East-Coast Harley-Davidson® 2012 Memorial Day Weekend: Rolling Thunder 'Ride for Freedom'

POW/MIA Flag

http://www.united-states-flag.com/history-pow-mia-flag.html

L to R - Tom Lacey, Monclair, VA and Kevin Lacey, New York

Mike Statzer & daughter Amber Statzer, Fredericksburg, VA
(Photo Credit: Coral Anika Theill)

"WE STILL SERVE"
by Thomas Farrell

You left your home, so young and brave
A proud Marine, not a bit afraid.
To a war you went so far away.
Your country called, you had to obey.

Now in a land where death does abide,
You fight and strive to stay alive.
Though in the Jungle so thick it hides the sky,
To mud of the paddies where you dry.

No longer the boy so full of dreams.
The naive kid with a thousand schemes.
For you have aged beyond your years.

And know the pain of a thousand tears.

In thirteen months of death and hell.
You live a story you dare not tell.

A story of how you aged a hundred years.

On your way home you have time to reflect
On the friends that have died and the ones that you left.

A tear comes to your eye, which you can't control,
A tear that comes from your very soul.

You seem withdrawn from friends you've known,
A man alone in a place called home.

Your youth you left so far behind,
In a place that will live forever in your mind.
For the nights of terror have just begun,
The screams of the dying and you are one.
That war in a land so far away,
Now lives with you from day to day.

Sunday, May 27, 2012
Rolling Thunder will assemble at the Pentagon Parking Lot - 7:00 a.m. - Noon.
Departure To Washington, DC - Noon
See a Map of the Route

Related Links and Special Attractions

Official Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Website http://rollingthunder1.com
Our website is dedicated to all veterans, past, present and future.
We understand the price that some have paid so that we can enjoy freedom.
"When one American is not worth the effort to be found, we as Americans have lost!"

National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen http://www.nationalalliance.org/vietnam/namdx.htm

Run for the Wall Motorcycle Event - May 16-26 http://www.rftw.org/
Run For The Wall recognizes the sacrifices and contributions made by all veterans who have served our nation. Veterans of recent conflicts and those currently on active duty are especially welcome to join us as we ride for those who cannot.

WHY WE RIDE:
They were our brothers, sisters, our buddies and
our heroes. We don't want their memories to fade.

The Harley Davidson (from Wisconsin) Left at the Wall
The Story behind one of the most unusual items ever left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and what may be in store for its future.
http://www.historynet.com/the-harley-from-wisconsin-left-at-the-wall.htm

Virtual Wall
http://www.virtualwall.org/index.html
Special Attractions:

National Museum of the Marine Corps http://www.usmcmuseum.org/
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Triangle, VA 22172

Museum will be open early at 7:00 am on May 27, 2012
Directions - Map http://www.usmcmuseum.com/visitor_location.asp

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall http://thewall-usa.com/

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall USA website is dedicated to honoring those who died in the Vietnam War. Since it first went on line in 1996 it has evolved into something more. It is now also a place of healing for those affected by one of the most divisive wars in our nation's history.

Pay tribute to America's war heroes by visiting the Monuments and Memorials http://www.worldtourist.us/nationalmall/memorial.html on the National Mall.

_______________________________________

Coral Anika Theill, reporter and advocate, is author of "BONSHEA: Making Light of the Dark." Her published works address abuse, trauma recovery and healing from post traumatic stress and most recently, wounded Marines, the Warrior Games and Montford Point Marines. Her writings have encouraged and inspired numerous trauma victims and wounded Marines/soldiers recovering from PTS. Coral's positive insights as a survivor have also earned the respect of clinical therapists, advocates, attorneys, professors and authors. BONSHEA, has been used as a college text for nursing students at Linfield College, Portland, Oregon.

"Those who serve may already know the toll of having to kill or be killed, but civilian society should also recognize that those who go into battle defending our way of life pay a price. As a non-military writer researching the subject of Marines and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury and Suicide Prevention, I feel a deep gratitude to our servicemen and women and believe our society needs to do more to respect, understand and support those returning from deployment in conflict zones. Please share my most recent articles: The Commandant of the Marine Corps on Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury and Invisible Battle Scars: Confronting the Stigma of PTSD and TBI http://www.woundedwarriorregiment.org/documents/pao/Leatherneck_Oct_PTS_TBI.pdf with friends and family." - Coral Anika Theill, Author, Advocate and Contributing Writer for Leatherneck Magazine

Email: coraltheill@hotmail.com

Some of Coral's past military reports: