Harley-Davidson and the affinity with America's veterans

A friend recently wrote, “I have never understood the affinity of bikers to the POW/MIA and armed forces groups, activities, etc.  I mean, sure we all support the troops, regardless of whether we support the war, but the bikers seem to carry it much further than the average Joe.  I don't quite understand why that is, and I'd really like it if someone explained it to me.”

I started my career working with the DoD and have had a range of experiences with Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine personnel – but not much motorcycling during that era….

However, in my experience, the level of affinity for veteran’s issues depends on which bikers you're talking to – sport-bikers, although known to support a good cause from time to time, are generally just out “to ride.”  Dual-sport and off-road bikers are more likely to be seen on trails, and touring bikes, on America’s highways.  But, Harley riders definitely have that affinity with POW/MIA/armed forces.  So my semi-educated-sport-biker guess was that if you look the sub-group of Harley riders that are most aligned (e.g., riders with US and POW/MIA flags on their bikes, attending Rolling Thunder, etc.) the vast majority are veterans.  Hence, the support for their brethren should come as no surprise.

Eric Rossiter, Kansas City Motorcycle Examiner and Naval veteran, puts it more succinctly: “In a nutshell, most Harley (read cruiser) riders are former veterans, plain and simple.“

Wil Weatherby, another veteran and biker writes:

I'm a veteran, 6th generation military; my father was 82nd Air Borne 10th Special Forces.  My sons, one veteran and one active duty, are the proud 7th generation military.

This will be my 18th "Rolling Thunder."  Some years it pours down rain, some are overcast, and others are just painfully hot, but I haven't missed a year since my first.

Now days, I like riding with an organized run – but break my group off before getting to the Pentagon parking lot, to become part of the crowd waiting on Constitution for those first bikes coming through.

It would be hard to pick just one thing that I love most about the event, but if pressed I'd say: “the feeling I get when the 2.5 ton truck drives by with the Gold-Star moms in it, it's a strange feeling of pride, sorrow and sympathy.”

If you ask what got me hooked into coming every year, there’s no question: the sound... the constant rumble from all the bikes – it's endless and, to me, shows that there is still support for the POW/MIA issue "Rolling Thunder" is all about.

This year my oldest son is riding out here from Yakima, WA where he's stationed, my wife will be riding her own for the 1st time and my 9 year old daughter will be attending for her 3rd time.

I haven't always ridden a Harley –  I've ridden a Honda, a Kawasaki and a Suzuki – to me all that matter is that it has two wheels – three if it has a side car.

There are definitely two different perspectives of the ride and you should try both at some point.  I like being the spectator – like I said, we join an organized run (the last few years it's been the run from Patriot HD – it's huge, police escort through part of Fairfax, onto I-66 – the police block the interstate off – no cars!!), all along the way there are people, non-riders on the car and metro overpasses waving. We bail just after Rosslyn, cut through the edge of Georgetown and park somewhere around 19th St. on the Constitution Avenue side.

We walk down to Thunder Alley, get our patches for the year, maybe a sausage and then head over to the Memorials.  I try to visit "The Wall" on the Friday or Saturday before to avoid the crowds – and, yeah, I get teary-eyed.  Then we stop at the Viet Nam Women’s Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial (my favorite) – two of the lesser known Memorials – then walk up to the WWII Memorial.  By then it's getting close to noon and the police block off Constitution Avenue for the run – so you definitely want to be on the other side of Constitution Avenue before the run starts.

The link between Harley riders and military/vets is a hard one to define, because there are many answers depending on the age of the vet.   The old vets from WWII / Korea eras craved the excitement and the adrenalin of flying – the origins of the old bike clubs.  For the Viet Nam era vets, I think it's more about the freedom – we fell in love with the "Easy Rider" story.   For younger military/vets, I suspect it may be a status symbol for some – or a tradition to others, like my sons, who have grown up with me riding all their lives.

If you’re going to participate, here are some basic pointers:

#1 – Bring water, or be prepared to pay $3/bottle from  vendors on Thunder Alley
#2 – Wear sunscreen, and bring it along.
#3 – Don't wear a black shirt or leather vest if the weather forecast is in the 80s or higher.
#4 – Do wear a hat [and a helmet, while you're riding].
#5 – Remember, this is a demonstration, not a parade.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll continue to dig deeper into this event, the people, their purpose for this ride, and how you can participate:

• Heads-up!  Rolling Thunder is rolling into DC on May 24th, 2009
• Harley-Davidson and the affinity with America’s veterans
• Rolling Thunder - let's roll!
• Rolling Thunder - first-hand report