As part of the effort to bring public awareness to the important issue of repatriating remains of MIA’s, Dago Chapter, with the help of the MIA Posse began a search to locate the families of the “San Diego 22” for the purpose of including them in the event that would honor that Hero.
The MIA Posse had completed the work of tracking down the mother of John H. Hoeffs and Dago Chapter contacted her. For her own personal reasons, she declined involvement and acceptance of the POW/MIA flag with John’s name on it. 
Plans were then made to present the flag to the U.S. Army-Navy Academy in nearby Carlsbad, CA.
The event was carried out, as the “Forgotten Warrior Run” on Veteran’s Day weekend, 2006, and the POW/MIA with the name of John H. Hoeffs flies today at the Academy.
Towards the end of January 2007 we received an email from Russ Hoeffs and his wife, Barb. Russ is the oldest brother of our MIA, John. They had heard about the Forgotten Warrior Run after speaking to family members over Christmas, and wanted to know if it was possible to purchase a flag of their own with John’s name on it, to fly at their place of business in New Jersey.
Members of the MIA Posse were excited to hear from Russ and Barb, and making contact with them was both meaningful and emotional. As word got out and discussion progressed, the idea of delivering the POW/MIA to John’s brother in New Jersey inspired the possibility of involving more of the Red & Black World.
By passing the flag from one rider to the next, from San Diego on the west coast to New Jersey on the east coast, the flag will be transported in the same way the Old West Pony Express Riders delivered mail in the 1860’s.
“In rain and in snow,
in sleet and in hail
over moonlit prairie,
down tortuous mountain path . . .
pounding pony feet knitted together
the ragged edges of a rising nation.From these hearty souls who toiled
over plain and mountain
that understanding
might be more generally diffused,
a nation spanning a continent
was ours to inherit.In the spirit of the Pony Express
it is for us to bequeath
to those who shall follow,
new trails in the sky
uniting in thought and in deed.”
- Frank S. Popplewell
Plans to carry out the delivery of the John H. Hoeffs POW/MIA flag to his brother are now in progress. The first hand-off is scheduled to take place in late April and each leg of the trip will be documented here as the journey progresses.***
The final leg of the Pony Express is expected to be completed before Veteran’s Day in November 2007, so that Russ and Barb Hoeffs can involve their local community in the final flag raising ceremony for their lost but NEVER FORGOTTEN brother, John Harvey Hoeffs.
***Update:
The first leg of the Pony Express began in Ramona, California on 20 April 2007.
The flag was handed off to “I” Chapter, who carried it to the Pacific Coast Regional in Las Vegas, NV, where on Saturday 21 April, 2007 at the Regional Meeting, it was given to Brother Skidmark from Chapter “B”, Arizona. The flag will be raised at the Arizona State meeting, then handed off for the next leg of it’s journey east. For photos of the handoffs, please visit the Pony Express album in our gallery.
The ex-press kicks off it’s journey april 20th 2007
from ramona ca. to new jersey
the 1st. part of the leg is to sin city where it will be turned over
to Brother Skidmark for the next part of it’s journey.
FLASH 100 % 22
We have put our name in the hat for anything needed in Ohio. We will be proud to help in any way. We are in exact center of our state. Brother Skidmark has my contact info. DA, Chapter F Pres. Columbus, Oh. Love, Respect, & Brotherhood
All,
It would seem we can make this happen.
Actually we will make this happen one way or the other !
I found out last night that 20 years ago a POW MIA Flag
made it across the U S and then to Vietnam ! It traveled
through 23 States,but with the help of VFW’s and other
organizations where we did not have Brothers at the time.
This time it will be different,as it will travel without
the help of any other orginazition !
The kickstands are up and this flag is rollin’!
w/Love and Respect in Brotherhood,
Pigsty
Hey Brothers i am living up here in Wisconsin for the summer so anything i can do up this way for the good old pony express you just let me know..
LRB
TaDa
Xtreme AZ
The flag was escorted to the Pacific Coast Regional meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on 20 April. 2007 by “I” Chapter and “Z” Chapter, California where it was handed off the next afternoon at the regional meeting to Brother Skidmark from Arizona Chapter “B”.
The flag will be honored in a flag raising ceremony to be held at the Arizona State meeting in May.
Please visit the Pony Express album in our gallery for photos of the event.
Received 31 May, 2007:
Raine, this just a few lines to give you an idea, to see what we did with the flag and now Brother Carney has it. On its way to the Brotherhood Run and then beyond????? didnt check my spelling or grammar! Gave Carney Flash’s phone number so he could let him know what his intentions where. Got more pictures to get together.
PONY EXPRESS, POW/MIA FLAG TRAVELS TO NEW MEXICO.
