WENTZVILLE, Mo. — On a sunny, picture-perfect Monday, more than 200 motorcyclists rolled into Wentzville from Columbia as part of a cool, cross-country mission.
"I'm doing it because I want to honor those who didn't make it home from Vietnam," said Vietnam veteran John Mooney from O'Fallon, Illinois.
They gathered at VFW Post 5327.
This week, the men and women are preparing for their 37th Run For The Wall. Tuesday's annual cross-country motorcycle ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. honors the memory of all veterans.
"A lot of the Vietnam guys, in particular, were forgotten when they came home," Mooney said.
Mooney served 27 years in the Air Force and is excited to mark his first Run For The Wall adventure.
"We're gonna first go to Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in St. Louis, and then, we're meeting the rest of this group in Mount Vernon, and then, we're off to Indiana," Mooney said.
Organizers said Run For The Wall is also a chance to promote healing among all veterans and their loved ones and remember prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The people behind the event start planning in January and for everyone involved, it uniquely touches them.
"It is very emotional," VFW Post Commander and Vietnam veteran Ron Owens said.
Owens admitted each year, the event brings him to tears.
"This is a very special time for all of us," he said. "Lots of members that I've run across lost their brothers, lost their friends. Vietnam was brutal."
It's a time to salute and celebrate past and present soldiers, true heroes like 91-year-old Jim Price from St. Charles. The Korean War veteran cannot wait to see the motorcyclists off Tuesday morning.
"I love them. I'm glad they're doing it every year. It's wonderful," Price said.
The motorcyclists hope to arrive in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.
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