Emotional day ends Run For The Wall

U.S. Army Pvt. Zach Lawson, 22, of Portland, Ore., places American
flags on graves at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day, in
Arlington, Va. Thursday, May 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Run For The Wall has ended for this year. Denver-area bikers Glenn and Cathy Buchholz send their final report.

Saturday 5/23/09, the culmination of the Run for the Wall

Friday after arriving at the hotel we met up with several CMA members from North Carolina and Arkansas. It was great to meet with them and get to know them. They all came down to give water to the riders in the parking lot of the Pentagon where the parade stages, before the parade starts on Sunday. There is usually a four to five hour wait before the parade even starts and then after it starts it takes a very long time for everyone to get out of the parking lot. People need to hydrate during that wait as it is impossible to move your bike out after you are staged.

Saturday  morning was a great opportunity to sleep in; however we woke up around 5 a.m. just an hour later than usual. We left the hotel and headed for the Assembly of God Church in Arlington, VA, where breakfast was being served. We visited with several people and then took the shuttle bus to The Wall.

It wasn't very busy yet and so we proceeded down to the Vietnan Memorial Wall. The mood is very somber at the Wall. We walked slowly looking at names and watching people. Cathy first spotted a man with tears in his eyes gazing at a distance at the Wall. She went up to him and shook his hand and said "Welcome Home" and he grabbed her and gave her a big hug and wouldn't let go. Then he asked if she had lost someone and she said no, that she was just there to encourage those who had lost friends and family. He shared he had lost 19 after a fire fight. He was overcome with emotion and she kept hugging him and encouraging him. He expressed it had taken him 36 years to come to the Wall. I later talked with his friend who also was grieving, prayed a short prayer with him and a hug and then hugged and prayed with the man Cathy had talked to.  After that we continued to walk down the Wall and stopped to just pray for those there that needed healing.

As we were praying a friend that we met in California who lives in Colorado walked up and just started hugging me. I then grabbed a hold of him and started praying with him. He expressed this wasn't the first time he had been to the Wall; however he said every time he comes it is still hard. As we were parting he mentioned that the words that were spoken in the prayer were exactly what he needed at that moment. God is so good! We noticed several people struggling and other people were comforting them. This time we saw more of this struggle than any other time we have visited the Wall. This is what this journey is all about. Healing comes after the struggle.

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful, except that when we were having lunch we talked with a veteran who had finally come to the Wall after 42 years. He came with friends also; actually his friends insisted he come this year.  He had put it off before because he didn't want to deal with the feelings he knew it was going to bring up.

Before we left to go back to the church the Run for the Wall participants, both Central and Southern, gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial for a group picture. It was very hot and steamy by now so we said our good-byes to several of those we rode with and headed back to the church for a dinner of bar-b-que ribs provided by the church.  After dinner they had a short ceremony honoring some of the leaders of the Run.

We said good-byes to the rest of the many good friends that we had come to know on this Run. It was very difficult to leave that parking lot and go back to the hotel. As we reflect now on the Run for the Wall it was very rewarding every single day. We are going to miss the many old friends and the many hugs from all. We became a family not just a team for these past 10 days. If any of you are veterans or just appreciate what veterans have done for you in this country we would very much recommend that you take a journey of your own to the Wall.

We appreciate all of you who have been praying for this journey to the Wall. God bless all of you.

Glenn and Cathy will not be riding in Sunday's Rolling Thunder demonstration, but the DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner will be covering it.