The roar of hundreds of motorcycles echoed throughout the state Capitol grounds Thursday morning as the Run for the Wall arrived in Charleston.
The annual event starts in Los Angeles, California where veterans and supporters ride cross country in honor of those who have given all.
Charleston is one of the last stops before the run reaches its final destination on Sunday, the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.
This is Bill Francis’ sixth time on the run. He and his wife are from Hesperia, California and have ridden the entire way across the country. He says on the ride the veterans, especially those from Vietnam, receive the welcome home they never got when they returned from war forty years ago.
“You might see one person on a bridge waving a flag. You might see 100,” Francis said. “That restores my faith in this country.”
It also helps him heal.
“This, what you see around you, helps fix me!”
Francis says he still has nightmares about his time in Vietnam all these years later. For him, the ride is a way to connect with other veterans who are dealing with the same thing. They talk, comfort each other and Francis says give each other strength.
But he stresses that’s just a benefit of the ride. The reason he revs his engine and puts on his helmet every year for the cross country trip is simple.
“We’re not doing it for us. We’re doing it for [the American people] and those who can’t be here,” explained Francis.
He says thousands of Vietnam veterans were left behind when the war ended. The ride is about honoring those POW/MIA. He says they can never be forgotten and as long as the run continues.
The run moved on to Rainelle after a ceremony at the state Veteran’s Memorial. Riders say the small town gives them one of the warmest welcomes they’ll receive the entire run.