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The Rolling
Thunder® Story: In the
fall of l987, in a little diner, in Somerville, New Jersey, two Vietnam
veterans met to discuss their personal concerns about the prisoners of
war (POW’s) and the military service personnel missing in action (MIA’s)
from the Vietnam War. Having
honorably served their country, and having taken an oath to “support
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies…”
and to “bear true faith and
allegiance to same”, they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent
neglect of attention given to those who did not make it out with their
lives or their freedom. These
two veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of live
Americans living in dismal captivity.
Intelligence reports of these sightings were generally ignored by
the government and mainstream press.
These two veterans were Artie Muller and Ray Manzo.
The First
Rolling Thunder® Demonstration:
Artie and Ray were ordinary men who understood that they had a
right to have their voices heard and proceeded to lay down the plans for
a gathering in Washington, D.C. during the 1988 Memorial Day weekend.
John Holland, Walt Sides, and Ted Sampley worked on getting the
permits for the demonstration. They
reached out to their families, fellow veterans, and veteran’s
advocates to unify and form a march and demonstration in the Nation’s
Capital. Their arrival would
be announced by the roar of their Harley Davidsons, a sound not unlike
the 1965 bombing campaign against
North Vietnam
dubbed Operation Rolling Thunder.
Hence, they would call themselves “Rolling Thunder” a title
that would endure time and be trademarked in 1990.
Word spread quickly and by Memorial Day weekend in 1988,
approximately 2,500 motorcycles from all over the country converged on
Washington, D.C. to demand from our leaders a full accounting of all
POW/MIA’s. As they
made their stand that day in front of the Capital, Artie and Ray
reflected thankfully for the people who came in support of the POW’s
and MIA’s, and for the unity that was felt.
This was Rolling Thunder’s first demonstration.
Only until ALL POW/MIA’s ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, it will not be
their last. On that day, the
foundation was laid for the annual “Ride for Freedom” to the Vietnam
Veteran’s Memorial Wall (also referred to as the “Ride to the
Wall”). In 2007
Rolling Thunder®, Inc. held its 20th Demonstration ride
which had well over 750,000 motorcycles in WDC to participate and remind
our Leaders and Country
“We
will NOT Forget”!! |
The
New Hampshire
Chapter: back in late
2000 a group of persons interested in and familiar with the mission and
purpose of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. began discussing the possibility of
forming a
New Hampshire
chapter. Some of these
members were already Rolling Thunder® Members-at-Large, others were
friends and persons who felt that New Hampshire needed a more organized
and focused voice in New Hampshire regarding the POW/MIA issue and
Veterans’ Rights in general. This
group was headed by Robert Thibedore who became NH’s first Chapter
President. The NH Chapter 1
was chartered on
April 12, 2001
. A group of us did
participate in that year’s
Washington
,
DC
Run. We also started that
year working with Liberty House in
Manchester
which is a homeless veteran’s transitional shelter that had yet to
open. Liberty House became
our first major support focus. On
August 21, 2010 we held our 10th Annual “Run
to the Shelter” and we were able to raise $4000.00 for Liberty
House. We work closely with
the Veteran’s Home in Tilton where we participate in a variety of
events including adopting some of the Veterans and providing their
Christmas gifts, hosting summertime cookouts, and ice cream socials.
The food is just the catalyst – the real purpose is to spend a
little time with the residents and share stories and smiles.
We have been told that the residents truly enjoy our visits but
the real reward belongs to the Members of our Chapter who participate
and give of their time with the Men and Women who served our County many
years ago and are not forgotten in our eyes!!
In 2005 we began working closely with the Veteran’s Cemetery in
Boscawen, NH. We now have a monument for our Chapter along the Memorial
Walk and a section of Remembrance Bricks in front of it.
We also participate with cemetery clean ups at least twice a year
– Spring and Fall as well as various other veteran related events held
through the Cemetery. These
activities just re-enforce the motto that many of us strongly believe in
– “You are not forgotten”.
Also in 2005 we created an appointed position titled
“Legislative Liaison” and in 2006 we were added to the NH State
Veteran’s Advisory Council as a voting member!
In July 2010, we were recognized by the Governor and Executive
Council for our work with the POW-MIA Issue and Veteran’s Advocacy in
the form of “Governor Commendation” which was presented at a
Governor’s Council Meeting on July 28th at the National
Guard Armory in Manchester, NH. All
of these projects and accomplishments were successful because of the
dedicated efforts of members of Rolling Thunder® New Hampshire Chapter
I and our supporters.
THANK
YOU & WELCOME HOME!!
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Presidents Plaque
Our Mission and success as an Organization is truly
due to the Members of the Chapter and our supporters.
However, as an organization, we require leadership.
The Men and Women who take on additional responsibilities within
the Organization such as Board Members, Secretaries, Treasurers,
Presidents, Vice Presidents, Chairmen, Committee Chairs, or Committee
Members are an integral component to our success.
We feel that from a historical perspective, it is important to
recognize and acknowledge the New Hampshire past
Presidents who lead the way for our success: |
