California motorcycle ride – tribute to our fallen heroes
West Coast Thunder 2018 Riverside California.
This video was shot in the staging area for what I believe is California’s largest motorcycle rally . . . The annual West Coast Thunder motorcycle ride from Riverside California stopping at the Riverside National Cemetery ( the third largest national cemetery in the country), to place flags at the grave sites, and then proceeding on down the highway 215, with a California Highway Patrol escort to the Paris County Fairgrounds for a concert.
California motorcycle ride
West Coast Thunder motorcycle event
The majority of the funds raised through this event go to the Riverside national Cemetery, and it’s my understanding that so far this annual motorcycle ride has raised over $900,000 for the cemetery!
West Coast Thunder motorcycle ride
It was estimated that well over 6,000 motorcycle riders participated in this year’s event!
Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers 921 acres (373 ha), making it the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration. Since 2000 it has been the most active cemetery in the system, based on the number of interments.
Riverside National Cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial, one of four sites in the United States recognized by the U.S. Congress as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial, whose walls feature the names of all medal recipients, is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. It was dedicated at a ceremony attended by 85 Medal of Honor recipients November 5, 1999.
The statue “Veterans Memorial”, created by Colorado sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg, in commemoration of the veterans, their comrades, their personal and emotional sacrifices and to acknowledge those Americans who have lost loved ones in the service of their country. The statue consists of a 12-foot pedestal, on top of which lies the lifeless body of a soldier partially covered with a poncho that hides the face. The unidentified soldier whether a man or woman, private or officer, will forever remain in silent tribute to every American who has given his or her life in combat. The statue was donated to the Riverside National Cemetery by Thomas F. and Judy Kane and was dedicated May 28, 2000.
The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Memorial was designated a National Memorial by the U.S. Congress and dedicated September 16, 2005. A bronze statue, sculpted by Vietnam veteran Lewis Lee Millett, Jr. is the image of an American serviceman on his knees and bound by his captors. The statue is surrounded by black marble pillars, representing imprisonment.
