It was a Memorial Day Weekend one of our employee-owners will never forget.
Marketing Proposal Specialist Julie Pederson spent the holiday weekend in Washington, D.C. with thousands of fellow veterans after making the Run for the Wall cross-country motorcycle ride. The event, which started in 1989, honors those who lost their lives while serving and brings awareness to prisoners of war and those missing in action over the years.
“What a humbling, rewarding experience,” Julie said. “Every town along the way had an amazing sense of patriotism and support for American veterans. Lots of healing, lots of camaraderie and lots of remembering those Americans who have fallen. I can’t express how impactful this trip was.”
The 2,665-mile journey began in Ontario, California. Participants were given the option of three routes, all of which ended up in the nation’s capital. Julie rode with her dad, a Vietnam veteran, on the Midway route, which traveled through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. The fuel team was responsible for riding ahead of the pack to predetermined gas stations and filling around 300 motorcycles when participants arrived.
After arriving, first-timers had the honor of riding their bikes into Arlington National Cemetery, where they watched four Run for the Wall riders lay a wreath at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.
Julie serves in the US Air Force as an Arizona Air National Guardsman. She joined as a Reservist in February 2001, transferring to the Guard in 2012, and rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. Over the past nearly 15 years, Julie has served three combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, and several disaster operations, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and Haitian earthquake relief.
She said she will definitely participate in the event again.
