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AFFILIATES

Thanks For Coming
Hope You Had a Great Time

The 11th Anniversary Ride of the Patriots® to Rolling Thunder® XXII 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 350,000+ 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 our nations heroes in the way that only we can. These heroes represent all of their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, fire fighters and law enforcement officer and made the event especially memorable for all of us. Riders came from all over the United States and Canada to participate in the 2009 Ride of the Patriots and, most importantly to pay tribute and remember. It was a pleasure to have you with us.

Col. Dick Anderegg

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. Less publicized but no less appreciated is the sacrifice and service of our uniformed first responders. 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.

Col. Dick Anderegg 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 and first responders. 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 over 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 Sharon Bulova, Delegate David Bulova, VA State Senator Chap Peterson, Bob Sussan, Commander, American Legion Post 177, Bob De Haven, Mo Smith and our keynote speaker Colonel Dick Anderegg, USAF Retired. 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 Eric Medina added terrific musical tributes. The City of Fairfax Fire and Rescue Vehicles represented the many heroes of 9/11 and were lead by the Fairfax City Firefighters Color Guard. Fairfax County Police, Sheriff, and Arlington County 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 and Janet Christensen. 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.

2009 Commemorative Coin
11th Anniversary (2009) Commemorative Coin

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 12th 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 2010