Crossposted from Burn Pit. I promised Jonn all sorts of updates this weekend, but the internet in my hotel was horrid, and the only time I made it back there was pretty much to sleep. Got to visit friends (both alive and sleeping at Arlington) and take part in an awesome event, so all good. For those I didn’t see in Virginia on this trip, virtually everyone but two Army buddies I had a quick dinner with, I’ll try to make it out and see you soon.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s hard to imagine just what hundreds of thousands of motorcycles look like gathered together until you\u2019ve been to the Rolling Thunder.\u00a0 Rolling Thunder is an annual \u201cRide to the Wall\u201d on Memorial Day weekend from the Pentagon over the bridge into Washington DC, where it makes a circuit of the mall area, and ends near the Jefferson Memorial.\u00a0 In 1988 the ride drew 2,500, but today as I look around the Pentagon North Parking Lot early on Sunday morning, I am surrounded by an estimated half a million riders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of bikes isn\u2019t it?\u201d asks my friend Pat Quinn of Fairfax.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly is\u201d I remarked, \u201cI never imagined so many.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know this is just the one parking lot\u2026.the South parking lot is almost entirely full too\u201d noted Pat.<\/p>\n
The weekend had actually begun on Friday, when American Legion riders from across the country coalesced on Post 177 in Fairfax, Virginia.\u00a0 \u00a0It began with a large meal of shrimp or BBQ ribs, and then a Prisoner of War\/Missing in Action ceremony with two gold star families present.\u00a0 Bob Sussan of the Department of Virginia served as the emcee for the event.<\/p>\n
From there the group headed down to the Vietnam Wall for a candlelight vigil.\u00a0 The chilly night air didn\u2019t deter thousands from attending.\u00a0 Led by a bag piper and a torch bearer, Gold Star families of Vietnam proceeded along the wall to the center area, where an invocation and prayer were delivered.<\/p>\n