Monday, 500 motorcycles are going to roar down Interstate 20 on their way to Washington D.C. for Memorial Day.

The southern leg of a three-pronged annual run to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, called the POW-MIA Run For The Wall, will pass through the city around 11 a.m.

The run honors the memory of those killed in action, prisoners of war and those veterans listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The trip is divided into three routes and takes 10 days to cross the country.

No greater honor could the residents of Vicksburg pay than to stand along the frontage roads and overpasses waving American Flags.

Any veteran would tell you that the true heroes are the ones that gave the ultimate sacrifice. For the families left behind there is closure. For the families of POWs and MIAs there is no closure. They are left with the uncertainty of their loved ones’ fates.

I can imagine a father or mother’s sorrow at the void left by the not knowing the outcome. Having no details on the last moments of their loved one’s life would be hard to deal with, I imagine.

The riders in the Run For The Wall are riding for those who can’t and those who didn’t come home.

This year marks the 40th Anniversaries of the fall of Phnom Penh and Operation Eagle Pull; the fall of Saigon and Operation Frequent Wind; and the rescue of the SS Mayaguez, the last battle of the Vietnam War.

At that time it was estimated that nearly 2,600 American service members were either Missing in Action or Killed in Action, body not recovered. In 2007, the number was down to 1,863. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, last updated February 10, 2015: 1,636 are still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.

Along with that number, there are 126 Cold War MIAs, mostly in or near China. Another 7,855 American service members are still missing from the Korean War. Additionally, 73,515 are unaccounted for from World War II. Since the Gulf Wars I and II, September 11, 2001, and other conflicts, there are six more MIAs.

I would love to see the City of Vicksburg turn out in droves to honor those who never came home. I’ll see you there.