The American Legion Legacy Run

Michael D. Nicholas, Sr., PGM LaFayette-Dupont Lodge No. 19

NOTE: While I acknowledge that this is a Masonic magazine and, technically, this is an American Legion story, there are a couple of Masonic connections later in the story. But overall, the following is meant to be an inspiration for what a group of like-minded people can accomplish—even while practicing their “weekend hobby.”

There we were…riding through heavy rain in rush-hour traffic in Cleveland. I was the “trail” bike, or “Tail Gunner” for a group of about 25 motorcycles in Group E, which consisted of American Legion Riders and veterans from Virginia. Through some twist of fate, the Legacy Run had missed the timing on the plan to move 300+ motorcycles through the city on I-90 to I-71 South, and we were now fighting both the weather and the traffic.

Suddenly, an 18-wheeler moved from left to right, cutting through our group, in an attempt to get to the right lane. As he passed through, I looked to the right and saw the front part of our group, led by our Road Captain and Assistant Road Captain, exiting on another ramp in a different direction. One of our riders had lost contact because of the truck, and in the traffic and rain we missed the exit.

In the midst of the confusion, I moved forward and took over leadership of the group. I was painfully aware that not only was I leading the remainder of Group E, but also groups F, G, H, J, K, L, M and all of the trail and support folks behind us – about another 150 bikes and vehicles total.

One thing that had been drummed into me as a young Army Ranger was to always know where you are and where you intend to go. That training paid off, and I eventually got us all to our planned destination at an American Legion Post for dinner.

That little adventure was part of my fourth American Legion Legacy Run, and I’ve now done 13 of them, the last 9 as Road Captain for Group E, the Virginians. The Runs are usually a two-week trip in August, and the purpose is to raise money for something called The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. This year, we raised over $1.1 million, and a total of over $12 million in the 16 years since the inception of the Legacy Run in 2006. (There was no ride last year during COVID in 2020, but we still raised money.)

Shortly after 9/11, the American Legion decided to establish this scholarship fund to provide college scholarships to children of any soldier who died while on duty, post9/11. In 2015 that eligibility was expanded to include the children of any solder who was 50% or more disabled on Active Duty.

Where does the money come from? It comes from hundreds of American Legion Posts and thousands of American Legion members, who donate and save money all year for this effort. It takes the form of bake sales, dinners, gun raffles, poker runs, and other imaginative ideas. This year, for example, two of us from Post 177 in Fairfax Virginia presented a check in Show Low, Arizona for $7,000 to James W. “Bill” Oxford, the 2020-2021 National Commander of the American Legion. That $7k represented donations from Post 177, the Post’s Auxiliary, the Sons of American Legion, and the American Legion Riders – all of whom held different fundraisers during the year. By the way, Commander Oxford made the entire Run with us this year, riding on the back of someone’s trike! The Run is usually structured so that the riders meet somewhere in the middle of the country, then they ride as a group to wherever the American Legion holds its national convention. Previous rides have included routes to convention sites at Milwaukee, Charlotte, Houston, Baltimore, Reno, and Phoenix. The number of motorcycles has varied from 250 to over 500.

With everyone being a veteran, you might imagine that the whole operation is conducted with military organization and precision, and you’d be correct (Except for Cleveland. That still bothers me!)

Year-long planning is necessary. Hotels, fuel stops, meal stops, and routes are all carefully coordinated months in advance. Most law-enforcement organizations are happy to help us get through their towns, and we stick mostly to non-interstate routes that take us through the heart of America. After coordination is done, an advance planning team rides the route

2017 Legacy Run to Reno, NV

2018 Legacy Run to Minneapolis: Legacy Scholarship recipients pose for picture in Galesville, WI. They came out to thank the American Legion Riders.

at least twice on motorcycles prior to the event. Road construction, obstacles, and any unexpected changes are documented and dealt with.

The actual entourage includes an Advance Team of about 15 motorcycles and some trucks. Their job is to manage parking and traffic at all stops. For example, a fuel stop of 300-400 motorcycles is something to watch. The advance team provides markings and direction, and they man the pumps. Usually, local Posts also provide gas pump handlers. All gas is paid for in advance by each rider, and we just roll through, fill up, and move back to join our groups. We’ll get 400 bikes refueled in 30 minutes.

Following the hundreds of motorcycles is a “trail” or “trains” group that includes medics, ice, water, and maintenance vehicles with trailers for any problems. It often also includes Press vehicles.

The prior coordination also includes local American Legion Posts. In addition to meals, they also often have people and flags on overpasses as we approach a town. Many times, there have been more than 100 people with fire trucks and large flags to welcome us to a town. There are also schools that have all of the children outside as we ride by, waving flags, and we love to wave and honk at them. (Plus, they all want to hear the roar of the motorcycle engines.)

In 2013, on our way to Houston, one small Texas town had the entire downtown lined with flag-bearers from the local VFW and American Legion, and the streets were lined with people and flags. The mayor and the town council were all proudly standing on the steps of City Hall, with their hands over their hearts.

One of our guys had to pull over to adjust something on his bike. The townspeople thought that he was a representative there to speak to them, and they escorted him to a microphone on the City Hall steps. He watched the rest of the motorcycles and vehicles pass by, and then he gave an impromptu speech to the town. He later told us that he didn’t want to disappoint them, and they seemed very pleased. We laughed about that for hours.

This year, we met in Rogers, Arkansas, and our eventual destination was Phoenix, Arizona. We had about 250 bikes this year. The lower number was because people were concerned about the heat in Phoenix, and COVID was still a factor.

