| ‘Ride of a lifetime’ for Rolling Thunder members | | Posted: Friday, June 4, 2010 12:45 pm
| | AWESTRUCK – Rolling Thunder® TN Chapter 6 member Jackie Laird of Dresden stands in awe of the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. over the weekend. Laird joined local members for the organization’s “Ride for Freedom,” an annual Memorial Day rally in Washington. Photo by Pat Laird What began in 1998 as 2,500 motorcycles carrying veterans, family members and supporters who rolled into Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day, has grown into an annual three-day event that pays tribute to veterans, service members and POW/MIAs.
This year’s rally was considered the “ride of a lifetime” as 16 local Rolling Thunder® TN-Chapter 6 members joined the more than 330,000 motorcycles in Washington over the weekend.
From a candle light vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to a motorcade through downtown D.C., the event is an effort to rally people into keeping the memories and spirits of fallen service members alive. At the same time, the rally is an opportunity for Rolling Thunder® to bring awareness to the government to account for all POW/MIAs.
As one of the youngest chapters in the national organization, half of the Chapter 6 members were on hand during the event in Washington over the weekend. The local chapter is made up of people from Martin, Dresden, Greenfield, Milan and Eva in West Tennessee. For many, this was their first “Ride for Freedom.”
On the home front, the local chapter raises money for area veterans and their families and their main mission is to provide interaction with veterans from the Humboldt veterans home.
To learn more about Rolling Thunder, visit www.rollingthundertn6.com. | | | | |
