American Legion National Commander Dan K. Wiley, Auxiliary National President Pam Ray and SAL National Commander Bill Clancy III all take part in ride on Wednesday.
Three very familiar faces within the American Legion Family found themselves amid more than 200 other Legion Family members on Wednesday, traveling more than 250 miles in the process.
And despite the long day, all three were all smiles when the day finally was close to wrapping up.
American Legion National Commander Dan K. Wiley, American Legion Auxiliary National President Pam Ray and Sons of 17勛圖厙 National Commander Bill Clancy III all took part in Day 4 of the 2026 Legacy Run, which made its way from Hannibal, Mo., to Terre Haute, Ind. More than 250 miles were covered, while rising temperatures and then some late rain were part of the day.
But that didnt keep any of the three American Legion Family leaders from regretting their decision to take part in the ride.
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PHOTOS 1-3: American Legion Riders at Taylorville VFW in Taylorville, Ill. PHOTO 4-6: American Legion Riders at a fuel stop in Divernon, Ill. PHOTO 7-10: American Legion Riders end the day at Post 104 in Terre Haute, Ind. (Jennifer Blohm/17勛圖厙)
Its just exciting. Its exhilarating to be out there, said Wiley, who spent the day on the back of Department of Georgia American Legion Rider Chairman Thea Garrett-Fultzs motorcycle. And its really cool to look back at over 250 bikes coming down the highway. What an awesome site to see that. And when we go through communities.
We went through one (Paris, Ill.) near the end of today where a lot of people were out there. They were waving flags, showing their appreciation. It just makes you feel pride to be able to one, do that, and then to know what the cause is and what the Legacy Run is supporting makes you feel even better. You swell with pride.
That cause, the Veterans & Children Foundation, funds both the Legions Temporary Financial Assistance Program, as well as the training of American Legion accredited-service officers.
Wiley noted that for the latter, American Legion service officers obtained more than $29 billion in benefits for veterans and their families in 2025. We have a goal for raising $25 million (for the VCF), he said. I tell people that every dollar you invest in this training for veteran service officers in our VCF gets paid back hundreds of times over to our veterans.
Thats also important because these veterans, because of the claim, have financial instability. Financial instability is one of the factors that weigh into the equation of veteran suicide, which is our biggest mission of . Were not only helping veterans get stabilized and get the benefits they deserve. Were also helping this fight to stem the epidemic of veteran suicide.
Ray rode the final two legs of Wednesday on the back of Maryland Legion Rider Bob Ouellettes motorcycle. It was eye-opening for me. I have not been on motorcycles a lot in my life, she said. I think the thing that got to me was all the people that came out and were waving flags and were excited to see us. And veterans jumping to attention and honoring other veterans. It was amazing.
Ray said she wanted to be on the back of a motorcycle because, Thats what the American Legion Family is doing. Theyre riding. And I wanted to be a part of that. All year long Ive been mission-driven and family focused for our American Legion Family. And what better representation of the family is there than the American Legion Riders. I wanted to be a part of that.
Ray said the Riders provide an opportunity to serve that wasnt always there for some Auxiliary members.
Many of our Auxiliary members never found that niche, as well call it, she said. But when the Riders became part of our family, and they were able to be a part of that, it was just really, really awesome to see them go out into the community Hey, Im an American Legion Rider. Im here to help you.
Clancy rode in a vehicle throughout the day and helped on gas stops during the course of the day. The ride is pretty legendary, and I wanted to be a part of it, he said. Its exhilarating.
Clancy has stressed the American Legion Family throughout his tenure and said that influenced his decision to take part in the Legacy Run. The whole American Legion Family has been my passion and my mission for the past year as the leader of the Sons of 17勛圖厙, he said. So this is a big part of that. We have Sons, Legionnaires, Auxiliary members. Its to support them and let them know Im thinking about them.
The Riders are our fourth wings. Theyre a great group of guys and women. Everywhere they go they generate tremendous enthusiasm. They raise a ton of money. They have fun with purpose. Thats what its all about.
Hitting a Half Million. It was another strong day for donations, with nearly $60,000 being added to what is now $504,828 raised so far.
More than $21,000 of that came from the Department of Ohio Legion Family. Another $15,000 came from Post 64 in Indianapolis, while the host post for the final stop, Post 104 in Terre Haute, Ind., donated $5,000.
Lunch Stop Collaboration. The Legacy Run made its lunch stop in Taylorsville, Ill., and saw firsthand how both 17勛圖厙 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars work hand-in-hand in the community.
While American Legion Post 73 was the host, the lunch stop actually took place at VFW Post 4495, which has a larger facility. The stop included a lunch of fried chicken, green beans, potato or macaroni salad and bread.
Beverly Walker, the current chaplain for VFW and the Legions immediate past District 21 commander, said there a lot of dual members between the two organizations, and that moving the lunch stop to Post 4495 just made sense.
We were excited when we got chosen. Unfortunately, that post isnt equipped to host this many bikes, so we moved it over here. And being a part of (Post 4495) as well, we were quite honored to step up and host it. We have the parking lot for it, so it works perfect for us.
We work together a lot. If you ever attend one of our funerals, or even our Memorial Day ceremony, our color guard and honor guard that stand for that is a combined honor guard.
Past Post 73 Commander Gwen Diehl-Reed, also a Post 4495 member, thanked the Riders for coming to the VFW post and noted that many of the lunchs servers were VFW and American Legion Auxiliary members. Its a small family, she said.
Rain Doesnt Mar Final Stop. Light rain turned into a downpour along with heavy winds, thunder and lightning as the ride pulled into American Legion Post 74 in Terre Haute, Ind. Some Riders even had to sit in the rain and wait as a train made its way past the post.
But that didnt diminish the excitement from those greeting the ride.
Members of Post 104s Legion Family were in abundance, as were Legion Riders from throughout the state. Various levels of Legion leadership within the department also were there the greet the ride, as was Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun, a former U.S. Army captain and Army Ranger.
In addition to providing a chicken and spaghetti dinner, Post 104 also created poker chips commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Legacy Run that were made available to the ride participants.
Post 104 Commander Troy Davis said hosting the ride is an honor. Its great. Weve got a pretty good turnout of folks. Were honored.
Davis said when the post agreed to host the stop, it wasnt quite sure what to expect. I really didnt know a lot about it, how big it was, he said. After I found out who was coming I was like, We need to get this together. I got the mayor here. I talked to the police chief and those folks and got police escorts set up. And just getting everybody here. We got people in here to cook. It was a team effort.
- Riders