‘Run for the Wall’ riders visit Somerset County

SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) —Thousands of bikers are traveling across the country to honor those who gave their lives fighting for their country, this included a stop in Stoystown.

As part of the annual Run for the Wall, over 3,000 riders are taking part in the trip that has bikers traveling from the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. to the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall in Marseilles, Illinois.

This run is considered the Sandbox Route, which is one of four across the country.

President of the Run for the Wall John Staub said each year they do this he’s amazed at all the support he and fellow bikers receive during their whole trip.

“The thousands of people that were on overpasses over the interstate waving flags as we went through, the thousands of people that joined us in villages and towns, the thousands of volunteers that work many, many hours to donate food and fuel for us,” Staub said.

Riders stopped in Stoystown for lunch, which allowed them to get to know one another. Staub said the group shares a family bond and it reminds him of their mission statement “We ride for those who can’t.”

“Not everyone has the means to do it, or the time to do it, or things like that,” Staub said. “Those of us that can do it take the opportunity to interact with our communities, interact with our veterans and our veteran’s supporters and reaffirm our belief in America.”

During their annual trip, bikers also stop at the Flight 93 National Memorial to pay their respects to passengers who died on 9/11.

“The people of Flight 93 were absolute heroes. You know whether they are veterans or not. They sacrificed their lives knowing that the intent of the people that highjacked that airplane was to cause damage to America. And they were determined to not allow that to happen,” Staub said.

The group will end on Tuesday went the riders make their way to Illinois. For more information about the Run for the Wall, check out their website.