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Rolling Thunder, Wounded Warriors Honor 9/11 Victims
(May 8, 2010) | 
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| ARLINGTON, Va., May 5, 2010 – Rolling Thunder motorcyclists joined Warrior
Games athletes in a wreath-laying ceremony today at the Pentagon Memorial
here to honor the victims of Sept. 11, 2001.
The two parties came together with the Pentagon Memorial Fund as a reminder
of the possibilities to which one can aspire when faced with hardships. As
difficult as some challenges may seem, it's important to remember that “life
goes on,” James Laychak, Pentagon Memorial Fund president, said. |
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| Wounded warrior athletes and Rolling Thunder motorcyclists participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial on May 5, 2010, in honor of the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremony was part of the inaugural Warrior Games celebration. The games, which will feature disabled veterans and wounded active duty athletes in Paralympics-style competition, are slated for May 10-14, 2010, in Colorado Springs, Colo. |
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“It's always good to kind of stop and remember what happened,” Laychak said.
“When things happen that you don't expect, you can still beat it and go on.
That's what the Warrior Games is all about, right? The Warrior Games and
this memorial remind you that life goes on.”
The ceremony marked the second leg for Rolling Thunder in a five-day trek
across the country, in which the group that devotes itself to veterans
issues and the nation's prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in
action is transporting American flags to be flown at next week's inaugural
Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The flags were flown over military locations around the globe, including the
USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Korea's demilitarized zone and
Germany's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Rolling Thunder also is
carrying flags that flew over Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, and Joint Base
Balad, Iraq.
Rolling Thunder members transported the flags here from the site of the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York, and tomorrow will pay their
respects at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pa. From there, the flags
will be delivered to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the
Warrior Games opening ceremony. Each of the flags will be flown for one day
during the five-day competition.
Rolling Thunder's journey is a symbol of freedom in the purest form, said
Dale “Wrong Way” Williams from the group's Maryland chapter.
“The fact that we don't sit back on our haunches and let somebody walk all
over us, and that we have men and women willing to go out there ensure our
freedom – the [Warrior Games] symbolizes freedom in the sincerest way,”
Williams said.
The inaugural Warrior Games kick off May 10 and will feature disabled
veterans and wounded active duty athletes in Paralympics-style competition.
Rolling Thunder is a nonprofit organization with more than 88 chapters in
all 50 states. It works year-round to ensure the nation never forgets that
American prisoners of war and missing in action still remain unaccounted for
in Southeast Asia. The organization raises funds to help veterans and
provides legislative advocacy on veterans' issues. Members volunteer to
visit local veterans' hospitals and educate people about the POW/MIA issue | |
Article and
photos by Army SFC Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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