State flag placed at Vietnam Wall to honor Louisiana veterans

Photo By Angela Fry | Louisiana Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Perry M. Pee of Eros, La., places a...... read more read more

Photo By Angela Fry | Louisiana Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Perry M. Pee of Eros, La., places a Louisiana state flag signed by hundreds of veterans and current service members in honor of the more than 800 Louisiana U.S. Armed Forces service members who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Pee traveled with the Run for the Wall escorting the flag. The RFTW is an annual motorcycle pilgrimage from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., to Washington that pays homage to 1,800 Soldiers unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, 8,000 from Korea, 78,000 from World War II and Navy pilot Scott Speicher from the Gulf War.  see less | View Image Page

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES

05.28.2009

Story by 2nd Lt. Angela Fry 

Louisiana National Guard

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WASHINGTON — A 1,200-mile journey through the heat of the southern days and the cool temperatures of the northeast, strapped to the back of a Harley Davidson, describes the final journey of a single Louisiana state flag. The flag was eventually placed at its final destination ... the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington.

A member of the Louisiana National Guard recently participated in the annual Run for the Wall motorcycle pilgrimage, individually escorting the flag in honor of the more than 800 U.S. Armed Forces members from Louisiana who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

"I wanted to be able to do something special to honor veterans from Louisiana," said Staff Sgt. Perry M. Pee of Eros, La. "This is my first year to be able to make 'The Run' all the way to D.C. We spent the past year circulating the flag around the state collecting as many signatures of Louisiana veterans and current service members as we could."

"The trip was demanding," stressed the mechanic with the 527th Engineer Battalion in Ruston, La. "But I know that whatever difficulties we may have had, it's nothing like the ultimate sacrifice the Soldiers on The Wall made."

The pilgrimage is a grueling 4,000-mile trek that begins in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and ends in Washington, the Saturday before Memorial Day.

Beginning in 1989, "The Run" honors the thousands of servicemen whose whereabouts are still unknown and those killed in action during U.S. foreign conflicts, and encompass veterans from World War II, the Vietnam War, the conflict in Bosnia and the Global War on Terrorism.

"The trip may end at the Vietnam Wall, but it was also made to honor the more than 70 Louisiana Soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan," added Pee, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We won't forget them and we won't forget our buddies from the 225th Engineer Brigade who couldn't make the trip this year."

Pee decided to join the formation in Monroe, La., after completing the Monroe to Meridian, Miss., leg last year.

"Experiencing the honor of riding through Arlington Cemetery with hundreds of veterans is something I will never forget," Pee added. "It was also an honor to place the state flag at the apex of the wall with other Louisiana veterans who were visiting it for the first time."

Greg "Pied Piper" Smith of West Point, Texas, the southern route coordinator for the RFTW, explained the significance of the organization's mission.

"We ride to honor those who can't," Smith said. "The names on that wall are people, not just numbers. They had families ... they had lives, and we won't forget their sacrifice."

Smith also explained that RFTW is a mission-driven organization that attempts to bring an understanding to veterans and non-service members of the difficulties that all veterans from all conflicts deal with.

Russ "Sheepdog" Cockrum of Martinsville, Ind., the central route coordinator, stressed that the RFTW is not just to honor veterans from the Vietnam War, but also those of past and present conflicts.

"We do this to honor all veterans," he added. "We especially pay respects to those who are currently serving. We want the younger Soldiers to get a nicer welcome home than what we got 40 years ago."

"A lot of us Vietnam veterans are hitting that age when we don't know exactly for sure how many Runs we have left in us," he continued. "We need veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan and some of the more current conflicts, and welcome them to become part of the Run for the Wall."

The annual pilgrimage is a 10-day motorcycle formation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The Saturday before Memorial Day, the riders visit the Wall and other military memorials. The weekend ends with the Rolling Thunder Parade, which consists of more than 500,000 motorcycles, including riders from the central and southern routes of the RFTW.

The Rolling Thunder Parade routinely starts in the parking lot of the Pentagon, travels through downtown Washington and ends at the Vietnam Wall.

The Run for the Wall pays homage to 1,800 Soldiers unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, 8,000 from Korea, 78,000 from World War II and Navy pilot Scott Speicher from the Gulf War.