Veterans

K-9 division of DWR gets help from Christian Motorcyclists Association

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by Elle Cabrera from https://www.thespectrum.com K-9 division of DWR gets help from Christian Motorcyclists Association for dog vests The St. George chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association hosted a motorcycle ride and fundraiser Saturday for K-9 vests. The CMA-Truth messengers are a group of motorcyclists who travel all over Utah to bless motorcycles and participate in fundraising to help the community. They partnered with the Vietnam Veterans of St. George and Zion Harley Davidson to host this event, which raised more than $1,500 for protective K-9 vests for the Division of Natural Resources and Wildlife. “We want to support law enforcement in any way we can. We go around to local police departments, the St. George Police department, blessing their motorcycles and their staff,” said Steven Gaither, president of the CMA chapter in St. George. Gaither is also retired from law enforcement. The fundraiser had food provided by the Veterans and K-9 demonstrations done by the DNR. They brought both tracking and defense dogs to showcase the need for protective vests. “All of our dogs to tracking, they all do article search and detection work. So, wildlife detection is our specialty in the detection field,” Conservation officer and Lead K-9 trainer Josh Carver said. These officers specialize in looking for bear poachers and searching for people out in the wild. Often, these dogs will track remains and possibly the poachers themselves which means they’re searching for someone who is potentially armed. These vests can make the difference between life and death for these dogs. “Tracking is another thing we take pride in. That’s something that we either do for search and rescue, which we love to help when we can, but we do a lot of tracking bad guys-fugitives, trespasser, you name it,” Carver said. Tracking is a large part […]

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Patriots Motorcycle Ride throughout USA

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by Stuart Price from https://www.fourstateshomepage.com JOPLIN, MO – Today was an ideal day to spend on a motorcycle, and that’s what a large group of riders did. A group, that made its only official stop in the state of Missouri, in Joplin. Hideout Harley-Davidson in Joplin was the one and only stop in the Show-Me State for the Nation of Patriots motorcycle ride. An event that takes a single American flag on tour throughout the U.S. which starts on Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day. Roger Beckley, who spent nearly 30 years in the U.S. Army had the honor of bearing the flag through his native state of Kansas. “I retired in 2009. I’ve been to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, in today’s world, I don’t know how much respect is still out there for this flag and so when we can put it on a bike and ride it down the road and people see it coming, it makes them think what it is and what’s it stand for,” Says Beckley. Beckley took an oath to carry the flag to honor the nation’s veterans, the enlisted, and their families. On Saturday many of these same riders will be joined by others from Arkansas for its next destination, which will be fort smith, before eventually making its way back to Nevada. This is the 12th year for the event and each year it starts and ends in the same state, this year it ends in Las Vegas. But veterans aren’t the only riders who take part in the event, so do people like Ryan Mitchell, the regional commander for the Nation of Patriots, who rides with the procession through three of the four states: Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas. He says it’s his chance to serve those that did serve their

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Hogs for Heroes gifts motorcycle to Wisconsin Dells veteran

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by Erica Dynes from https://www.wiscnews.com A Wisconsin Dells man became the 18th veteran to receive a motorcycle from a Wisconsin organization that gifts motorcycles to veterans to help them cope with mental and physical wounds from their time in active duty. Marine Sgt. Rick Erickson was gifted a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Hogs for Heroes at The Keg and Patio in Wisconsin Dells May 23. The presentation included a color guard ceremony by Wisconsin Dells American Legion Post 187. Eleven of the veterans who had receive motorcycles from the non-profit organization were there to hand keys to Erickson to start his new motorcycle. Erickson hand-picked his motorcycle after going to three different dealerships with the co-founders of Hogs for Heroes before finding his perfect one at an Oconomowoc dealership. To Erickson, the presentation was much more than receiving a motorcycle. It was sharing the emotional moment with the family he had become a part of, forming bonds with others who understand the pain and struggle of coming home from war. He struggled to fight back tears as he told the crowd what it meant to him. “As awesome as the bike is, it’s about getting back in touch with people who understand you, living life again, people who know me and who have shared experiences that I had and welcoming me into the family,” Erickson said. Erickson planned to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served in Vietnam as a Marine. He decided to enlist in the Marines after high school but was diagnosed with cancer, according to his biography on the Hogs for Heroes website. After being cancer free for five years, he enlisted in the Marines in 2003. One year later he did a six-month tour of Iraq and served as an artillery scout and gunfire controller.

