Scott Casey, Founder of The Rolling Barrage, is with other Canadian motorcycle riders participating in the Run For The Wall. The riders who have joined him on the Midway Route are all Rolling Barrage alumni; some with multiple Rolling Barrage – Full Pulls under their belts.
There is a relationship and respect between our two organizations, and it really began in 2017 when the Founder of the Run For The Wall, James “Gunny” Gregory, joined The Rolling Barrage in its inaugural ride.
“Gunny” is highly respected within The Rolling Barrage community of riders and rightfully so. A proud United States Marine combat veteran who founded the Run For The Wall and was one of the lead riders in May 1989 departing from San Diego with about 115 riders and by Las Vegas most had gone home but a core group of 15 riders continued to Washington DC. They were on a mission and that mission has continued to this very day.
This in many ways has parallels to The Rolling Barrage’s 2017 ride where our ridership started really with a small core of riders in Newfoundland, gradually picking up riders along the way. It was when we left Thunder Bay ON, and there were literally the core Full Pull riders and a few riders willing to push it just a little farther and two support vehicles.
We didn’t have the mechanisms in place, such as online Registration, to the extent we have on the website now, for example. Advertising was literally word of mouth and our Facebook page.
One can only imagine in 1989 “Gunny” trying to get the Run For The Wall off the ground. No real internet, no social media, no email. Probably all the planning is in-person meetings, phones (hard line) no smart phones then either, and fax machines.
I am writing this blog now on a computer; did he even have a computer in 1989 to do anything? In 1989, I had a Commodore 64 and an Amiga computer. I don’t think I could quite do on those systems what I do now. I must ask him the next time I see “Gunny.” Truly incredible.
Over time, the Run For the Wall would expand to 3 primary routes, being Central, Midway, and Southern Route. A lot of this was driven by safety, as the number of riders attending was being a concern. There is a smaller run called Sandbox Route that leaves Washington, DC to Marseilles, Illinois. As I write this, and checking on their website, there are close to 1200 riders converging on Washington D.C. with more probably joining in every day.
Central Route – 462 Riders
Midway Route – 286 Riders
Southern Route – 379 Riders
It is good to see Scott Casey and the other Canadian riders not only taking part in the Run For The Wall, but being involved in positions within the ride or given honors; such as Scott Casey entrusted with the duty and honor of security of the “Colors” for a period of time.
When our inaugural ride in 2017 passed into Manitoba, our first stop was just outside Whiteshell for fuel at West Hawk Lake. Pulling in and seeing a significant number of riders from Winnipeg and our RCMP escort that travelled from different points within Manitoba to escort us to Winnipeg is a moment in time I will never forget. I let out a huge sigh of relief. I was confident that ridership would increase substantially from that point forward as the ride proceeded west, and it did.
While I had to depart the next morning to get back home as I had work to attend to, I made a point of thanking “Gunny” Gregory for being there for Scott and he reached into his pocket and handed me his own branded morale coin. I was floored, to be perfectly honest.
I then spoke with Scott, handing him essentially the remaining Route Maps, Directions etc.. as a print out. We had not quite reached the level of expertise per say with Google Maps, Word and Abobe PDF’s at that point. We were really in “follow the leader” mode back then.
I always will remember that. Just as I am sure Scott and the Canadians who are attending this year’s Run For the Wall are equally going to have memories of their ride with hundreds of fellow riders in the United States.
The Run For The Wall makes history every year with their rides. So does The Rolling Barrage. We are going into our 7th year. We are returning to Newfoundland, where it all began in 2017. This year the number of “Full Pull” riders exceeds previous rides. The numbers regarding the First Responder community are also exceeding ridership from previous years.
This year’s Rolling Barrage is going to be something special. Consider Registering Online and being part of the ongoing history of our ride this coming August 2023.
To keep up to date on the Run For The Wall as they proceed in this year’s ride, please visit;
They have on their website a significant history of the Run For The Wall. Take the time to read some of their blog stories and you will get a sense of the magnitude of the planning and coordination that takes place to conduct a ride such as theirs.
You just may find yourself like Scott and others from The Rolling Barrage heading south in the future to be part of an extraordinary ride across America.
As pictures and video come forward during the Run For The Wall, they have riders and volunteers who post regularly across their social media channels. Throw down some of that Canadian camaraderie and Subscribe, Follow, Like, Care and Love like I know we can.
Regards,
Christian ~ aka Opie