Veterans organizing 800-mile horseback ride

May 27, 2007

By Amie Pappas

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Hope, homage and healing - on horseback.

Bob Moore, head of Veteran Trail Riders of Alaska, is setting out on a fundraising trail ride July 4. The money raised will help send Alaska veterans to the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

The event is being sponsored by the Veterans of America, Department of Alaska.

The 800-mile trail ride begins July 4. Veteran Trail Riders of Alaska will lead riders on horseback, down the Alyeska pipeline road from Prudhoe Bay. Riders will cross three mountain ranges and 800 rivers and streams before reaching their final destination, Valdez.

The trip is expected to take between four and six weeks, depending on weather and other variables. The horsemen will be camping out along the way.

Supplies will be flown in to Deadhorse and other locations by veteran-pilot Maurice Bailey, who served two tours in Vietnam and is president of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 903, in Mat-Su. Bailey will be flying in along with another veteran-pilot, Chuck Moore.

Both work in the Veterans Aviation Outreach program. They use their own airplanes to bring supplies to veterans and other people who are living &#8220off the grid.” Bailey and Moore served together in Vietnam 38 years ago.

There will be a celebration in Valdez when the riders reach the end of the trail.

In homage, the horsemen will carry with them the names of Alaska veterans of the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars who made the ultimate sacrifice. The names will be inscribed on paper scrolls and carried in Moore's saddlebag.

Moore, with contributions from veterans groups, has been able to build a bunkhouse, barn and corral in Meadow Lakes for four horses that are used as part of a therapeutic equestrian program for veterans and disabled children. The surroundings are reminiscent of an Old West sketch, and Moore fits in like a Sam Elliott character - cowboy hat, drawl and all.

Former Gov. Tony Knowles, also a Vietnam veteran, will head up the delegation to Washington for the anniversary. Knowles has spent time with the trail riders at the bunkhouse and is enthusiastic about the adventure. He recently joined the executive committee to support the event.

Veteran Michael Cull, a longtime friend of Moore's, is the program coordinator for the ride. He served as a counselor for the Veterans Administration. Currently, he teaches sociology at Mat-Su College.

&#8220We need to raise a minimum of $25,000,” he said. &#8220But we want to raise as much money as possible, because the more we raise the more vets can go.”

Cull said the trail ride is a kickoff event, but that fundraising will continue through the end of the year.

&#8220We are trying to get a grassroots movement going around the ride and the trip to Washington through veterans service organizations in the state of Alaska, national organizations like the Vietnam Veterans of America and local and national churches.” Cull said.

While the ride is specific this year for the delegation to attend the 25th anniversary, Moore and Cull hope to make it an annual event.

Individual donations will be accepted, along with &#8220Buy a Mile” tickets. Supporters can also sponsor fundraising events at their homes or workplace.

An invitation is going out to veterans who wish to tag along on the route for an entrance fee, to be added to the fund.

Moore will serve as trail boss. He is a veteran of three tours in Vietnam and is also the founder of the statewide veterans organizations, Vietnam Veterans of America, chapters 891 and 903. Moore is also a former two-term president of the Council of Vietnam Veterans of America.

Moore said the riders have hope and determination that the men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq will have the best reception when they come home to ensure a healthy return to society and family.

The guiding slogan for the ride is &#8220Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

The Trail Riders view the trip as a way to salute veterans, while at the same time providing healing.

Moore was born in Arkansas in 1942, while his mother was traveling to Texas. Growing up in the Lone Star State gave Moore a fondness for horseback riding. He wanted to become a cowboy. In 2003, after a heart bypass operation, Moore made it come true. He rode across Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and half of Canada.

To Moore, horseback riding in the Alaska wilderness is a unique, fence-free experience.

&#8220It's therapeutic.” Moore said. &#8220It's spiritual and uplifting to be on a trail ride in Alaska.”

Contact Amie Pappas at

352-2284 or amie.pappas@ frontiersman.com.