27MAY23 Operation Battle Born Veterans Memorial
2018 the first “Ruck March” was conducted, and for the inaugural event, veterans and volunteers marched from Southern Nevada and exchanged the dog tags at a midway point to Fernley.
27MAY23 0700 Capital Mall- Veterans Memorial in Carson City several VVA 989ers and some of the “Ruckers” and the President of VVA 388, Tom Spencer, helped assemble our Nevada Flag Panels (with the names of the fallen).
Veterans representing the Reno Vet Center; Truckee Meadows Community College; Western Nevada College; University of Nevada – Reno (UNR) and local Veterans Services Organizations (VSO) and friends. In addition to the over 7,000 dog-tags they carry representing the KIA in the War on Terror, they ALSO carried the dog-tags of the 151 Nevadans Killed in Action in Vietnam in their trek…Right at 0800 all of us were honored to watch a short ceremony featuring Chaplain Jerome Washington, VA, VFW, (and one of the Ruckers) with the Pledge of Allegiance and a stirring Invocation.
This was followed by Mr. Felipe Guterrez of TMCC telling the group that the Ruckers will be carrying the “weight” of our fallen.
Next up, VVA 989 President J.R. Stafford, who affirmed that one of the founding principals of Vietnam Veterans of America is that, “Never Again Will One Generation Of Veterans Abandon Another.”
J.R. told the crowd that over the past several years, VVA 989 has begun to honor the fallen from former and subsequent wars and Gold Star Families during our March Vietnam War Veterans Remembrance Ceremonies. And, told them the younger veterans have our thanks for including the 151 dog-tags from the Vietnam War. The group then prepared to “step-off” for a rendezvous with us at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley on Memorial Day.
Before it’s over, this year’s group of dedicated veterans will have “Rucked” over a total of 7,000 dog-tags from Carson City to Fernley representing the number of our fellow service members who were KIA in the War on Terror and Vietnam.
Looking forward to having a great crowd meeting the “Ruckers” in Fernley on Memorial Day.
