Rolling Thunder
Riding For Those Who Can't

Have you ever touched a memory?

Every year thousands of bikers do just that on the Rolling Thunder ride in Washington DC. They gather in the Pentagon parking lot forming a sea of chrome and humanity. They swarm over the hill and watch as their brothers and sisters strive to hold on to the memory of those who have served and died for the country they believed in. They listen to the veterans who were there as they tell the stories of bygone days.

They share their pain, as they speak of the friends who went down in combat, or those who have disappeared, never to be heard from again. Some may not understand, but they learn and are changed by the knowledge of the pain and suffering of those who already understand.

We gotta get out of this place . . . If it's the last thing we ever do . . . We gotta get out of this place . . . 'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you . . .

As the morning runs down you can see the riders moving toward their bikes, tightening down helmets, calling to a friend, or just watching the thousands getting ready to mount up. Noon hits and the signal is given for the first group to start their engines.

A low rumble begins, you look toward the sound and then it surrounds you getting louder each second. In no time at all you can feel the rumble in your heart and you understand that this is why you are here. Slowly you move to the wall...








As the wall gets higher you feel lonely, and sadness creeps in. As you reach the halfway point you feel that the ride matters to the living, but it doesn't free the ones gone. You continue as the names slide by, more and more names, countless.

And you realize that the only thing that matters is the memory, knowing that you will never forget them. The ride is a means to the end, touching a memory.

Written by Marisa Herman



















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