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Veterans plan Memorial Day motorcycle ride despite roadblock

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by Angie Angers from https://www.baynews9.com It’s a Memorial Day tradition for tens of thousands of veterans to ride their motorcycles to the nation’s capital. Pentagon had blocked their permit request, but vets say they are going regardless This time, the event was nearly in jeopardy. Every May for more than 30 years, veterans from all over the country have made the trip to honor those gone and those still missing in action. “Not only continue the tradition of holding Congress and the government accountable for trying to find these over 82,000 missing veterans, but also for veteran suicide,” said organizer Tom McNamara with AMVETS. McNamara says they’re expecting roughly 100,000 veterans and they’d received nine out of the 10 permits needed to make the trip happen. But just recently, defense officials denied their application to use the Pentagon’s parking lot like they have for the last three decades. “Using our satellite views on how we’re going to stage motorcycles, and a month ago they came back and said, ‘No, we’re not gonna do it, and didn’t give us an answer as to why,’” McNamara said. Officials of the Pentagon later cited COVID safety concerns and left AMVETS scrambling for another plan. Now Rep. Brian Mast is involved and is accusing leaders of blocking the tradition. He sent a strongly-worded letter to Congress pushing them to reconsider. McNamara says — either way — the veterans are using their constitutional right to protest and will be coming to D.C. no matter what. “As our First Amendment right, these people are coming anyway, we’re going to be there anyway. So now, we’re just lining up on the streets,” he said. They just want to keep the tradition alive. “Let’s just say Congress will know about it,” McNamara said with a laugh. The ride

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Pentagon rejects permit request by veterans group for Memorial Day motorcycle ride

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by Nikki Wentling from https://www.stripes.com WASHINGTON – The Defense Department rejected a request from organizers of a traditional Memorial Day weekend motorcycle ride in the nation’s capital, throwing logistics of the event into uncertainty just weeks before it is scheduled to take place. Motorcyclists typically use the Pentagon’s parking lot as a staging area for the ride, but defense officials denied the permit application Friday for this year’s event. Officials cited the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the size of the expected crowd as the reason. Despite the denial, thousands of motorcyclists are planning to gather in Washington during Memorial Day weekend. As of Monday, organizers didn’t know where to gather the riders before and after they drive along the National Mall. AMVETS, a national veterans organization, is coordinating the motorcycle ride. The group said it was committed to still running the event on May 30 and organizers were searching Monday for a backup plan. “There are no options with as much space and convenient routes to the memorials, meaning it will be more difficult, disruptive, and expensive than if the Pentagon parking lots were available,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of AMVETS. The group criticized the Pentagon’s slow decision-making process. Chenelly said he applied in July to use the Pentagon parking lot on May 30. He was expecting to hear back by January. Chenelly told the Pentagon last month that he needed an answer by April 16. Officials called with their decision on Friday. “The biggest disappointment in the Pentagon’s denial was that AMVETS was ignored for months as its professional staff in Washington requested numerous times an opportunity to hear the Defense Department’s concerns and present a [coronavirus] safety plan,” Jan Brown, the national commander of AMVETS, said in a statement. AMVETS leaders said they were confident they

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Organizers say Pentagon is jeopardizing Memorial Day motorcycle ride

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by Nikki Wentling from https://www.stripes.com Organizers of the traditional Memorial Day motorcycle ride in the nation’s capital accused the Pentagon on Tuesday of jeopardizing the event. AMVETS, the national veterans group organizing the ride, said the Defense Department has ignored its application to use the Pentagon parking lot as a staging area. For 32 consecutive years, thousands of motorcyclists gathered in the parking lot before and after the ride around the National Mall. There are fewer than 40 days until the event, and the Pentagon hasn’t communicated its decision, said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of AMVETS. The Pentagon “won’t even talk to us,” Chenelly said. “We’ve been trying to really be good partners in all of this and not blast the Pentagon, but we’ve gotten to point recently where we have to put the pressure on them.” Chenelly said he submitted an application in July to use the Pentagon parking lot on May 30 this year. He was expecting to hear back by January, but no response came. The Pentagon’s special events office sent Chenelly an approved permit earlier this month but then rescinded the approval eight days later and said they hadn’t made a final decision. At that time, Chenelly told the Pentagon he needed an answer by April 16. “It’s April 20 today, and we still haven’t heard anything back,” Chenelly said Tuesday. Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday that “there’s been no decision yet.” She cited the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the cause of the delay and said the department is monitoring community spread of the virus. Masks and social distancing are required on Pentagon grounds, she said. “The permit request is still being evaluated in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Gough said. AMVETS has gained approvals for the event from

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Ho Ho Harley time!

