Huge Success: First Annual WV Veterans Reunion
by Jeff "Mario" Smith, Guerilla Reporter
May 31, 2005
The weather was perfect, the ceremony was well done, the food, campsites, and showers were plentiful and free, and the townspeople of Rainelle, WV, led by coordinator Monica Venable, welcomed us with open arms…again. Again? What do you mean again? Wasn’t this the First annual WV Veteran’s reunion you say? Yes, it was, but the good people of Rainelle, WV have been hosting the KY Run For The Wall group for the past 17 years on the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend, as we traveled to DC for Rolling Thunder.
This special relationship between the people of Rainelle and the two-wheeled Veterans on their way to The Wall in DC began in 1988. Purple Heart Veteran Danny “Greasy” Belcher, CMH Recipient Gary Wetzel, and a host of others from KY joined with James Gregory and his Run For The Wall (RFTW) group in Mt. Sterling, KY and headed to The Wall. When they reached the interstate toll road outside of Charlestown, WV, and the state employees would not allow the first in the group to pay the tolls for the rest of the group, James Gregory and Gary Wetzel decided they would take US Route 60 to bypass the toll road. As fate would have it, Rainelle, WV is on US Route 60.
As the motorcycling Veterans approached Rainelle, word of their impending arrival had reached the town before they did. The forward thinking Police Chief of Rainelle arranged with the principle of the local school to allow the school children out of school to wave flags and greet the Vets as they entered the town. Greasy often says laughingly, when reminiscing about it, that at first, the Vets looked at each other and thought they had accidentally invaded someone’s parade. When they realized the patriotic display was for them, they stopped and the rest is history. Rainelle, WV is now on the map as one of the premier patriotic towns in America.
OK, so what is so different about this year that makes this the first annual WV Veteran’s Reunion you say? Well, this year, we did not continue on to The Wall, and remained in Rainelle for the entire weekend. It was a hard decision to make and it took Greasy a couple of years to come around to making the change. You see, we have been observing a steady erosion of the Rolling Thunder (RT) mission to call attention to the fate of our live Prisoners Of War (POW) abandoned by the power elitists in Washington, DC in all wars of the twentieth century. It seems RT is morphing into a Veteran’s advocacy organization rather than keeping with their original mission of POW MIA protest. After being ordered three years ago by the RT chain of command not to desecrate a communist flag at the communist Viet Nam Embassy, in a country where our own people are told it is alright to burn our blood-purchased Old Glory as "freedom of speech", this past RT member saw the writing on the wall, and was ready to leave then. I was patient and Greasy finally decided that RT had moved too far away from the mission to rescue our POW MIA to be effective anymore.
We now ride under the banner of Task Force Omega of Kentucky, see , and remain dedicated to the POW MIA rescue mission. Rainelle has provided the perfect location, the local support necessary to pull off such an event, and the townspeople are very supportive. It is our desire to make this event bigger and bigger, and next year one of the moving Wall replicas will be in Rainelle for the entire weekend. If you have never visited The Wall or one of its moving replicas, you will want to see this. Go ahead and mark your calendar now for the West Virginia Veteran’s Reunion next Memorial Day weekend.
For all of these past 18 years, the Rainelle Moose Club has provided a free supper on Thursday and a free breakfast on Friday morning before we pulled out for The Wall. This year, the local VFW Post, local churches, and the Rainelle School joined in the effort to keep us fed and our plates runneth over. This Vet didn’t spend a dime all weekend, to eat or to sleep. My tent, now known as “Chateau Mario”, was staked out beside the city hall, which allowed me to be close to all the activities as the city hall front lawn was the center of the speaking events.
Several of my heroes were present besides Greasy and the other Viet Nam Vets I am honored to ride with, including CSM John "Top" Holland (retired) a three-war Infantry Veteran, an original founder of Rolling Thunder, and the father of the original Missing Service Personnel Act; Colonel Earl P. Hopper (retired), also a three-war Veteran and father of POW MIA LTC Earl P. Hopper, Jr. missing in North Viet Nam since January 10, 1968 ; Patty Hopper, Research Director of Task Force Omega, Inc., a freedom fighter to the end; Colonel Ted Bitner (retired), Bronze Star Recipient, and Bosnia and two tour Gulf War Vet; John Malloy, Viet Nam Veteran, Release Foundation founder, Chairman of the National Vietnam and Gulf War Veteran’s Coalition, and survivor of both World Trade Center attacks; Michael J. Martin, Americal Division Vietnam Veteran Infantryman, Silver Star Recipient, and entertainer extraordinaire; and my personal favorite, the Reverend John Steer, a paratrooper with the famed 173rd Airborne Infantry during the Viet Nam War.
John Steer, recipient of two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, and the Silver Star, served as an enlisted man with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, of the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade (Separate), "The Herd", an outfit that saw action in two of the most harrowing battles of the entire war, Hill 875 and The Slope. On Hill 875, John was severely burned by an explosion from incoming mortar, had his right arm blown off, was shot through his left shoulder as well as elsewhere, and one of his legs was severely wounded. After assisting other wounded, he survived by dragging himself with his remaining arm, already almost unusable due to the shoulder wound, to some dead bodies that he used to cover himself to keep the communists from finishing him off. He used the water from the canteens of the dead Sky Soldiers and prayed for God to spare him. This American sure is glad that American Hero John Steer was spared, and I am sure all others who have come to know him, especially all those he has brought to Christ through his ministry to Veterans, are likewise thankful. My brother was a Herd man in Nam, who also survived, so all Herd men are something special to me.
