
Freedom 250 hosts candlelight tribute on Memorial Day honoring military service members
Freedom 250 is holding a candlelight tribute on Memorial Day to honor the sacrifices of fallen U.S. military service members who fought to secure and defend American freedom and recount their stories. The non-partisan organization, founded to celebrate the United States’s 250th birthday, will highlight the lives of late veterans Captain Humber “Rocky” Versace (a […]
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Marking Memorial Day
Plus: Iran talks continue, a gunman fires near the White House, and dog shoots man.
For America’s Service Members, Memorial Day Is a Lifetime
Military members and their families face far more difficult moments than we see in the headlines.
Freedom’s price must never be forgotten
Two hundred fifty years ago this summer, our Founding Fathers created a new nation, as President Abraham Lincoln put it, “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This Memorial Day, we should remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and made its unlikely existence possible. America’s success wasn’t […]
‘For those who can’t’: Coast-to-coast motorcycle ride pays rolling tribute to veterans
More than 970 Americans honored our nation’s veterans this Memorial Day by participating in Run for the Wall, an annual 10-day coast-to-coast motorcycle ride from Ontario, California, to Washington, D.C.RFTW, which started in 1989, was organized by Vietnam veteran Gunnery Sergeant James “Gunny” Gregory and a small group of fellow veterans to raise awareness for prisoners of war and those missing in action. It is the largest and longest-running organized cross-country motorcycle ride.'It restores my faith in America and in humanity.'This year, riders departed from California on May 13 to take one of the RFTW’s three routes across the U.S. — Central, Midway, and Southern Routes — to reach the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in the nation’s capital on May 23, just a couple of days ahead of Memorial Day.A fourth drive, known as the Sandbox Route, took riders from D.C. to the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, Illinois, to pay respect to younger generations of veterans who served during the Global War on Terror. As riders stop in cities along their routes, they are greeted by cheering locals who line the streets waving American flags. Gallup, New Mexico, a pitstop on the Central Route, hosts a large motorcycle parade through town, followed by a “Gathering of Veterans” ceremony and a dinner for the riders at Red Rock Park.RFTW’s motto is “We ride for those who can’t.”For each leg of the journey, riders honor the memory of a service member who was killed in action, missing, or held as a prisoner of war. They write the person’s name and branch of service in chalk on the ground and display a photo and a biography so others can stop by to pay their respects. RELATED: A Marine’s Memorial Day message: Don’t forget the price Image source: Run for the Wall At the front of the pack, they ride in a Missing Man Formation, which involves five motorcycles with an empty space where a sixth bike should be to symbolize the missing serviceman’s absence. The photos and bios of the service members are brought to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and placed at the panel where their name is inscribed.Ted “Boots” Kapner, the director of public relations for RFTW, told Blaze News that Memorial Day has taken on “a whole new meaning” for him since he started participating in the cross-country ride in 2017. Kapner, who hosts the RFTW podcast, explained that during the show, he will read the biographies of individuals whose names are inscribed on a memorial wall. “I feel like for every bio that I read on the podcast, I get to know them,” he stated, describing learning about their family and where they grew up. “I carry these bios with me and deliver them to the wall; it’s not just a barbecue and a celebration, it’s really a day of solemn remembrance.” RELATED: Gold Star grief never ends — remember the fallen this Memorial Day Image source: Run for the WallKapner described reaching the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., with his fellow riders as “a cascade of emotions.”“We’re all in tears, and we’re all there, arm in arm, supporting one another,” Kapner told Blaze News. “It’s a family. ... It restores my faith in America and in humanity.”“America is still a great nation, and it is our best hope. There comes a time when we all have to set aside our differences and know that we’re more alike than we are different,” he stated. Kapner encouraged Americans to take time on Memorial Day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The Hidden Message Inside America’s New WWI Memorial
This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** There are many famous memorials within walking distance of each other in our nation’s capital, but perhaps none so imposing as the World War I Memorial just steps ...







