Legacy Run Day 2: Bringing hope to a battered community

As she rode her motorcycle into the small city of Mayfield, Ky., with the rest of the Legacy Run contingent on Aug. 22, American Legion Auxiliary President and Department of Kentucky member Kathy Daudistel felt a wave of emotion. The devastation caused from a massive tornado in mid-December of last year remains evident throughout the area. The building that formerly served as a home for American Legion Post 26, as well as serving as a center for the community to gather for decades, was completely destroyed.

But during a ceremony a short time later at Mayfield’s Harmon Park, Daudistel felt something else: a strong sense of pride for the family of which she is a member.

After Legacy Run Chief Road Captain Mark Clark made a request Aug. 20 that Legacy Run participants pass the hat to raise a collection for American Legion Post 26 in Mayfield, the ride was able to deliver $6,650 to Post 26 Commander Wendell Gugu. Daudistel was there to help present the money and give Gugu a hug.

“It was super emotional coming in seeing all the devastation. It was very emotional,” Daudistel said. “But it made me super proud to be a part of this organization and to be a part of all these Riders that raised that money. And to be able to present that was huge for me. This is what makes me proud to be an American Legion Family member.”

Gugu looked visibly stunned when the presentation was made.

“Our little town, to have this many people here and this many veterans to show their dedication to the community and what this state and nation stand for, it’s amazing,” Gugu said. “Thank you. I’ve been humbled so many times since December. We cannot … tell you how much it means. And it’s going to make our post better. Next time it’s going to be someone else, and we need to step up and help. That’s something this community has learned.”

Mayfield Mayor Kathy O’Nan praised the Riders for making Mayfield a stop along the Legacy Run. “I don’t know if I’ve seen such a beautiful site as I’m looking at right now,” she said. “Our sweet little community was blown away. Y’all have blown into here today bringing so much goodwill to us. You have honored us by your service to your country. You honor us today by standing with us. You will always, ALWAYS have a home here among us. I hope you … remember the hope that you brought to all of us.”

O’Nan’s words were stirring to Clark. “This is why I wanted to bring us here,” he said. “This is why we felt it was important to be here. To hear them today say we rode in here to bring hope to this community, I hope that it touched your heart as much as is touched mine.”

The ceremony, which included a wreath laying at the park’s World War II memorial, took an even more emotional turn when Gugu presented American Legion National Commander Paul E. Dillard with a check for $1,000 for the Legacy Fund. Both Clark and Dillard looked stunned when the check was presented.

“What do you say?” Dillard said when handed the check. “I don’t know. There’s nothing to say,” Clark responded.

“They exemplify that service above self, and it was amazing,” Daudistel said of Post 26’s donation.

Post 26 Adjutant Karl Dick said after the ceremony that the entire visit made the post’s members “so humbled that you all chose to stop here and honor our dead and our victims. Words can’t describe it. This is a once-in-a-life opportunity for us, and it’s almost too much to put your head around.”

Ensuring Veterans Are Not Forgotten. As the ride traveled through Tennessee, it made a stop in Humboldt for a grilled chicken lunch at the Tennessee State Veterans Home (TSVH) there. A few of the Legacy Run flights made a pass directly in front of the dozens of residents waiting outside the home’s main entrance.

But it was much more than a lunch stop for those on the Legacy Run like Iowa Post 298 Legionnaire Cheryl King, who retired from the U.S. Army as a medical services logistics officer and then served as a staff nurse at the Iowa City VA Medical Center. She and others spent a lengthy amount of time visiting directly with the residents.

“My dad was a (World War II Coast Guard) vet and spent some time at the veterans home in Minneapolis,” said King, now on her fifth Legacy Run. “I’ve seen what some of these people have went through. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen that they don’t have a lot of family, some of them. It means a lot. It’s kind of why I participate in service organizations: to make sure that veterans remember that they are not forgotten. They are important, and this is another (way to do that).”

Department of Tennessee Commander Lanny Culver was on site to greet the ride. “These guys here at the home are just so excited about it,” he said. “This is going to be something here that they won’t ever forget. To have something like this today … it’ll be something they’ll talk about for the rest of their days.”

The visit meant something to resident Harry Barnes, who served in both the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve from 1959 to 1974 and a resident at the home for two years. He sat outside to greet the ride and shook hands with many of its participants.

“My heart is about to burst open,” Barnes said. “This is a small town. To have this kind of action going on is just unreal. To stop here, it means the world to us and this community.”

In addition to the lunch, which was grilled and provided by Tyson Foods, Gordon Food Services was there to provide beverages, while Gibson County American Legion Post 287 was there to hand out fresh watermelon and the Elks to deliver snacks.

Carol Alt, the TSVH Activities Director, said the facility wanted to make sure the Riders felt welcomed. “This took every part of our facility (to get ready),” she said. “It took Activities. It took Maintenance to help me get all the stuff done. It took Nursing to make sure the residents are out here, and they’ve got their sunscreen on. It’s taken a part of every bit of this facility to put this shindig on. We’re all about helping any kind of veteran we can try to help.”

Family Effort Delivers Breakfast to Ride. The ride was treated to a breakfast stop at Perry A. Johns Post 6 in Corinth, Miss., where the ride also stopped in 2016. The post is the home of American Legion Past National Commander James P. Dean, who led the organization from 1986-1987.

Department of Mississippi District 1 Commander Christopher Grimes, a past commander and current ALR finance officer at Post 6, said hosting the Legacy Run, “is just an honor. We’re proud of our little post. It’s as old as the Legion. It’s just an honor for it to come through. People think of Corinth as just a Civil War (battle). That’s what we’re known for. It’s more than that.”

Grimes said preparing to feed breakfast was a team effort. “We work here as a family,” he said. “It’s a family affair. We all work together: American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons (of The American Legion) and the Riders.”

During the stop, Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin delivered remarks; following that, a proclamation was read that designated Aug. 22 as American Legion Riders Legacy Run Day in Corinth.

Donations Spike. By the end of the day, another $61,328 had been donated to the Legacy Fund. More than $29,000 came from the Department of Texas via various posts and the state’s South Central Legacy Run. And the Departments of Oklahoma ($10,025) and New Mexico ($10,000) also provided sizable donations. The donations, along with what had presented prior to and since the Legacy Run got underway, brought this year’s total to $292,150.43.

And a large contingent of Virginia American Legion Riders – 31 are on the ride – gathered on the stage during the day’s final stop at Four Rivers Harley-Davidson in Paducah, Ky., where they pledged another $83,000.

Randy “BB” Gunn, a member of American Legion Riders Chapter 284 and the founder/chairman of the Virginia Legacy Run, said this year’s state ride netted $80,000.

“But we were able to raise another $3,000 on the way (to the Legacy Run) and since we got here,” Gunn said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

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