"Memorial Run" is a 2021 Kenworth T680 owned by Certified Express, Inc. out of Neosho, Missouri and operated by a husband/wife team. The idea mission of the truck came about after this team had spent nearly 20 years and more two million miles traveling the highways of this country and noting that there were many trucks paying tribute to lots of groups and organizations. The one group noticeably absent in the highway recognition was the Firefighters of our country.
Randy spent 16 years in both, the wildland service and structural firefighting. It all became personal when the loss of one of his own firefighters (22 year old Tyler Casey) occurred on May 12, 2008. Two other friends and fellow firefighters had been lost in the prior 5 years.
Shortly after returning to driving in 2016 it became clear that there was a need, not just personally, but nationally to recognize and honor all of our fallen firefighters. With a very supportive company and many others behind the idea, Randy and Elizabeth took to the designing software and came up with the graphics for the truck.
Since unveiling the mission in early 2018 the first Memorial Run truck put on 485,000 miles hauling refrigerated goods all over these United States.
Memorial Run has become a connection to friends and families of those memorialized on gold ribbons on the memorial wall on the back of the cab; Casey, Hardy, Fierro, Brinza, Paiz, Barr, Lundgaard, Augustyn, Singleton, Grainger, Foti, Bronson, Figueroa & Jones, Hunter, Hall, Murphy, 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots and 14 South Canyon (Storm King Mountain) Inter Agency Hotshots and Smoke Jumpers currently adorn this memorial.
Just months after unveiling Memorial Run a trip to Boise, Idaho to show at a movie premier brought them in touch with Burk Minor at the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. This wonderful foundation was created shortly after the 1994 South Canyon fire on Storm King Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Colorado which claimed the lives of 14 Inter-agency Hotshots.
Vicki Minor was heartbroken to realize there was nothing to benefit the families of the fallen personnel. As private contractors they are not eligible to receive any state or federal benefits. Today they are the largest and most beneficial privately funded wildland firefighter assistance organizations in the world. We are so happy to have been allowed to assist Vicki and Burk with this foundation and the firefighters they represent.
August 4, 2020 saw the introduction of Memorial Run 2.0. This is the second edition. The first truck suffered a catastrophic engine failure in April of 2020 and had to be retired making way for Memorial Run 2.0. The newest version is nearly identical to the first truck . The biggest changes came with a newer model truck, more defined features in the logo, a gold hood stripe recognizing the partnership with the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and, of course, more strobe lights.
We will continue to travel to departments and participate in parades, fundraisers and memorial services to honor our fallen and to ensure that these men and women are never forgotten for the sacrifices they've made.
"They go to work every day, but they don't always come home" is the message to be left in the hearts and minds of those who experience Memorial Run.
