Arizona XXII

It is truly the end of an era.

No matter what you think of the politics of the Rolling Thunder organization it is undeniable that they have had a huge impact upon out country, veterans, and how we remember and honor our lost brothers and sisters from Vietnam.

Beginning in 1988, six years after the dedication of The Wall, the tradition of motorcyclist riding past The Wall began. It grew into a huge event with literally hundreds of thousands of bikes from all over the country participating in the "run to The Wall." It would be difficult, if not impossible, to calculate the total number of riders who have passed by to salute, honor and remember the men and women listed upon the black granite.

Each May new names, if any have been identified, are added to the honor roll. Last May (2018) none were added and one wonders if in fact the last name has been found. This brings to mind Springsteen's Who'll be the last to die?

Rolling Thunder has announced that 2019 will be the last ride, ending 32 years of honoring our brothers and sisters at The Wall. They cite a number of reasons for this decision but recommend that local groups continue the tradition in some way. We will see how that develops.

At the event in Peoria, I ran across this bike, just as I was leaving for the night. I didn't have a tripod with me so these are the best I could do under the conditions.

This seems a fitting salute to all the riders, millions of them, who came from every corner of the country and in fact from around the world to ride past The Wall. If you have ever dreamed of participating in Rolling Thunder, named after the B-52 raids in 'Nam that began in 1965, or of just coming down to pay witness and homage on the curbs and corners of Washington, DC, this is your final chance. The main event, the run, is scheduled for May 26th. Check out other info here:

https://www.rollingthunderrun.com/2019-run-info/

Next time, on the 28th, we will get back to the regular cycle of posts. California is next, join me there at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from Arizona, or any other state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.