Robert DeLuna took a little extra time off for Memorial Day weekend to make the 10-day “Run For the Wall” motorcycle ride to remember veterans who are prisoners of war or missing in action.
Though he first heard about the trip in 2003, DeLuna finally had the chance to do it for the first time last year. He set out this year with two friends to arrive in Rancho Cucamonga for the May 16 start. DeLuna himself was on the road May 14 to June 2.
“It’s considered a family,” DeLuna said of the riders who start in Rancho Cucamonga or other cities along the way. “It’s just for people to realize we still have men out there. There are bodies that have never been returned.”
According to the program form the event, there are 1,720 soldiers still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, with more than 81,000 still missing from other conflicts dating back to World War II.
DeLuna served in the army for six years, three years on active duty, during the Vietnam era. Though he did not go to Vietnam, he wanted to honor the San Benito residents who were killed in combat during the war. For this year’s run, he looked up the names of San Benito residents who are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. When he got to the memorial, he held up a piece of paper over the names and used a pencil to etch it on the paper.
The five men from San Benito whose name are honored on the memorial wall include David Vasquez, Nickalas Perez-Gurnias, Arcadio Torres Jr., Gabriel Betancourt and Albert Gonzalez.
“It’s heart wrenching – they are kids forever,” DeLuna said. “I always say, they would have been around 63. If they died at 21, that’s how they will always be remembered.”
Sylvia DeLuna, Robert’s wife, said that he also rode in honor of family members who served in the military in the past and who are serving now.
The participants in the run call it a mission. They include women and men, veterans and those who support veterans, motorcycle riders and some who follow along in cars.
DeLuna said in addition to reminding people about soldiers who are POWs or MIA, he said it also highlights the need to honor those who are serving in the military.
“Vietnam was a controversial war, but they did what they were ordered to do,” he said, adding that he feels that soldiers today returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are receiving warmer welcomes.
This year DeLuna was honored to ride in the “Missing Man formation” at the front of the pack. With 500 riders in the pack along the central route, the riders go along two by two. But at the front, the first group has only five riders instead of six. He also served on the advance team, which rides into town to prepare for fuel stops for all the bikes.
Along the way, the riders receive an enthusiastic welcome in many communities. They often are escorted by police officers who sometimes close down highways to allow them to get through. They were also provided with meals in some cities and greeted by active military men.
“For me Gallup, New Mexico is a very emotional reception,” DeLuna said. “We get there and it’s unbelievable how the community embraces us.”
The riders visit veterans memorials in different cities, but the end of the tour is Arlington National Cemetery. This year, Sylvia flew out to meet DeLuna on the East Coast. They visited the Vietnam memorial.
“It’s amazing all the names on it,” she said. “We need to appreciate the vets. The sacrifice is unbelievable.”
