By Coben Scott
About 40 people cheered and waved flags when The Colorado Patriot Guard Riders joined with the American Legion Riders Post 2008 and rode through Falcon mid-afternoon on May 17, as part of the Run For The Wall cross country motorcycle ride. The riders passed through Falcon en route to their overnight stop in Limon.
Since 1989, the motorcyclists have been riding across the nation on various routes to spread awareness of veterans, prisoners of war and those missing in action. Starting in Los Angeles and ending at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC, this ride is a multi-weeklong event. Initially, the group started as a “Welcome Home” for Vietnam veterans, but as time rode on, the group has encompassed several other service members throughout the nation’s history.
To pay respect and honor the fallen veterans, a space is left open in their formations for riders. At the front of the convoy are ambassador riders, and even farther up are the fuel stoppers. The ambassadors take the role of alerting any onlookers that the bikes are on their way, and the fuel stoppers make sure that pit stops are fast and efficient.
The RFTW mission is “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.”
