08/08/2025
The 8th Annual Jennings American Legion Post 351 Dice Run this past Saturday was a record-breaking success. Our yearly Dice Run raises money to pay for the fuel stop in Oakley each May for the Run For The Wall (Central Route) riders in their quest to reach and pay respects at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. The Oakley RFTW stop was previously unfunded prior to Post 351 stepping up to buy the riders’ fuel. We had nearly 40 riders on our Dice Run and were blessed with incredible riding weather. We had four Run For The Wall Riders in attendance, including Judy Wormmeester, whose brother SGT Joseph Matejov is a Vietnam War POW/MIA, despite government insistence that his remains were found. Judy easily won the “furthest distance” rider award, as she was returning to Pennsylvania from Alaska. It was a privilege to have Judy ride with us and to hear her share her brother’s story and her family’s efforts to locate him. We presented a custom-made wooden flag (made by SAL member Tom Vacura) to Judy in honor of her brother, and we presented another wooden flag (also made by Tom) to Gold Star father Marshall Rhea of Oakley, whose son SFC Trenton Rhea died during combat operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2013. Marshall also made a very generous donation to our event on behalf of the Oakley VFW.
Judy, a former RFTW Missing Man Coordinator, helped lead the Missing Man formation on three separate legs of our ride. Each year, our ride is dedicated to Legion family members or friends that we’ve lost. This years’ honorees were Daryl Hartzog, a Korean War veteran and 65-year Post 351 member who died 18 days after last years' Dice Run, and Joseph Matejov. The Missing Man formation is a 2-1-2 arrangement, with two bikes riding side by side, followed by a single rider and an empty space alongside, and then two more side by side riders. Three of Daryl’s sons were on the Run, and each participated in one leg of the Missing Man, with the final leg riding from Norton to Jennings.
Along our 200-mile trip, we stopped at the Home on the Range site north of Athol, KS for our first dice roll and to eat lunch. The site is home to a tiny rock cabin where Dr. Brewster Higley wrote the words to the famous song (the official state song of Kansas). We also stopped at the Franklin Academy site in Franklin, Nebraska, which is now home to a fantastic park and veterans memorial and includes retired military equipment on display. Our last dice roll of the day was at the Norton American Legion Post 63, where we had a brief rest and cold drinks. We finished the day at the Post in Jennings with burgers and pulled pork sandwiches, our dice roll winner presentations, and a silent auction of donated items.
We’re incredibly honored to have been able to honor Daryl and Joseph’s memory and to recognize Marshall and his son Trenton. We’re also thankful for the beautiful day, the generous rain the day before, our volunteers and Legion members who helped arrange our event, our riders’ safe return home, community support, our veterans and active Armed Forces, and for our free country in which we can assemble and appreciate those who sacrifice so much to defend our freedom.
Read about SFC Rhea here:
https://www.ksal.com/kansas-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan/
Read about SGT Matejov here:
https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000vCGqbEAG
and here: https://www.thesheridanpress.com/news/local/story-man-seeks-truth-about-brother-s-vietnam-war-disappearance/article_844ea4f8-549d-4e27-8d8f-83eea5b84b42.html
SGT Matejov can be found on the Vietnam Memorial Wall on Panel 1W/Line 115.
Ride safe, and we'll see ya next year! 🇺🇸
