Joseph
“Gump” Hudson (Repatriated Prisoner of War – Iraq), Wildcat,
Gonzo
The mission has continued since its inception because
active duty, veterans, military retirees, and civilians
choose to get involved. The mission will not continue
without new riders and supporters getting involved.
While thousands ride “All the Way” each year, that is
not a requirement. You can ride for a day, a couple
days, a week, or “All the Way”. If you don’t ride,
come hold a flag or wave at an overpass and show
your support. The community support makes all the
difference on those exhausting days.
If you are interested in participating, think you might
do it “one day” or just want to see what the mission
is all about, visit www.rftw.org. If you can’t find the
answer to your question on the website, feel free to
drop me a note at [email protected]. Either way,
give the ride a try at least once. I assure you it will
take you by complete surprise, and will be nothing
like you imagined. It will, however, be the most
emotional, yet worthwhile, thing you can do on two
wheels.
“Until they all come home!”
Gonzo and Wildcat after the Road Guard promotion ceremony in
Wytheville, Virginia in 2016
Staging in Ontario, California for all 3 routes in 2016
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