Our group arrived in Rainelle on Thursday after our annual Wednesday night ceremony in Owingsville, KY at the Lion’s Club Park. We had our annual reunion with the good people of Rainelle at 1400 hours on the school football field, as we always do, and the donation bucket was passed, as it always is, so we can contribute to these children who appreciate their Veterans so much. Small town America is the "Real America". From there we dispersed to free showers in several locations around town, to reassemble later at the Moose for a free supper and entertainment by the singing Reverend John Steer, and singer/guitar player Michael J. Martin. Both are great entertainers for those of us who appreciate God and Country first, and also enjoy humor. Michael J. Martin has to be the most enjoyable and down to earth entertainer I have ever had the pleasure to observe. Not only is he very patriotic, he is indeed one very funny guy. His "That Poor Ol’ Bald Headed Guy" and "Great Big XXXX" have to be a couple of the funniest songs ever. The crowd roared. Brothers and sisters all of us, brought together by the love of our abandoned POWs and MIAs, the love flowed over and Michael J. was the appreciated instigator.
On Friday, a group of Combat Veterans went to the Rainelle School to speak with the children while several of us went on a special "Run To Summersville" to participate in a Veteran’s Memorial Service by the Summersville VFW Post 6106. What a great ride it was! They have a wonderful monument to the fallen there. My heart was broken as we added a name to the memorial. Marine Corporal Brian James Richardson, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, already a free American, but killed in Iraq in Al Anbar Province for the freedoms of others on March 5th, 2005, was remembered. Brian’s mother, wife, and mother-in-law were present. After the 21- gun salute I gathered three empty M1 Garand shells and presented one to each family member and told them emphatically that Brian James Richardson will NOT be forgotten. Then I walked off into the baseball field, alone, got down on my knees, and praised the Lord that my Airborne Soldier Son made it back to us from Iraq. As this is being written, a patch, in Brian’s honor, is being made for my vest. No, Freedom Is NOT Free! The ride back was a bit more somber, but that is nothing compared to what these families of the fallen go through. We must always remember them and honor them. We cannot forget and our children must be taught of the sacrifices that have been made by others so they can be free Americans.
Friday evening saw the Moose Club packed with supporters as Michael J. Martin and John Steer entertained us all beyond our expectations. Virgil and Irene Orcutt had their sewing machine set up for adding event patches to our vests and the Moose provided food was overflowing. Neckbone, Mario, and Tiny were props for Michael J. Martin's "Poor Ol Bald Headed Guy" and the crowd went wild. Everyone had a great time and the love flowed throughout the evening. Word has it that TFO KY 3 member "Neckbone" owes Mario a patch. It seems that Neckbone and rider Lori now know the truth that "If you want the job done right, you have to use Mario’s tool."
Saturday morning was yet another free breakfast provided this time by the Rainelle Lions Club at the Rainelle School. We joined in the annual Rainelle Memorial Day Parade and after that, the main ceremony took place at the Rainelle City Hall. Speakers included, Danny “Greasy” Belcher, State Director of Task Force Omega of KY and Purple Heart Veteran of the Viet Nam War; Sovannara Lim, co-founder of United Khom Foundation; CSM John “Top” Holland, three war infantry Veteran; Patty Hopper, TFO Research Director, Hal and Maddy Laffin, dedicated workers for Canadian Viet Nam Veterans; Brothers John Steer and Michael J. Martin, both decorated Viet Nam Veterans; and Master of Ceremonies, Colonel Ted Bitner (retired). Before the ceremony, Mario was seen in handcuffs with an officer of the Rainelle Police Department, something about riding in a manner seen only when observing Mario. Nobody is speaking about who arranged the “setup”, but it was all in fun.
Saturday evening saw yet more free meals and the entertaining of John Steer and Michael J. Martin at the Moose Club. I wish every weekend could be so packed with God and Country, food, fun, rides through the winding hills under shade trees, and the camaraderie seen only in the company of proud Americans who outwardly appreciate their Veterans.
On Sunday morning before we left, Reverend John Steer gave a church service on the lawn of the town hall, and early on, he asked how many Veterans were in attendance. He said, "How many Vets do we have in attendance here today? Show me by raising your hooks." As John raised his"hook", the atmosphere was pleasantly loosened and we enjoyed his up front humor. He gave his testimony of how God saved him on Hill 875, how he spent over two years in hospitals recovering, spent five years with re-adjustment problems including drugs and alcohol, nightmares, fears, anxieties, guilt, and anger, and finally opened up his heart to Christ and was saved. John Steer has now ministered in over 29 different nations preaching the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is currently the National Chaplain for Viet Now and also the 173rd Airborne Brigade Association. His ministry is called Living Word Christian Ministries, and John, and his wife Donna, were awarded the 682nd Presidential Point of Light, by President Bush, for their work with Veterans. See .
I cannot think of a better way to spend the Memorial Day weekend than in Rainelle, WV, one of the most patriotic towns in America. While many Americans think that Memorial Day is about sales at the malls, cookouts, and swimming, this American Veteran was celebrating freedom with other Veterans and non-Veterans who appreciate God and Country and aren’t embarrassed to show it. Getting to know John Steer, Michael J. Martin, John Malloy, Hal and Maddy Laffin, and others, is a bonus that has me fired up for the 2006 Rainelle WV Veterans Reunion. I can’t wait. Another bonus: I got to meet local Viet Nam Veteran and Pastor Jim Luchsinger, who has never been to The Wall or seen the past “KY To The Wall” events in Rainelle because he worked out of town and we were never there on the weekend in past years. Jim told me that he received more “welcome homes” this weekend than he has in the past 35 years. He said it meant more to him than we will ever know. Jim will tell his employer next year that his needs off starting on Thursday before Memorial Day from now on. You say you appreciate the sacrifices of those that laid it on the line to keep you and yours free? Then join us next year for a celebration of freedom you will not forget. Watch for announcements of upcoming events
