WILLIAMS — The motorcycle riders of Run For The Wall arrived in Williams May 17 which is their traditional first stop of their ten-day trek to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. Their goal is meet up with the riders of Rolling Thunder and participate in Memorial Day events. The goal of the groups is to bring awareness of those who gave their lives for their country and those still missing in action.

The riders were threatened with rain, but the rain held off until about 7 p.m. The group started arriving at about 5:00 p.m. with the main group arriving about twenty-minutes later. They stopped at the American Legion Cordova Post #13 for sustenance and rest provided by the Legion, local citizens and the Route 66 Young Marines.

While many people tend to take extra pains to thank Veterans for their service during the Memorial Day weekend, Northern Arizona Gazette would like to remind everyone that Memorial Day is a solemn day of respect for those who were killed during the many conflicts the United States has been involved in. We would prefer that you go to the local cemetery, find a Veteran’s grave and lay flowers. Veteran Service groups, such as the American Legion and Veterans Of Foreign Wars hold ceremonies that you can attend.

Northern Arizona Gazette has been following Run For The Wall since 2005. It is sad to note that over the years, less of our Vietnam Veteran brothers have been able to make the ride and many have passed. We are happy to report that younger Veterans from recent conflicts, such as Desert Storm and Afghanistan, have taken up the ride. About a hundred motorcycles participated in this leg of Run For The Wall. There are three routes that riders take.

After an overnight stay, the riders left promptly at 8 a.m. May 18. The weather was perfect for their send off.