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by Biker Dad, Chris Best from https://www.wkrg.com It’s Ho – Ho – Harley time! Bikers are about to give back in a big way in the next few days. The bikers are riding for Santa this weekend in support of the Salvation Army Angel Tree and the WKRG Magical Christmas Toy Drive. No matter if you are in Alabama or Florida, you can help in a big way this weekend. First, WKRG and the Biker Dad Blog have teamed up with the Caballeros Acero Riding Club for the Magical Christmas Toy Run, riding from Tillman’s Corner Saturday at 2pm to the Salvation Army Warehouse at the mall. Please come ride with us and bring a toy. Get all the info here. And if you can’t make that, the Florida ABATE Toy Run which is also in benefit of the Salvation Army is Sunday starting at Harley Davidson of Pensacola. Click here for all the info on both toy runs. Not all of the bikers out there are on the nice list as we found some crazy video of one very naughty rider. He’s only 19 take a look at the video above. This happened in London. The person riding that motorcycle at 180 miles per hour is only 1, leading police on a wild chase through the very congested city and finally coming to stop because to refuel. He just pled guilty to charges and will be sentenced in January. More info here. Veterans Day was just a few weeks ago, but for bikers, it’s always time to honor our vets. I don’t get to do this very often, so I thought I would mention it this week. The Patriot Guard Riders ride loud motorcycles but are quietly honoring or vets almost every week. This week I had the honor

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2020 Biketoberfest Tropical Tattoo

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Old School Chopper Show Even with the Chinese Covid thing the Show Must Go On and Willie and his crew at Tropical Tattoo did it again. Thanks! Yes, the crowd was a tad smaller than last year, but I did not hear anyone complaining. It just made it easier to get around and in some cases get better shots of the bikes and people. Besides having a good time this event also raises money for the veterans and the proceeds go to www.veteranssupportfund.com To find out more about Tropical Tattoo go to http://www.tropicaltattoo.com/ Click Here to read this Photo Feature at Bikernet. Join the Cantina – Subscribe Today https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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MyMedicTM And Veterans Charity Ride Deliver Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) To Sturgis, South Dakota First Responders

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When: Friday, August 7th, 2020, 5:00 pm Where: Indian Motorcycle Sturgis. 2130 Main St. Sturgis, SD 57785 All press and media invited to attend When facing challenging times, Americans seek out ways to help one another. They rally together and support those in need. That is precisely what MyMedicTM and Veterans Charity Ride are doing on Friday, August 7th 2020, when they deliver a supply of personal protection equipment (PPE) to first responders in Sturgis, South Dakota. Due to a lack of funding and access needed to purchase and maintain proper PPE, first responders are showing up to emergency calls inadequately protected from exposure to COVID-19. First responders will be receiving MyMedicTM Pandemic MedicTM Personal Protection Kits. Veterans Charity Ride is a veteran operated non-profit organization that uses “motorcycle therapy” to help fellow veterans adjust to post-war life. Veterans (nominated through the VCR website) enjoy the therapeutic effects of motorcycle riding on an all-expense-paid cross-country adventure of a lifetime. The VCR motorcycle ride will begin in Moab, Utah, July, 28th and arrive in Sturgis, SD, on Friday, August 7th, 2020. This year VCR is taking things a step further with its “service before self” initiative. This effort will directly offer support and appreciation for our nation’s first responders and professional medical workers, who have been working the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. ABOUT VETERANS CHARITY RIDE Veterans Charity Ride (VCR), started by veterans for veterans, is a non-profit organization that delivers Motorcycle Therapy and additional life changing, life-saving holistic programs specifically designed to assist wounded and amputee combat veterans with their needs and the issues they deal with on a daily basis. Helping our fellow veterans through outreach, action, activities, education and follow-up is what drives our organization. The end result of our program is a healthier and happier, more

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Motorcycle parade at veterans home shows heroes that even though they are isolated, they are not alone

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by Chris Best from https://www.wkrg.com BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WKRG) — Veterans at the William F. Green State Veterans Home may be isolated, but they are not alone. 150 motorcycle riders wanted to send that message loudly this Saturday. They lined up and paraded around the home on their bikes, honking their horns and revving their engines. Signs leading up to the home read “Heroes work and live here.” These bikers wanted to make sure that heroism is recognized. Just the day before the riders honored the heroes it was announced a 3rd employee at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. The state announced it would be ramping up testing at all state-run veterans homes as well. So far none of the residents of the home have tested positive. But there have been cases at other state homes. The veterans have been isolated since the COVID-19 outbreak. Long-term care facilities are particularly high risk. Nursing homes across the country have become hot zones for the virus. The veterans are not able to see their friends, families or others who regularly come to visit them. The Patriot Guard Riders, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and American Legion Riders are among several of the groups that normally visit the heroes to raise their spirits. Unable to do that, they got together to plan the parade. Employees in scrubs and masks came outside to wave at the bikers. Another stood in salute. The bikers circled the facility, some of the veterans able to come to their windows and see the excitement. And those who couldn’t certainly heard it.

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