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Posted on 06/05/2003 5:35:53 AM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.
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"Run to the Wall:" Into the 21st Century and Riding On They say the sound brings it all back. If you stand in Washington, D.C. the day before Memorial Day and face the Memorial Bridge, you will hear it for yourself. When it begins it's just a distant rumbling, more a feeling than a noise. Then the bridge itself seems to tremble and something big shimmers on the distant horizon. They say there's only one thing on earth equal to the din of B-52s in carpet-bomb formation. They say it's the sound of Rolling Thunder's Run to the Wall.  What began as a drive to champion what really happened tom abandoned U.S. prisoners of war under the murky veil surrounding the Vietnam War has evolved into a uniquely American cause to protect and aid all U.S. military personnel then, now, and in the future. There's no denying the noise generated by more than 250,000 motorcycles riding wheel to wheel as they do each year in support of their mission is enough to get anyone's attention. But what's really impressive is the impact the group has had on a national and international level. To appreciate how far they've come, you really have to go back to where and how they got started. That would be a smoky little diner near Summersville, New Jersey in 1987. A couple of Vietnam vets had crossed paths when they discovered each was doing the same thing on their own. "We were just two guys going around putting up flags," recalls Artie Muller of his meeting at the diner with co-founder Ray Manzo. "It was Ray's idea to do the motorcycle run. As for the name, there's nothing that sounds more like the B-52's carpet-bombing than a large group of Harley-Davidsons!"  "I was in the U.S. Army," Muller, now Rolling Thunder president, states matter-of-factly. Today, it's no big deal to tell strangers your military affiliation. But Muller remembers clearly the very different world he and fellow vets returned to after serving in Vietnam. "People would spit on us. Literally. Some called us names like 'baby-killers.' Basically we were treated like hell. I know guys who came home and just went and hid out in the woods. "Most of us just came home and put our uniforms away. Didn't talk to anybody. Just tried to get back to a regular life. That was the best you could do. But there were guys who were, who still are, having a hard time with it." The sting of being shunned by the very nation they had gone to fight and lay down their lives for was bad enough. But the pain of learning how politics of war had betrayed them was far worse. "There were - so many guys - who went their first day into combat and got sent home in body bags the same day. They just weren't being trained what they needed to know to stay alive," Muller recalls.  "I was combat infantry, Sergeant E-5. I extended my stay another three months to keep these guys alive - to train them, the guys just coming in, so at least they'd have a chance." For many, including American POW patriots left behind in captivity, the right to at least have a chance seemed to be a little too much to ask. In the aftermath of troop withdrawal, the government seemed more eager to save face than to salvage the lives of those who served. Muller can explain Rolling Thunder's history in a few well-chosen, heartfelt words: "We found out the U.S. government lied to everybody and we were very aggravated. We got involved in Washington passing bills to protect armed forces left behind after conflicts. We help servicemen get their VA benefits and steer them in the right direction to get the help they need."  In the beginning, there was a march as well as the motorcycle run, to bring attention to the Rolling Thunder cause. Neither Muller nor Manzo were used to being the ones on the demonstration line, and had no clue the response they might have that first year. "None of us ever did anything like this before," Muller says of the first event. "We applied for the permits and got them OK. That part went pretty smoothly. But when we got there - we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know if anybody would even show up." Hearts soared when the first motorcycles appeared. Then more cycles came and kept on coming until some 2500 motorcycles joined in the unmistakable roar of unity. In addition, upwards of 5000 marchers showed up, too. The crowd, it turned out, wasn't just Vietnam vets, but ordinary civilians as well. It was as if the American populace, silent all those years, had suddenly found voice. The vets, who had served without thanks and suffered without support that day received a long overdue vote of confidence from a tardy nation.  Suddenly, being a Vietnam vet was no longer a mark of shame, but a badge of honor. Out of the woodwork came droves of would be heroes claiming to have medals in a war they never fought, some even too young to remember. Despite the oddness of the 1980s turnabout, Rolling Thunder has never wavered from its cause. Muller cites the hero mentality as one he strives to overcome in dealing with vets who belatedly have to come to terms with a war without closure. "Veterans, all of them, did their part, whether they were in combat or not. Whether they were loading cargo in planes, trucking food into the guys or flying in supplies, they all deserve credit. I don't think it's right for guys to feel they weren't vital just because they maybe weren't in combat." After the first few events, the march portion of Rolling Thunder's demonstration was dropped, but the motorcycle motorcade continues to swell in rank and number. The year 2000 Memorial run included over 250,000 cycles and about 400,000 attendees in support of the group.  Ask any serviceman how you close a military mission, and you'll hear the same words "Leave no one behind." It might have started out as a limited engagement to focus attention on those unaccounted for after Vietnam, but it's become much, much more. Rolling Thunder picked up the banner of accountability its government dropped and carries it with pride and honor into the 21st century.
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Yes, Sam, you should by all means.
Can anybody in here get me to the best link so I can help them get the DD214? Thanks in advance for any help. FV
Thanks Snippy. That struck me too, although I wonder if the Press and the Politicians look at it as a Demonstration.
After he gets a copy, have him file a copy with the local County Registrarr, that way he can always get another copy if he needs it.
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 U.S. Navy Lt. Cdr. McGrath hugs his children upon his return to home base after a 6-month deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The McGraths were one of hundreds of family members waiting anxiously for their loved ones to return from their deployment to the Middle East. McGrath , an F-18 pilot with VFA-201 "The Hunters" was called to duty in January and just returned home to the Naval Reserve base Ft. Worth. The VFA-201 "The Hunters" successfully flew 400 missions over Iraq during operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Hechinger  Sailors aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Valley Forge man the rails as they pull into their homeport of San Diego, Calif, June 2. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the crew of the Valley Forge played a major role in eliminating the regime of Saddam Hussein and freeing the Iraqi people. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel A. Jones  Sydnee and Aspin Leonard are one of hundreds of family members waiting anxiously for their loved ones to return from their deployment to the Middle East. Their father Petty Officer 3rd Class Leonard, an aviation mechanic, part of VFA-201 "The Hunters," was called to duty in January and just returned home to the Naval Reserve base Ft. Worth after a six- month deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Hechinge  U.S. Navy Commander Marotta, F-18 pilot and commander of the VFA-201, kisses his wife upon his return from a six- month deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Hechinger  U.S. Navy Commander Marotta is welcomed home by his family with a double hug from his twin daughters. The F-18 pilot and commander of VFA-201 "The Hunters," was called to duty in January and just returned home to the Naval Reserve base Ft. Worth, Texas after a six- month deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The VFA-201 "The Hunters" successfully flew 400 missions over Iraq during operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Hechinger
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