Sometime around 2010, as I was toying with the idea of getting back into street riding, I first heard about Run For The Wall (RFTW). At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what it was—I just knew it involved motorcycles, long distances, and a whole lot of meaning.
Fast forward to today, and here I am—five motorcycles later (because there is so little time... and so many motorcycles), including two Honda Goldwings—the Cadillacs of the motorcycle world. With those bikes, I’ve logged over 100,000 miles—crisscrossing Oregon more than a dozen times and riding across the United States twice.
And now… a third cross-country ride is on deck. This time—with RFTW.
So… What’s the Draw?
It’s simple.
Purpose.
Run For The Wall is not just about the ride—it’s about why we ride.
Their mission says it better than I ever could:
*“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 Cold War Air Force veteran myself, I have always been grateful for the opportunity to serve—and for those who served before me and continue to serve today. Military service runs deep in my family: grandfathers in the Army, my father in the Air Force, and a son and granddaughter in the Navy. I’ve long believed that service is a vital part of a meaningful life. And now, on this side of retirement—ReFirement, as I like to call it—service simply takes on new forms. The opportunities to live with purpose through service and volunteering are nearly endless. We need only follow that spark… the one that sets our soul on fire.
Only six weeks until KSU—Kick Stands Up! And just like that, the countdown has a heartbeat.
As an FNG—Fine New Generation—I’m stepping into something far bigger than a motorcycle ride. This isn’t just throttle and highway. This is purpose on two wheels.
What do I expect?
Highways that stretch like open invitations… Events that remind us why we ride…
New friendships formed somewhere between fuel stops and shared stories… And experiences that, if I’m honest, probably won’t fit neatly into words.
There will be laughter—no doubt about that... There will be miles—plenty of those.
And there will be moments… the kind that catch you off guard.
The quiet ones... The emotional ones... The ones where a flag waves a little differently… where a handshake lingers a little longer… where you realize this ride carries stories far heavier than the saddlebags we pack.
When my friend Brendan and I roll out on May 10th, heading south to Ontario, California, where RFTW begins, I’m not just chasing pavement—I’m chasing presence.
My goal? To soak it all in.
Every sunrise over the highway... Every conversation at a gas stop... Every veteran honored.
Every child waving from an overpass... Every opportunity—to bless, and to be blessed.
Because somewhere between the rumble of engines and the rhythm of the road… something meaningful happens.
Something that reminds you why you ride in the first place.
So yes…
Is it May yet?
But it’s close enough now that you can almost hear the engines warming… almost feel the road calling…
almost see the horizon waiting.
And when that day comes—
Kick stands up.
Hearts open.
Let’s ride.
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