There are many events scheduled in Washington DC for Memorial Day. The one I most look forward to is the annual Rolling Thunder’s Ride for Freedom. It is truly moving to witness the tens of thousands of motorcycles that travel from the Pentagon, cross the Memorial Bridge, and end at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. There are actually hundreds of thousands of riders who attend the weekend long event. Some riders, such as the Flame of Freedom chapter, come from as far away as California.
You can hear Rolling Thunder’s rally a mile away. The rumble and roar of the bikes penetrate the air and it feels as if the reverberation is moving through your bloodstream. Your heart feels like it is beating in time with the revs of all those engines. As the riders pass by you can see their faces, which makes you want to smile, clap, and cry at the same time. You are reminded why they are riding- they want us “not to forget” our Prisoners-of -War and Missing-in -Action (POW- MIA) and to pay respect to those who have lost their lives during war. You can read more about Rolling Thunder’s history and mission on its website . If you cannot make it to DC, there are many videos of past rallies on YouTube.
As you can tell, motorcycles play an important part in Rolling Thunder’s mission. Without a doubt, they would not get the same effect if they were simply riding in cars. Since many of Rolling Thunder’s members ride Harley Davidson motorcycles, I’d like to point out that the Library honored the company’s 100th Anniversary with the Hog Heaven online exhibit , complete with image galleries, articles, links and print resources.
Comments (5)
Jennefer Harbster
I like your three words…seems very poetic
That expresses as well my feelings …
On the Memorial Day
“Smile-Clap-Cry”
_____________________
Mothers’ Tears Can’t Dry
Until They Die
Why war exists in happy lands?
In gulfs, in deserts, and in mountains highs.
Why mothers should cry for handsome sons ?
Cover their graves before they die!
Why! Why! Why!—
And endless why?
We have incessant creations in life.
Why can’t we silence murderers in hive?
Why should soldiers die?
Mothers will cry; tears will never dry.
Till they reach, where their beats went lie
Wherever they lay, echoes stay calling Why!
Mothers’ losses can’t be replaced
In known—dishonest, fiery wide space.
Which chromosome started cruel wars?
Criminal genes rein endless crosses…
Roses on bays.
The mother beloveds straggled in life.
Homes distorted impossible to revive.
Mothers are mothers wherever they are,
Tears will not dry until they die!
June 14, 2006
Sylva Portoian, MD
From her Collections…
” My Sons; Take My Heart and Transplant”
ISBN: 978-1-4363-6475-9
Another ‘Memorial Day’ at the new millennium
I respect for what every
Honest man writes on every new site—
Twitter…Facebook…
About the War in Afghanistan…
Russian advised the American
“You can never win there
We have tried before…failed”
You lost many soldiers and
You will lose more…your youth
Those innocents…pure breeds
This is what the Ottomans did
For unarmed Armenians in 1915-1923
Unborn…pregnant…brides…old
And more and more before
Since the Seljuks invaded Anatolia
In the 11th century…onwards
It was a civilized land
With endless artful altars
Before BC and after
And they still continue to do…
The same scimitarative way
Still our genocide is not recognized
By the MP’s…congress
Playing games after games
Gagging the mouths
By their liras and their flags
The statue of Liberty…standing high
It is only a statue
Can’t verse…Can’t cry…!
Still the new Ottomans doing
The same to the muslim Kurds…
And you should know that
Pakistani blood thirsty militants
Killed one and half million ‘Muslim Bengalis’
Which began at the night of March 25,1971
I think Americans read well
But still illiterate and arrogant
To whats going around them
They lost 5000 soldiers
And celebrate Memorial Day…?
And another thousands are handicapped…
And their mothers and families living in despair
Paying cents to get medicines…drugs…
Can any friend analyze
Why the USA government
Celebrate A Memorial Day
Which was only yesterday…
And repeat the same mistakes…!
I can never understand for what ?
To Eat…Cry…and Play…!
I will roar…
Till I reach the sand
For the Humans’ Rights
And for the masked ‘First Genocide’
Where innocents’ pieces of skulls
After nearly a century
Are still shinning
Under Der-Zor sky…!
Sylva-MD-Poetry
June 1, 2011