Some Have Not Forgotten
The veterans of World War II are passing from us quickly, and the Korean Veterans are not far behind. Soon it will be the Vietnam Vets’ turn.
Let’s be frank about something, the vocal American public treated the Vietnam Veterans shabbily when they returned home. There were no ticker parades. And, where were the national expressions of gratitude for the sacrifices?
The very vocal failed to separate the personal sacrifices for buddies and country from the political and treated our best with contempt. The majority of the anti-Vietnam War protest generated from within the environs of the universities and colleges. It was the passion of immature and malleable students, the guile of elitist intellectuals, the treachery of the left, and the uninvolved oblivion of the rest of us that facilitated or allowed the disgrace to exist.
Motorcyclists, especially the early Harley Davidson riding crowd, are an unconventional lot, and it was they, especially the Vietnam Vets among them, that first began stepping forward to honor their comrades. In 1988, the first Rolling Thunder Rally of 2500 motorcyclists rode into Washington DC and headed for the Wall. By 1991, it was 45,000 people and 20,000 motorcycles. This year’s numbers are expected to reach 500,000. A half million people meeting on Memorial Day Weekend to honor all of our veterans: lost on the battlefield; lost to the ravages of time; or still living.
Motorcyclists will ride from all parts of the country to join with their brethren in Washington D.C. The nineteenth edition of the Run for the Wall motorcycle ride departs from Ontario, CA, on May 16. One group will ride the Northern route and the second rides the Southern route.
When you see the motorcycles flying American flags heading to or from Washington D.C. in May and early June, know that they remember and honor. Let it be a reminder to you to acknowledge the sacrifices of others and offer a word of gratitude. To do any less exacerbates the national disgrace of the seventies.
Let’s be frank about something, the vocal American public treated the Vietnam Veterans shabbily when they returned home. There were no ticker parades. And, where were the national expressions of gratitude for the sacrifices?
The very vocal failed to separate the personal sacrifices for buddies and country from the political and treated our best with contempt. The majority of the anti-Vietnam War protest generated from within the environs of the universities and colleges. It was the passion of immature and malleable students, the guile of elitist intellectuals, the treachery of the left, and the uninvolved oblivion of the rest of us that facilitated or allowed the disgrace to exist.
Motorcyclists, especially the early Harley Davidson riding crowd, are an unconventional lot, and it was they, especially the Vietnam Vets among them, that first began stepping forward to honor their comrades. In 1988, the first Rolling Thunder Rally of 2500 motorcyclists rode into Washington DC and headed for the Wall. By 1991, it was 45,000 people and 20,000 motorcycles. This year’s numbers are expected to reach 500,000. A half million people meeting on Memorial Day Weekend to honor all of our veterans: lost on the battlefield; lost to the ravages of time; or still living.
Motorcyclists will ride from all parts of the country to join with their brethren in Washington D.C. The nineteenth edition of the Run for the Wall motorcycle ride departs from Ontario, CA, on May 16. One group will ride the Northern route and the second rides the Southern route.
When you see the motorcycles flying American flags heading to or from Washington D.C. in May and early June, know that they remember and honor. Let it be a reminder to you to acknowledge the sacrifices of others and offer a word of gratitude. To do any less exacerbates the national disgrace of the seventies.
posted by Paul Coambs | 10:49 PM
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