Divine Appointments - that's what we call it - some call it coincidence.

I had been at the Vietnam Veterans Wall for nearly an hour, along with nearly 800 Run For The Wall riders and the general public, and other groups arriving for Rolling Thunder, and I was standing back, near the chain, trying to see my hubby who had gone to find a Park Service employee.

It was time to leave, I had held a Run For The Wall ceremony with several riders.

When a rider registers with Run For The Wall the first time, they are given a large button (pin) that say's FNG and is dated.  During the Vietnam War the term FNG meant the new guy was going to have to be trained, observed, and worked into the routine, which was a negative for the experienced warrior, so it was a derogatory term.  Run For The Wall has a tradition, we call them Fine New Guys or Gals, FNG, and the pin means that we will not take our eyes off of this rider, we will assist them when things get stressful, emotional, or difficult and we plan on standing with them at every challenge, including facing The Wall.

There are several methods for this, but once you've accomplished your mission getting to The Wall, your pin can be turned upside down and worn that way from this point on.  That Pin also gets the new rider into an incredible presentation at Arlington National Cemetery the Saturday we arrive, so it is treasured.

One of the things that has been done with that pin through the years, that I so appreciate, is if they are standing at The Wall and their pin is not upside down, we step up, welcome the rider HOME!  Then ask their permission to call this "mission complete."  Then ask their permission to turn the button upside down indicating they've arrived and we have a brief discussion about their ride, the reason they rode, and get to know each other on a heart-to-heart basis during the brief ceremony.  Everyone breaks at this point, you're aware of the families pushing strollers, babies sleeping, toddlers chattering, teens giggling, adults glancing but afraid to totally look on, peek into the ceremony, it's private, poignant yet, a necessity.

I stood in one place and looked for Pins that were still upright.  When I would see one, I would gently touch the arm of the Run For The Wall rider and ask, "You are here, are you ready to turn this pin upside down?"  I explain the significance of the Pin, chat with them about their ride, and we do the deed with tears.

Michelle and I crossed paths, I had probably already done about 8 FNG pins, when I turned and there she was, she nearly shouted, "All these people, and look who I'm standing beside."  We had ridden several legs of the trip side by side in the pack, she on her Harley me on my Yamaha sport bike, we kept pace like clockwork, and got a lot of comments on our riding abilities.  She is the young lady I mentioned - who is going to Kuwait in July for ANOTHER tour.

We hugged, smiled, stepped back and low and behold her PIN had not been turned.  I started shaking and crying.  I said, "Is your mission complete?  Are you ready to turn your button?  May I have the honor.?"  She said she would love for me to be the one to turn her Pin.  At that instant another lady rider stepped up, and took Michelle's camera to capture the moment, as we hugged and cried and my hands shook, I told Michelle, "This is more than a ceremony for you and me, this is an act of passing the baton on my part representing Run For The Wall and my generation, to you our current heroes, our willing warriors.  Carry on, you have our prayers and support."  I told her that she was my inspiration across country, she's the reason I ride and that:

Our Memorial is your Memorial until you have one of your own.