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Rolling Thunder® Motorcycle Rally

By Walter F. Kern

The Pentagon Parking Lot was a Gathering Place

I've been to many rallies and gatherings of riders but this one was different. It had the same kinds of bikes I'm used to and the same kinds of motorcyclists but there was a decided military aspect.

It was a meeting place for old military buddies. Everyone was quick to introduce themselves and give the name of their unit and places they served. We saw one Marine in full dress uniform just sitting on his bike, waiting.

There was a petition to President George W. Bush and the United States Congress to direct the Department of Defense to recognize and designate as "Prisoner of War" (POW) not "Missing/Captured" (MIA-C) any person held against their will by any government, terrorist organization or insurgents, with which the U.S. is engaged in a declared war or other conflict. It was being signed by many.

We saw Paul Revere (of Paul Revere and the Raiders) and Nancy Sinatra. Both are long-time supporters of Rolling Thunder® and participate in the ride.

We found out later that U.S. Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also rode in Rolling Thunder® this year.

Here's a picture of three forum members, Darlene (Spanky's wife), Kevkersey and Spanky (right), and Mongo (third from the left), a Marine who works at the Pentagon and is also part of the SCRC group. Turns out, coincidentally, that Mongo also attended the same college I did back in Missouri.

Veteran in Tiger Cage

I walked up to the grassy area to take a few pictures of the crowd. On my way back, I walked by the first few units that would be leading the run. Near the front of the line, and expected to be first in the ride, was a sight I won't soon forget. It was a veteran, Gerald McCullar, from Illinois crouched inside a bamboo tiger cage. He had a faraway glassy stare as his fingers twitched on the bars of the cage. His long flowing beard helped create an image of longtime captivity. He sat there, unprotected in the blazing sun, the entire time that we waited for the run to start. Gerald has been portraying a captured POW trapped in a cage for many years.

The Ride to D.C.

Although the ride was scheduled to depart at noon, in actuality, it didn't start moving until about 12:15 p.m. We waited as the orderly departure slowly progressed until our turn came at about 1:40 p.m.

We watched to our right as the columns of motorcycles started moving. They got closer and closer to us, going out two columns at a time. When the movement was four columns away, everyone in my column had their helmet on, engine warmed up and ready to ride. Then it was our turn to become part of Rolling Thunder®. We rolled out.

It's a short distance from the north parking lot of the Pentagon to the Memorial Bridge. This picture and the next few were taken by Darlene from the pillion seat behind Spanky. We followed directly behind on our two trikes.

=> Go to Page 3: The Memorial Bridge and the Streets of D.C.

<= Back to Page 1: Rolling Thunder Introduction

Visit the Rolling Thunder® Website.

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