Pierce Harmon, Honor Guard coordinator, spoke with KC Counts about the cross-country trip and the ceremony planned Friday in Las Cruces. Here's a transcript of their conversation:
KC Counts:
How long have you been participating in Run for the Wall?
Pierce Harmon:
I started back in 2022 and then 2023 I was assistant platoon leader and then platoon leader and then 2024 assistant honor guard coordinator and then took a break last year to finish school and now I'm back as full-on honor guard coordinator.
KC Counts:
So, tell me a little bit about the Run for the Wall, how it starts and how it finishes.
Pierce Harmon:
It starts in Ontario, California, and it's a bunch of veterans and family members or just anybody that appreciates what America is and what our military members do. The biggest thing is to remember our POWs and MIAs from the last wars. There's still about 1,500 members that are labeled missing in action or prisoners of war from all the way back to World War II in Korea to now. So, there's still ongoing efforts, and this is just a way to remember them and to keep telling their story and remind people that they're not forgotten.
KC Counts:
About how many motorcyclists participate?
Pierce Harmon:
There's 4 different routes. that all start out in Ontario and then we meet again in Washington, D.C. and probably about 1800 to 2200 registrations still ongoing. So, we're not entirely sure what the final number is right now.
KC Counts:
And one of those routes comes through Las Cruces and of course other parts of our listening region as well. So, people should really be on the lookout for you in southern New Mexico starting about when.
Pierce Harmon:
So, Thursday we'll be riding from Casa Grande, Arizona to Las Cruces and we'll get into town around 6 P.m. and then head back out the next day from Las Cruces heading to Odessa, Texas.
KC Counts:
All right, so there'll be a lot of impacts to traffic along the way because it is quite a few folks that will be making their way through town and you all try to stay together, right?
Pierce Harmon:
Yeah.
KC Counts:
Now tell me a little bit about the ceremony that will be taking place at Veterans Park on Friday morning.
Pierce Harmon:
Yeah, so we have an honor guard that's listed on about 6 volunteers that will place a wreath at the Veterans Memorial Park in front of the Vietnam War Memorial there. And it's a way to just pay remembrance to those that didn't make it back, whether they're KIA, POW or MIA, and as a way for us to give back to the community and letting the family members know that they're their sons and their daughters and their fathers
aren't forgotten.
KC Counts:
Tell us a little bit about your service.
Pierce Harmon:
Yeah, so I was in the Marine Corps Reserves for about 6 1/2 years. I never went in theater, but I was in support of on a few deployments. And as a Marine Corps infantryman, for all 6 1/2 of those years and got to know the veteran community about four or five years into my service. And once you're kind of a military member, a lot of the other guys will bring you right in like they've known you for life. And it's honestly an incredible community that we fostered in America.
KC Counts:
Well, thank you for your service. What kind of motorcycle will you be on?
Pierce Harmon:
I'll be on a Harley Heritage Classic 07.
KC Counts:
How long have you had it?
Pierce Harmon:
It's actually, I don't have my own motorcycle, so I've bounced around with the military for the last five or six years and haven't been able to purchase my own. I started riding tandem with my grandpa on the back of his back in '22, and then just these last couple years, one of the other members from the ride I became friends with, and he said that he would loan me. his extra motorcycle. So, for the last few years I've been doing that.
KC Counts:
That's very special, and a great story. I'm glad I asked! All right. Well, surely you'll get your own one day here soon. In the meantime, Pierce, thanks for spending this time with us to tell us about Run for the Wall. Safe travels.
Pierce Harmon:
Thanks so much, KC.
You can learn more about Run for the Wall right here.
