Rolling Thunder Roars Through Nations' Capital
(May 25, 2009) |
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Bikers from all across the country pull into the
Pentagon's north parking lot May 24, 2009, to
participate in the 22nd Annual Rolling Thunder
rally in Washington, D.C., to remind the nation
that many American servicemembers who were
prisoners of war or missing in action are still
unaccounted for. |
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Washington, D.C. (May 24,
2009) Pam Crane
sat peacefully in a patch of freshly mowed grass
along Highway 27 here in the nation's capital,
remembering her husband, his patriotism and his
cause.
She overlooked a sea of motorcycles and
bandana-wearing war veterans gathered today in
the Pentagon's north parking lot for the 22nd
Annual Rolling Thunder rally. Each and every one
of them, she said, share her husband Warren's
passion to never let the nation forget that some
of their battle buddies and brothers in arms
never came home.
“It was his passion,” Crane said. “He was the
most patriotic man I'd ever met.” |
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Warren was one of the lucky ones to make
it home after serving in Vietnam, but after years of
struggling with post-traumatic stress, he took his own life
on May 20, 2006. The next day his widow joined Rolling
Thunder and has made the trip from Knoxville, Tenn., each
year since for the Memorial Day weekend ride through the
nation's capitol.
The event kicked off at noon today with riders filing out of
the Pentagon parking lot in pairs in a parade that led them
from the Lincoln Memorial, past the Vietnam Veterans'
Memorial Wall, to the U.S. Capitol building and back.
“It's such a wonderful, overwhelming experience to be here
and to see the flags and patriotism and all these veterans
together,” Crane said. “We're doing everything we can to
make sure the public doesn't forget our POWs and MIAs and
certainly to take care of our veterans from all the
different wars that are still here.” |
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“It's such a moving event to
see so many veterans gathered together, and
everyone is here to honor our fallen |
comrades and soldiers serving
now,” added Army Sgt. 1st Class (ret.) Frank
Lesnefsky, from Scranton, Penn., who's
participating in his fifth Rolling Thunder
rally.
Rolling Thunder, Inc., is a non-profit
organization with more than 88 chapters in all
50 states, which work 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
serves as legislative advocates on veterans'
issues. Members volunteer to visit local
veterans hospitals and educate people about the
POW/MIA issue.
Crane said Rolling Thunder's hard work over the
years is evident, as they've impacted citizens
from all across the country to join and take
part in advocating their cause. Bikers, such as
Danny Kang, from Richmond, |
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Rolling Thunder bikers
overlook a crowd of thousands of fellow American
war veterans and bikers May 24, 2009, staging in
the Pentagon's north parking lot for the 22nd
Annual Rolling Thunder rally in Washington, D.C. |
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Va.,
participated in Rolling Thunder for the past two
years, but unlike many of the others, he's not a
veteran and doesn't come from a military family,
he said. |
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An American pilot in the Korean War saved
his grandfather, Kang said. And if it weren't for
servicemembers like that pilot, who risked his own life to
protect Kang's grandfather and other South Korean nationals,
the world might be a lesser place, he added.
“I'm here to pay my respect and show my appreciation for all
those troops who never came back,” Kang said. “It's hard to
imagine that troops from past wars are still not accounted
for.”
Dale Recker, a Vietnam War veteran from Beaver Creek, Minn.,
participated in his sixth Rolling Thunder today, and said
it's an event he looks forward to every year. He's a
founding father of the Rolling Thunder Chapter 1 in South
Dakota, he said.
Recker said he will be here in Washington for
Rolling
Thunder every year until he's physically unable. His
cousin's name is engraved on the Vietnam Veterans' War
Memorial Wall, and Recker wants to ensure his cousin and
others like him will always be remembered for their
sacrifice.
“We don't want anyone to ever forget, and we don't want the
servicemembers coming back today to be forgotten either,”
Recker said. “We want all our troops home, and we won't rest
until every last POW and MIA is accounted for.” | |
Article and photos by
Army SFC Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
Reprinted
from American
Forces Press Service / DoD
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