Thousands Of Bikers Gather In Washington To Honor Veterans

Thousands Of Bikers Gather In Washington To Honor Veterans

By John Clarke

WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - One week after a gathering of biker gangs in Texas that resulted in nine deaths and 170 arrests, thousands of motorcycle riders roared into the nation's capital Sunday to honor military veterans, prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action.

Rolling Thunder, an annual event that has been bringing motorcyclists and spectators to the National Mall in downtown Washington since 1988, started the "Ride for Freedom" at the Pentagon in Virginia, crossed the Potomac River over the Memorial Bridge and circled the Mall.

Organizers estimated that more than a million bikers and spectators attended, making it the largest one-day motorcycle gathering in the world, Rolling Thunder spokeswoman Nancy Regg said.

There were no reported criminal incidents at the event, Regg said.

"They're not here to party and get drunk," she said of Rolling Thunder, named after a 1965 bombing campaign against North Vietnam. "No fights. No attitudes."

The Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run arrives in Washington, DC, on May 24, 2015. The Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run is an annual event to pay tribute to current and former U.S. military members. (CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Crowds cheered and waved as bikers throttled their engines and waved back. Many bikers rode with U.S. or Prisoner of War flags. A few rode with Confederate flags.

Bikers and veterans could be found scattered throughout the National Mall. Many gathered at the Vietnam and Korean War memorials. Some relaxed in the shade and drank beer.

A stage below the Lincoln Memorial hosted speakers and musicians, including former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, singer Nancy Sinatra and actor Robert Patrick.

"I thank you for your service and I thank you for my freedom," Patrick told the crowd. "Each and everyone of you are the real deal."

Throughout the day, at the edge of the stage, a scrawny, bearded man in tattered fatigues sat locked in a bamboo cage holding a sign reading "Never Forget."

Sunday's ride was part of a weekend of events that included a "blessing of the bikes" outside the National Cathedral and a day-long barbecue hosted by motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson.

There were several other biker events across the country planned for the Memorial Day weekend. Rallies were held in New Mexico, Mississippi, Missouri and South Carolina with heightened security, according to media reports.

Last Sunday, 170 people were arrested in connection with the shootout among rival bikers that left nine dead and 18 wounded and turned a Waco, Texas restaurant into a blood-soaked crime scene. (Reporting by John Clarke in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Eric Walsh)

Before You Go

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"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." -- Aristotle
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"Memorial Day this year is especially important as we are reminded almost daily of the great sacrifices that the men and women of the armed services make to defend our way of life." -- Robin Hayes
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"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers and woods, it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." -- George William Curtis
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"True patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going." -- Robert Reich
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"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism."- George Washington
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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"If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen." -- Ronald Reagan
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"True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." -- Clarence Darrow
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"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain." -- George McGovern
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The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be." -- Socrates

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