2021 Legacy Run route announced

After a one-year hiatus due to a worldwide pandemic, The American Legion Legacy Run is back in its live, on-the-road form that has made it so popular and such a success for The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. Register for the Legacy Run here

On Aug. 22, a contingent of American Legion Riders and their passengers that has surpassed 250 motorcycles on past rides will depart Pig Trail Harley-Davidson in Rogers, Ark. Over five days the group will traverse 1,356 miles through four states before ending up in Phoenix, the site of the 2021 American Legion National Convention, on Aug. 26.

This year’s Legacy Run comes after the 2020 version had to go virtual because of COVID-19. Still, American Legion Riders and other members of the Legion Family did their part to continue to raise money for the Legacy Fund, collecting and donating more than $580,000. The Legacy Fund provides college scholarships to children of U.S. military personnel killed on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, as well as children of post-9/11 veterans with a combined VA disability rating of 50 percent or higher.

But the Legacy Run is back out on the road this year. The route will take Legion Riders through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico before entering Arizona. The ride will include passage through tribal lands throughout the West, including the Choctaw Nation and the Tonto Apache Tribe.

The following are some of the daily highlights.

· Day 1: A wreath laying at Fort Smith National Cemetery and a stop at the Choctaw Nation Capitol Grounds to honor its veterans memorial and cemetery.

· Day 2: A wreath laying ceremony at the Gainesville War Memorial in Gainesville, Texas.

· Day 3: Route through the desert into the Rocky Mountains, along with a stop at American Legion Post 28 in Roswell, N.M., and a parade escort through downtown Ruidoso, N.M.

· Day 4: The opportunity to tour “A Warrior's Oasis," a 480-acre refuge located in Quemado, N.M., and founded by retired Navy Master Chief David Dickey and Rene Marcoux to help servicemembers and veterans cope with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. 

· Day 5: Route travels through the mountains before finishing up at the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale, AZ.

Additional details about the Legacy Run will be shared once they become available.