The Pony Express POW/MIA flag was transferred to Brother Wrench, Chapter “B”, New Mexico, from Brother Skidmark and Tucson Buzz of “B” Chapter, Arizona on May 22, 2007 at Bowie, AZ (a few miles from the NM & AZ state line).
The Flag was presented to Brother Scar of “B” Chapter, New Mexico, On May 23 at the VFW post in Alamogordo NM. He took it to Angel Fire, New Mexico, escorted by Brothers Apache and Nitro of “B” Chapter.
The Flag was transferred to Brother Carney Of Colorado during Memorial Day presentations where the Flag was flown at Angel Fire Vietnam Veterans National Memorial, (The very first Vietnam Veterans Memorial). This was a very formal presentation where Brother Scar presented the Flag to the Angel Fire Memorial Color Guard to raise over Angel Fire Memorial in place of there own POW/MIA flag.
Then the Flag was represented to Brother Scar and presented from Brother to Brother till it came to Brother Carney. In the line was Brothers Wrench, Apache, Nitro, Crash, Rock (all from New Mexico) and Brother Yogi From Michigan.
All the Brothers From New Mexico were very proud to be part of the Pony Express POW/MIA Flag delivery. There where many pictures taken and these are just a few for now, till I can gather them all up.
Love Loyalty Respect & BROTHERHOOD,
~Wrench “B” Chapter( BAD COMPANY), New Mexico
Received: 6 Aug 2007
Brother,
Here are pictures of the Flag at Crazy Horse South Dakota.
B&S, Yank, and Fat Bob from Georgia now have posetion of it.
LRB
Rocky
Chapter A Nebraska
Received 31 Oct 2007
Brothers,
Today with the help of the members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Jersey I was able to fly the Pony Express flag. Please feel free to pass these pictures around.
LRB-BBs
Received 6 Nov 2007
Brothers, please pass these pictures around the Nation.
On Monday Nov. 5, 2007 Brother Rerun and I (BBs) started out at about 7am in 36 degree weather for DC on our bikes carrying the Pony Express flag, as somehow it had not made it to DC on the way to NJ.
We stayed long enough to take 4 pictures and have aa helper make a rub of the man’s name for us.
Hopped back on the scoots and made it back to Jersey with one stop for gas in Maryland.
Got home 1730 hours frozen stiff and in some pain , but as the man says, we “got er done”.
This sat. the 10th. of Nov. at the Veterans ceremony, ( Sat. not Sun.) we will be presenting the flag to the brother of Soldier Hoeffs.
Anyone who wishes to join us can contact BBs. I am trying to scrounge up an extra bike for brother Flash who is flying out from Ca. for the ceremony, he will arrive on fri. the 10th. If you can help in that respect contact BBs, “have trailer will travel”
LRB-BBs
All,
I would like to thank Brother BB’s from NJ who now has the flag,
has plenty of pictures which will be posted soon I’m sure,
including a road trip to The National Wall in DC to get a rubbing
of John Heoffs name to be presented to his family along with
the flag.
He made the trip in 36 degree weather along with another Brother
who’s name excapes me at the moment,but I will direct him to this site for an update.
Respectfully submitted,
Pigsty
Received 11.11.2007
Brothers,
Brothers Huggy Bear, Rerun, and BBs from NJ. along with Flash from Ca. left BBs home to deliver the flag to The Hoeffs family at their Veterans Day ceremonies.
We rode the first 35 miles in the rain in high 30 degree weather and the last 25 wasn’t too bad.
Met up with Bear from NJ when we got there who had to contend with 4 inches of snow where he lived just a little north of the presentation area.
The ceremonies went very well and the family invited us back to their patriarchs home when the ceremonies were over along with a lot of the honor guard from the VFW in the town. They fed us and treated us like royalty. After spending some time with all of these great people we hit the road for home.
Midland Park NJ where this all took place has the distinction of having lost the most men in Nam per capita of any town in the US. They told us that the towns mayor sent a letter to the Pres. begging him to stop sending their soldiers to Nam as it had already devastated the towns families. Out of a very small graduating class of their high small school, 8 of their classmates all died in a space of 1 year in country.
The people told us if we GET TIRED OF PROTESTERS AND CAN’T SEEM TO FIND ANY PATRIOTISM WHERE WE WERE , WE WERE WELCOME TO COME BACK AND VISIT THEIR TOWN ANYTIME.
Happy Veterans Day to all my brothers, have to get ready to get back on the road and head to the NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial for our ceremonies now.
Midland Park celebrated theirs a day early so people wouldn’t have to choose between attending church services and the Veteran Services.
LRB-BBs
I’m new here, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.