This may very well be the most difficult letter that I have written in years. But the time has come for me to step back from any and all leadership roles within the group “Run For The Wall.” I hereby resign as your Midway Route Photographer and SITREP Author. I have been in some sort of Leadership role every year since 2015, and it is time for others to step up and take over.
My reasons for stepping back at this time are many, and are both personal and professional. Yes, some of this is due to the recent and heartbreaking “political action” taking place within RFTW. I do not agree with the manner in which recent decisions have been made, and so cannot with good conscience participate within the group anymore. To do so would be to represent to the public that I do agree with the decisions, simply by participating. My only recourse, in my mind, is to participate “as is” or not to participate at all. I have made my voice clearly known to the Board of Directors, and it has been heard. (Thank You, BoD!) But I just cannot ethically participate in a leadership role at this time.
I am not stepping away from the RFTW Mission Statement. I will still do everything that I can, daily, to help our Veterans, Active Duty personnel, their Families and supporters, and to do what I can to provide healing, honor and respect. To this end, I am taking an active role in the Combat Hero Bike Build organization, in the hopes that this will let me do more throughout the year and continue with the phrase “Every Day Is May!”
Further, I will continue to advocate, in every manner that I can, for the full and complete accounting of our Missing In Action. To their Families, I pledge to you that I will not stop working on your behalf. You deserve answers, and our Men deserve to come home!
For my Midway Route Family, I urge each of you to search your heart and decide for yourself what course of action you need to take. For those that are returning to the Run this year, PLEASE consider volunteering for a Leadership Position. Each of the roles that I have held has been an incredible experience, from that of a Tail Gunner, a Road Guard, an “unofficial” Ambassador, to the recent five-year stint as Route Photographer and SITREP Author. Indeed, the last two roles have offered me opportunities unparalleled amongst any other RFTW role. I had planned to step back from these positions in 2026, to give someone else these amazing experiences, but the time for this change came a year early.
And that brings up a few other reasons for this decision. I have been participating with RFTW since 2013. During this time, I have taken two and a half weeks of vacation away from my Wife and Family every year. Almost all of my vacation time was spent with RFTW, and not with my Family. I owe it to Kathy to spend as much time as I can with her. After all, she is more than just the Woman that I love: She is also my Best Friend and I want to spend more time with her. Along with that comes the financial burdens that I have put on our Family. You all know how much it costs to do the Run each year. I have been doing that for over a decade!
During that time, I was in an “incident” that cost me a life-long music career. No, I wasn’t famous, but music had been a part of my life since grade school, all the way through college where I was a music major. After college, for 30-plus years, I performed in bands and as a solo act on a regular basis. This was taken away from me by a road rage driver out in California, and it has taken years for me to overcome the physical injuries that I received. It is time for me to return to my old friend: music. I have missed her terribly.
There are other changes coming that will be made clear in time, but these “few” reasons should suffice for now. I do not wish any ill-will towards RFTW and the participants. In fact, I hope that RFTW will continue to grow and expand. I will do whatever I can to help, but just not in a leadership position. (At least for a while.)
Midway Family, I am not abandoning you. At this time, I still plan to ride with you for a few days in 2025. If you would like to be the Route Photographer, I will help you all that I can. You do NOT need to be a professional photographer to do this “job.” All you have to do is be there to see the moment, capture it, and not interrupt it. It’s not really all that hard. And if you want to write the SITREPS, I can say the same thing. Be there to witness the moments, write about them with a clear and open mind, and tell the world just how wonderful your day has been. It isn’t really very hard at all.
Remember this: we all want to do everything that we can to further our Mission. But a time comes when I need to put my Family and self first. I haven’t been doing that for twelve years, and it is now OUR time.
Sincerely,
Jim “Hoofer” McCrain
“EVERY DAY IS MAY!”
p.s.: “Hoofer’s Hooligans” WILL ride in 2025! Details are still pending, but stay tuned!
Hoofer