Written by: Mégan Alba
For three years, I’ve shared Gary Burd’s Run For The Wall (RFTW) reports from my desk at the IPHC Global Ministry Center. This year, I had the opportunity to experience the Run firsthand. I spent two days with Mission: M25 and Run For The Wall as they passed through Grand Prairie, Texas.
Run For The Wall began 23 years ago as a way for veterans to honor their fallen and missing comrades. The Run begins in California and ends at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. For many, it has become a ride whose sole purpose is to deal with invisible battle scars and face their demons. For all who ride, it is a time to remember that our freedom has been paid for in blood.
Mission: M25 serves the Run both physically and spiritually. The Hydration Trailer provides free water, Gatorade and snacks to riders. While it may not seem like much, this service keeps the riders from becoming dehydrated. The Chaplains team rides with RFTW platoons. Their primary function is to assist riders who go down in accidents. A secondary––and perhaps more important––function is to provide emotional and spiritual support for the hurting.
But the Hydration Trailer and the Chaplains are simply vehicles of service. The real story at Run For The Wall is written on the faces of those who ride.
- There is Henry Connor, an 88-year-old survivor of the Battle of Iwo Jima, who goes to counseling twice a week because he cannot, even in his dreams, escape the atrocities he witnessed there.
- There is the soldier riding to the wall alone––the sole survivor of an attack on the battlefield. His final mission, the only one that matters to him anymore, is to take his comrades’ dog tags to the Wall.
- There is the soldier who stands at attention for 5 1/2 hours during a memorial service because he understands better than most the true meaning of the word “sacrifice.”
- There is the grizzled veteran who still cannot give words to the horrors of war, even after 40 years at home.
- There is the woman whose family finally acquires her brother’s body, 50 years after he was declared Missing in Action.
During my weekend with Run For The Wall, I took hundreds of photos. But the image that remains burned in my mind is the one I could not capture on camera. As we drove down the highway with the Run, I looked up. Standing on an overpass was an elderly veteran in a military cap. His frail, thin body hunched over his walker and two women stood by his side, supporting him as he leaned over the concrete barrier. This man, who could barely walk, came to watch the riders pass by. He came to honor, to remember, to say “thank you.” At that moment, I finally understood the mission of Run For The Wall: We Ride for Those Who Can’t.
We cannot all ride to the Vietnam Memorial, but we can all do something. This Memorial Day Weekend, take time to remember those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. Honor the veterans in your church and community. Reach out those whose spouses are serving overseas. Honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we wouldn’t have to.
