David Talley, an OOIDA life member from Texas, has been involved in the Run for the Wall since 2005. And despite various health ailments and the challenges of life getting in the way, Talley was determined to again take part in the annual 10-day motorcycle ride that ends at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
“I told my wife back in November that I was going,” Talley said during a pit stop on May 18 at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in Grain Valley, Mo. “I told her that I didn’t know how it was going to work itself out, but that I was going.”
Talley’s determination is rooted in his belief in what the Run for the Wall stands for.
The Run for the Wall was started in 1989 by Vietnam veterans who traveled across the U.S. on motorcycles, informing the local media about the thousands of men and women still unaccounted for from multiple wars.
“The need for this awareness continues, so Run for the Wall riders maintain this tradition every May by riding their motorcycles from coast to coast …” the organization states on its website. “Run for the Wall does not give political speeches or stage demonstrations. Run for the Wall emphasizes its message by traveling through the United States in a safe and orderly manner, obeying traffic laws and treating all citizens with respect.”
“We ride for those who can’t” is the organization’s motto.
The 2026 Run for the Wall began on May 13 in Ontario, Calif. Riders take three different routes, ending in Washington, D.C., on May 23. A fourth route starts on May 24, with riders traveling from the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., to the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, Ill.
Thousands of riders participate each year, with many joining on various stops along the way.
Talley, a longtime truck driver, said that the organization does its best to get the word out to truckers about where the riders will be.
“We do our best to work with the truck drivers,” Talley said. “We know that everything we have comes on a truck.”
Organizers say that the Run for the Wall allows veterans to receive the “welcome home” they deserve.
“Many who have served our country, especially in combat, return with issues that may be unresolved,” the Run for the Wall website states. “This can also extend to friends and families who have experienced the range of emotions and trauma associated with having a loved one go off to serve. RFTW riders find healing and camaraderie in the Run for the Wall family. They can finally start settling issues that have been put away for years.”
Talley added that riders do not need to be a veteran to participate.
“We have more non-veteran riders than veterans,” he said. LL
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