We spent the nights of the Run in Durant, Oklahoma; Lubbock, Texas; Ruisodo, New Mexico; Show Low, Arizona; and in the cauldron of Phoenix.

As part of the exercise, we also provide numerous ceremonies and wreath-layings. We have our own bugler who plays “Taps”. On Sunday, August 21, the first day of this year’s ride, we participated in a very interesting ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery at the Choctaw Nation Capitol Grounds in Tuskahoma, OK. It was way hot!

And we also did another wreath-laying in the tiny and very warm town of Benjamin, TX on the flat plains of the Texas panhandle. If you blink, you miss it. They have a beautiful Veteran’s Memorial that our Leadership Team wanted to recognize. Overall, we conducted 10 ceremonies during the course of this year’s Legacy Run.

When we drove through Quemado, New Mexico, the entire school came out to cheer us. We parked in their high school parking lot to refuel because the only gas station in town could not handle more than 20 bikes at a time. I spoke to the school superintendent there, and he told me that Quemado high school had 151 children total, from pre-kindergarten to high school seniors. He said that they had been waiting for over an hour and that they were so excited to see us! He also told me that theirs was the largest school district in New Mexico, but that because the children were so spread out on ranches and small farms, they only had the 151 children. Some of them travel for hours on the school bus.

While talking with him, I remarked about the high sturdy fence that surrounded the parking lot. He said that it was to keep out the elk, whom he described as “worldclass jumpers”. If they get over the fence,

2021 Legacy Run: Group E rolls from Payson AZ down through the Tonto National Forest towards Phoenix, AZ.

A Gold Star wife, with her children. She spoke to us at a wreath-laying ceremony Onalaska, Wisconsin, and then thanked the American Legion Riders for providing scholarships for her children. 2018 Legacy Run to Minneapolis

they eat their athletic fields. That evening, I heard an elk “bugle”, which is quite an eerie sound.

From the Quemado parking lot, we were bused on their school buses (which have no AC, by the way) about 10 miles into serious wilderness to a place called The Warriors’ Oasis. This is a facility that is being built by a retired Navy Master Chief and his wife for soldiers who suffer from brain injuries and PTSD – and for their families. They plan for it to be a working ranch. In a moving ceremony, the American Legion provided a donation of $22,000 to help them build it.

When we finally got to Phoenix, we participated in a ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial. In another example of questionable planning, we arrived at 3 pm during the heat of the day. The temperature in the parking lot was 117 degrees. One of my buddies had the sole of his boot melt off, and it was flapping as he walked around. There were several heat casualties, but at least there was water and medics available, and I know of no one who suffered serious problems. During the 5-day ride there were approximately 30 people who had to take off at least one day due to the heat.

The ride to and from Rogers, AR was interesting. We had rain on the 3 days out, and rain on 3 of the four days back from Phoenix. We tried to avoid Hurricane Ida, but we spent most of the time in some of the heavy rain bands. On the way to Rogers we lost one of our riders on a slick turn in the mountains of West Virginia. He was right behind me as I was leading, and I heard him curse on the intercom and then disappear from my mirrors as he slid into a ditch. He was not seriously injured, but his bike was totaled. Another one of our friends hit a deer on I-70 in Illinois. Again, he was lucky but spent a few days in the hospital. Overall, I think we had four of five riders hurt just getting there.

There is, after all, a Masonic connection in all of this. I have a Masonic emblem on my bike, and a Masonic patch on my vest. Over the years, I’ve had numerous American Legion Riders come up to me and identify themselves as Brothers. A few years ago, I began saving their names. For the ride to Cincinnati in 2018, we assembled in Hutchinson, Kansas. I coordinated with Reno Lodge #124, and they were wonderful. They hosted about 10 of us Legion Riders/Masons at their Lodge for a Friday night cookout. It was great to spend time with these Masons and their families. It certainly cemented the fact that our Brotherhood is universal.

I would also like to mention that each American Legion Rider who participates in this annual charity ride does so at his/ her own expense. Two weeks of vacation time, gas, food, and hotel expenses are not insignificant. But it is a sacrifice that we all gladly make for a meaningful cause, and we look forward to seeing and riding with each other every August. I also must thank my understanding wife who, for 13 years, has accepted the donation of our family vacation time for this. I get to spend the two weeks with 300 of my close friends, and she is alone. (That’s a lot of jewelry and flowers, brethren.)

And every year, this experience helps to reaffirm my faith in the goodness and patriotism of Americans. The “heartland” of our nation has obviously suffered from the COVID challenges – we saw so many closed business – but the people I met compel me to report that our national spirit remains strong! May God continue to bless America.

2021 Legacy Run: Group E waiting at a fuel stop in Socorro, New Mexico. This was me and my assistant Road Captain.

For more information about the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, please visit: To learn more about the American Legion Riders Legacy Run, please visit:

2021 Legacy Run: Group E photo in Show Low, Arizona, on the last morning of the 2021 Legacy Run. We rode from Show Low which is up in the cooler high desert country, down into the heat of Phoenix.

2017 Legacy Run: Fuel stop near Pueblo, Colorado on the way to Reno, Nevada.

Red Bay, Alabama: School children and their teachers wait to greet the American Legion Riders. We stopped here for a wreath-laying at their town square. 2016 Legacy Run to Cincinnati, OH 2019 Legacy Run: A moment of prayer in Lady Lake, Florida, at the start of the run to Cincinnati, OH. This was the leadership briefing to all riders.

The high school band greets the Riders at American Legion Post #336 in Onalaska, Wisconsin. 2018 Legacy Run to Minneapolis 2021 Legacy Run: Choctaw National Veterans Cemetery near Tuskahoma, Oklahoma.