The 3rd Annual Robert Rosas Jr. Memorial Offroad Ride was held yesterday in East San Diego County and drew hundreds of supporters and raised thousands of dollars for Robert’s widow Rosalie and her two young children, Kayla and Matthew.
Agent Rosas was murdered the night of July 23, 2009 when he was ambushed by Mexican drug cartel hit men less than 100 yards from the border fence. 4 of the 5 suspects involved in his murder are now in U.S. custody.
Ride creator and organizer Ronnie Golden and his wife Jeanie from El Centro (Rosas’ hometown) set up a base camp in the Golden Acorn Casino parking lot, just off of I-8 north of Campo. The casino has been extremely supportive of this event, donating food and provisions to ride participants and campers.
<< Click on Slideshow and Video at Left
Yesterday’s ride drew over 215 participants riding in about 140 vehicles - mostly ATV’s, jeeps, trucks, and dirt bikes.
This year's ride was extra special with the ride being on the birthday of the U.S. Border Patrol (May 28, 1924) and on Memorial Day Weekend when we honor our fallen heroes.
The 5-hour ride covered about 40 miles, most of it border roads, from the Rosas Memorial Cross in East Campo west to the old border train tunnel near Tecate.
This year’s ride included a new stop and the unveiling of a new memorial tree and stone plaque for Agent Rosas at the border on Forest Gate Road in Campo. Dozens of border agents drive by the memorial tree each day going to and from their posts. The pine tree was planted last summer by Minutemen volunteers in honor of Agent Rosas and in appreciation for the sacrifices that all border agents make to keep our borders secure and our nation safe.
The granite stone was found and donated by a local resident Ron McQuilliams from his property. Friday, long-time Minuteman Jim Betz from Oceanside carefully carved the stone and installed the bronze plaque. Then Betz and a small crew of Minutemen (see slideshow) moved and installed the 400 pound stone memorial in a cement base next to the tree. The fast-growing Pinyon pine tree has already grown 16 inches in 11 months and now stands over 5 feet tall.
Rosalie and her family were extremely grateful for the new memorial site from the San Diego border watchers. “Now we’ll have a second memorial to visit and the tree will grow along with my children”, she said.
After the ride, participants met back at the casino parking lot for a hot dog lunch donated by the casino and a huge raffle featuring over 100 donated prizes. Ronnie Golden thanked everyone for a very successful event. He was especially happy that there were no offroad crashes nor injuries – no small feat considering the high number of ATV’s and motorcycles out on the sometimes treacherous border roads.
A Memorial Highway for Agent Rosas on I-8 near the Pine Valley Border Patrol Station is pending final approval in the California Legislature. Once the resolution is approved, the highway signs could be installed as early as this summer.
JeffSchwilk@cox.net 760-525-1655
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