I celebrated my 23rd wedding anniversary today. Unfortunately, I was 3000 miles away from my dear wife. But in true RFTW family style, we all wished her a happy anniversary by cell phone tonight. I hope we’re in the same place together next year.
I rode to Mission Bay this morning and did a bit of site seeing there. I took in a CBS taping of some skate boarding that was pretty interesting. I got back to the hotel about 1:00PM. We rode over to the Barron’s house about 3:30PM. They followed us back on our bikes, which we parked at the hotel. Then we rode in Bob’s former truck (which he sold to a neighbor who let him borrow it back to haul us around) back to his house. We did laundry, ate snacks, had a wonderful lasagna dinner, and were delivered back to hotel by Laura Barron. There were 12 of us in the truck upon return!
Once again we had a wonderful evening of fun. The 4 other Wythe County riders joined us today and were able to enjoy the Barron’s hospitality too.
Tomorrow we have breakfast at the American Legion Hall in San Diego. I am told to expect a feast and wonderful support for the mission. Then we ride North to Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The fun part of our journey is about to end. We are starting to focus on the reason for this ride; the pressure of riding side by side in formation, the emotions, and the tension that awaits us.
At the Barron’s home tonight I heard stories of injuries suffered in Viet Nam, the true “Killing Fields”, buddies left behind and severely wounded, and the mistreatment suffered by “our boys” upon their return from Nam. I’ve spent 3 nights listing to a double Purple Heart recipient who turned down the Silver Star because a buddy deserved it more, who knows of 53 kills he made as a sniper in Nam. I’ve heard of his family problems, his difficulty in adjusting to civilian life, and his struggles. I had one person tell me that “everybody says I’m crazy but my psychiatrist says I’m ok”. I heard of the Commandant of the Marine Corps going out of his way to arrange an Air Force enlisted man’s flight home to visit a relative who undergone cancer treatment. And we talked about the fact that 5 men in the same block of the same tight knit neighborhood are now undergoing or have undergone radiation for prostate cancer. Could it be Agent Orange? They all served in Nam about the same time and in generally the same area. Too much of a coincidence for me. But that’s why we ride – for those who can’t!
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