David Campbell

AOL

Report Abuse #216

Sir,

I first read your article about the hordes of bikers you encountered during Memorial day through a posting by my friend Kevin on a motorcycle forum. I spent some time pondering what you wrote and was about to chalk it up as ignorance on your part, then as I thought about it I came to the conclusion that perhaps ignorance isn't the correct assumption, it's more like outright blindness.

You speak of fat men on Harleys roaring by, disturbing the silences as they play soldier and get drunk, then you suggest that maybe we should air lift them to Baghdad where they might be of real service. Well sir if you stopped to dig into things, if you did some research, you would find that hardly neccessary, seeing as many if not most of those fat drunks ( your assumptions ) have already served. They served in places liek Baghdad, they did time in the Gulf War, they were in Afghanistan, they saw the horrors of war forst hand, they have seen their friends bleed to death, blown up by roadside mine. The older ones, those balding greybeards, served in Viet Nam, and a a precious few, the anicents Word War two and Korea.
Maybe you didn't make the connection when those POW/MIA flags went streaming by, but these were men who still had comrades, brothers in arms, are missing. Some wounds never heal. I am not a big fan of the word closure as it usally imparts some new age feel good phsyco babble to me, but some of those nast loud bikers are stilll looking for it.Did you happen to catch some of those vests on those burly hariy guys? I bet the had names on the back like Vient Nam Vets MC. Warrior Brotherhood MC, Leathernecks MC, etc. Maybe your prejudice cluded your vision and you missed that, you probally missed those same boisterous bikers sharing a hug, or shedding a tear as they remembered, their brothers, sisters, fathers, daughters, and mothers who served and died. as they recollected friends that will never share the wind with them again.
There is a reason why there is a strong showing of motorcycles at such events, motorcycles and their riders are forever intertwined with freedom, and freedom is eternally joined with service to ones country, for the ideal of freedom is never free, it takes it's toll in the blood of men and women to continually keep it safe from those who would destroy it.
Even on our home turf there are those who are constantly serving, giving their time to make sure that that fine line between freedom and anarchy does not get crossed, groups like the Patriot Guard Riders, of who I am sure you have heard. They help make sure that the right to protest does not intrude on the right to a proper burial. Here in America we do value freedom of speech, not matter how hateful it is, but when that speech interferes with a soldier funeral, when that speech attacks a dead individuals service to their country, and degrades grieving family members, thats where the Patriot Guard will be to draw the line.
Let me close by sharing one of my poems with you. Keep in mind that the character in the poem is not one individual but a collective of the many people I have met in my journeys.

GREYBEARD KEN
His hair is white and almost gone
his beard remains grey and long
He's been coming to bikeweek since I don't know when
and he goes by the name, GreyBeard Ken
He rides a servicar trike with a wheelchair in the rear
a sucide shift to go through the gears
the front and rear brakes stop as one
he rides alone alot so he packs a gun
he lost his leg in the Viet Nam war
He did'nt make it back home until 1974
He'll talk your ear off, he doesn't care
but most times he just sits and stares
He's winding down and just passing time
GreyBeard Ken he's a friend of mine

I am sorry that your Memorial day weekend was not as good as you would have liked, perhaps next time it will be better