Legacy Run Day 3: Chaplain finds ‘the magic of the moment’

A very distinctive voice has been heard throughout the 2021 Legacy Run, whether it be prior to the morning all-riders meetings, before meals or at wreath-laying ceremonies. And it never needs a microphone or bullhorn.

Brian Duncan is in his first year as Legacy Run chaplain – and riding on his first Legacy Run. The Marine Corps veteran has delivered prayer after prayer that manages to tie in perfectly with whatever the American Legion Riders have been experiencing at that time.

“Every place that we stop, every time that we gather, there’s usually something there that creates the magic of the moment,” said Duncan, the teaching pastor at Fusion City Church in Kannapolis, N.C., and a member of American Legion Post 115 in the same city. “We stopped at the Medal of Honor memorial (in Gainsville, Texas) yesterday. Just knowing that most recipients of the Medal of Honor are those who sacrificed their life for the protection and the lives of others – I consider the power of the place that we’re standing and what it represents. And I just give gratitude to God for that moment and the awareness that that place brings.

“I spend a lot of time talking to God. It’s just an extension of that. I just get to do it live.”

Duncan was the chaplain on the North Carolina in-state Legacy Run in 2020; National American Legion Advisory Committee Chairman Mark Clark, the former Legacy Run chaplain and current chief road captain, took part in that ride.

“I prayed to start that ride,” Duncan said. “(Clark) approached me afterward and said ‘you sound like someone who prays with a passion and a purpose.’ He … asked me if I’d consider being the chaplain this year, and so I talked to the wife, followed up with Mark, and here I am.”

Duncan said the experience has been “amazing. I love the camaraderie of the veterans in general. I think that we all share that common bond. I just love seeing all the guys and the ladies gather here. And to be a part of something that’s for something bigger than us, that’s what Christian service is all about.”

A Proper Send-Off. The ride started the day with a gas stop in Plains, Texas. Waiting at Allsup’s Convenience store was a group waiting to both assist the Riders and then pay tribute to them as they departed town.

Plains Independent School District Superintendent Robert McLain was at the gas station with a handful of students. They wanted to provide the Riders with water, assist with the gas stop and then join a larger group of students in front of the school to cheer on the ride as it departed.

“We believe in honoring our veterans,” McLain said. “And we believe in honoring those that didn’t get to come back as well. We want a chance to honor (the Riders). And don’t get me wrong – I know they enjoy it. But this is a sacrifice. It’s a hard five days.”

Jorge Mendez, the principal at Plains grades 6-12 school who served in the U.S. Marines from 1997-2001, said the Legacy Run is “a great cause. We’re just blessed that our community was able to be a little part of it.”

Mendez said he wanted the students to be involved in the ride’s departure to show “appreciation for our veterans and what they do, and to teach them to give back to our community. What better example than these guys giving back to our community?”

One of those students was senior Peter Wieve, who volunteered to help dispense gas during the stop. He said it was cool to see all the motorcycles and was impressed by the reason behind the ride.

“I think that’s a really great thing to do,” Wieve said. “It needs to be done, and I see how it’s working. It’s really awesome.”

McLain, Mendez and a group of students met with American Legion National Commander James W. “Bill” Oxford and some of the American Legion Riders. They also presented donations totaling around $500 that came from both the students and the Yoakum County Watermelon Association.

As the Riders headed out U.S. 82, the school’s 400 or so students in grades k-12 stood along the road waving U.S. flags, clapping and yelling encouragement.

Sons of The American Legion members Brian Keller, the assistant road captain for the ride’s H Flight, said seeing a scene like the one in Plains is a reminder of the reason behind the Legacy Run.

“That’s what we’re riding for to begin with: for the kids. It’s all about the kids,” Keller said. “That’s what we’re thinking about the whole time. (And) we’re honoring their parents … by doing this scholarship ride for the kids. Not only are we helping the kids, but we’re reminding them that we haven’t forget about their parents.

“I’ve met these kids on the route, and I’ve talked to them. And it’s a big thing to them, because a month after their parent died and was buried, they feel their parent is forgotten and they’re still mourning. So when we see the kids on the side of the road, it really means a lot to us.”

Roswell Reception. Located in Southeastern New Mexico, Roswell is famous worldwide for being the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash. It’s home to the International UFO Museum and Research Center; wood carvings of “aliens” are placed throughout the city.

For a few hours on Tuesday, the most prominent outside visitors were the Legacy Run participants, who made a lunch stop at Debremond Post 28. The post rolled out the red carpet, providing hot dogs, chips, cold drinks and air-conditioned in which to dine.

State and local political officials came to welcome the ride, including Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, an Air Force veteran. Kintigh wasn’t a member of Post 28 prior to the Legacy Run visit. But that changed quickly.

“What you do is remind some of us who have forgotten the DD-214 that sits in a drawer,” Kintigh told the Riders. “When you forget to connect or forget to interact, you forget to join. So today … I’m signing up.”

Post 28 Commander Louis Mestas said the post’s American Legion Family prepped for the Legacy Run stop for six months. “It’s an immense amount of work, which gave our post an opportunity to really pull together,” he said. “It’s amazing how many came together, and the community support was unbelievable.”

Hosting the stop was “an opportunity to serve our fellow veterans,” Mestas said. “It’s an honor and an opportunity to serve. That’s what The American Legion is all about: serving.”

The post had four serving lines set up, meaning riders coming in from a hot stretch between Plains and Roswell didn’t have to linger outside. The decision to have multiple lines came from the experiences Mestas had as a Marine. “I know what it used to be like to stand in line for one white milk machine,” he said.