Thanks For Coming
Hope You Had a Great Time
The 10th Anniversary Ride of the Patriots® to
Rolling Thunder® XXI was blessed with great people
and great weather. Over 3800 riders joined the Ride of the Patriots this year to remember
and honor those in uniform who serve bravely to protect our nation and our liberty. We
then went on to join with the 400,000+ Rolling Thunder riders who came to
Washington, D.C. to honor our veterans and remember those lost or missing soldiers from
our nation’s conflicts. We were especially proud to honor several of our own chapter
members who have recently returned from Iraq, are currently there or are soon to
go. These heroes represent all of their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and
made the event especially memorable for all of us. Riders came from all over the United
States, Canada and Australia to participate in the 2008 Ride of the Patriots and, most
importantly to pay tribute and remember. It was a pleasure to have you with us.
The ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan underscore the debt of
gratitude we owe those men and women in uniform who serve everyday and put their lives
and limbs at risk to protect and help in times of crisis. Those who have lost life and
limb are especially remembered. Your participation in the Ride of the Patriots as well
as Rolling Thunder made a statement to the community, our nation and the world that
WE WILL NEVER FORGET those who have served, those missing and those who have
fallen.
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston Delivers Keynote Address
The Ride of the Patriots event would not happen if it were not for Rolling Thunder.
They continue to fight for our servicemen and women on many issues. Their advocacy for
all veterans is very worthy of our support. They invite and we encourage your continued
support of Rolling Thunder. Our hope is that the Ride of the Patriots has and will
continue to provide our community an opportunity to participate and honor our veterans.
With the help of our local Police Motor Squads, the event also provides an organized
staging area and safe trip to the Pentagon and Rolling Thunder. The Ride of the Patriots
has become the signature event for our Chapter and Patriot Harley-Davidson and we hope it
will continue to serve our veterans and the community for many years to come.
Bikes staging for the ride. The line extends about a mile down Fairfax Boulevard
The City of Fairfax continues to work cooperatively with us to bring a safer,
more enjoyable and more meaningful event to the community. We are grateful for the
enthusiastic participation of Mayor Rob Lederer and members of the
City Council, Fairfax County Chairman Gerry Connolly, Delegate
David Bulova, VA State Senator Chap Peterson, Andy Roberston, Virginia Department Commander, American
Legion, Bob De Haven, Mo Smith and our keynote
speaker Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston. The Armed Forces
Color Guard from the US Army Military District of Washington was front and center
this year followed by our flag bikes ridden by Tommy Herrityand Walter Herrity.
The NOVA Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band, Fairfax Deputy Sheriff's
Coalition Pipes and Drums and the Fairfax High School Band accompanied by
Erin Trost added terrific
musical tributes. We were pleased to introduce Geoff Gallente who performed our National
Anthem for the ceremonies. Geoff is now only seven years old. What a future awaits.
The City of Fairfax Fire and Rescue Vehicles represented the many
heroes of 9/11 and were lead by the Firefighters Color Guard.
Fairfax County Police, Sheriff, Arlington County and City of Alexandria
Motor Squads contributed immeasurably to the safety and enjoyment of everyone.
A very special thanks to the Fairfax High School Dance Team for their support and the
Northern Virginia Mustang Club for providing parade vehicles. Gary Smith
honored us again this year by carrying our keynote speaker in his Korean War vintage
US Army jeep. The ceremonies were ended by TAPS played by Kaleb Masters.
We thank all of them very much. This event does not happen without their significant
investment of time and effort. We owe our thanks to over 150+ of our Chapter members
who served on the Steering Committee and Teams. Many other members also jumped in to add
their help on Sunday morning to fill a gap or to help someone. Many thanks also to the
staff at Patriot Harley-Davidson who helped in so many ways. Great job.
10th Anniversary (2008) Commemorative Pin
Local businesses also lent us a hand including Farrish Jeep of Fairfax, Captain Pell’s and
the Uptown Restaurant. Please remember and thank and support the
organizations and businesses that supported us.
We are now ready to start the planning for the 11th Annual Ride of the Patriots in
2009. We have a whole list of “lessons learned” and will use them to improve on this
year’s event. Thanks again for coming.
See YOU next year at Ride of the Patriots 2009
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