An American mutt riding across America
We're gonna do it again! In May 2012, my driver and I will be riding across the USA in honor of those who gave their lives while in service to our country.
This year, our objective is to carry our Gold Star Roster from North Carolina to the Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial in Irvine, California. Then, we'll ride to Washington, DC, hopefully in time for Rolling Thunder over the Memorial Day weekend.
Our project is affiliated with Operation Helping Hands for Heroes (OHHH).
OHHH is a nonpartisan, non-political, patriotic nonprofit organization, which
provides heartfelt help and gratitude through care packages and other
remembrances of home to our military Heroes and their families currently
deployed, serving or recovering stateside.
OHHH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Financial contributions to OHHH to support what I do are tax deductible. Donations can be made at any time, not just for this specific mission.
You can help me with my cross-country mission in one or more ways:
- Pray for the safety of our men and women in uniform
- Pray for our safety during our mission
- Thank members of the armed forces and our veterans when you see them
- Spread the word about this mission, me (Chewy the Biker Dog), and what we do to honor our Fallen Heroes, Wounded Warriors, those serving now, those who served, and our allies
- Tell your local newspaper and television news (if we our route takes us through your town or state)
- Tell your church, clubs, and employer about us and ask them to consider helping through prayer, spreading the word, and/or becoming a financial supporter
- Sponsor us
on an American motorcycle driven by an American veteran
in honor and remembrance of our American Fallen Heroes.
Below are a few of the organizations we like or support. Please support them, too.
(This does not mean or imply that these organizations endorse us or sponsor us. It only means we like 'em or support their efforts.)
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My driver and I listen to the MeanStreet Riders a lot.
Great tunes and down-to-earth people!
Sniff around their website, find 'em on Facebook, and check out a few of their songs.
Sniff around the website and check out the TV Show's Official Trailer.
You'll see me at 0:43
This project is affiliated with Operation Helping Hands for Heroes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Why are we doing this in May again? Men and women sacrificed their lives for your freedom -- as that phrase states "Freedom Isn't Free." Memorial Day was established to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. Although it seems like many Americans view Memorial Day as the beginning of summer vacation or simply a 3-day weekend, there are Americans who feel Memorial Day is much deeper -- it's about a nation showing its gratitude to the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us! We need to remember them always!
What will we be bringing? A few items:
- A US Ceremonial Flag
- At least one copy of our Gold Star Roster (available on my website)
- A few dog tags (click on the dog tag to go to the dog tag page)
- A bandana in honor of our Canadian allies
We will be travelling light, and we don't have room for more items, no matter how small.
We will also be flying three small "biker" flags on our Harley:
- Christian flag
- Honor and Remember flag
- POW/MIA flag in support of bringing home Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held captive by the Taliban since June 2009
We learned a lot on our Ride last year. One of the lessons we learned is to not create video blogs while on the road. After covering 500 miles in the saddle, Thomas and my driver had to plan for the next day and get their crew rest. So, this year we'll post pictures if we have an internet connection, and I'll barktate a summary for my driver to post. You can keep up with my mission on Facebook and my website. We'll try to post mobile updates on Facebook, but during the day we'll probably be "off the grid" as we try to cover as much ground as possible.
In May 2011, we experimented with creating chronological videos to share our ride. The videos did not have music. The purpose was to summarize our trip for the day, but it was time consuming to create. This year, we will not be creating these daily videos so that we can focus on the route/timing for the next day and for crew rest. If we have an internet connection, we will upload my Travel Blog and upload photos to my Facebook Fan Page.
God Bless America, our Fallen Heroes, Gold Star Mothers and their families, Wounded Warriors, those serving now, those who served, Blue Star Mothers and their families, and our allies.
Keep up with me on my blog
Music video of my 2011 Ride Across the USA in Honor of Fallen Heroes
Click the button below to see a longer version of the video featuring 7 songs from the MeanStreet Riders
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13 ESV)