Group of veterans carries on motorcycle tradition to honor fallen comrades

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - In previous years, the Run For The Wall cross-country motorcycle ride from California to Washington D.C. took place to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day.

With the pandemic canceling this year’s event, a small group of veterans and supporters continued to carry out the tradition this year calling it “Remember Our Fallen Ride” and they made a stop Wednesday at the Kentucky Vietnam Memorial.

For these veterans and supporters, they refuse to let the memories of their comrades be left behind.

The coordinator of the Remember Our Fallen Ride, who just goes by the name Bateman, said, “Continued awareness for the 85,000 currently missing POWs to call forth a full accounting of our nation’s heroes that answer the call of the great nation of war and conflict, and hopefully to spread patriotism across our nation.”

Bateman says that they have seen upwards of 125 veterans and supporters on their current ride.

“It’s always an honor, even more so when we come upon a community and there out there with their flags,” Bateman said.

This ride means so much to so many people and another year without it, is just unfathomable. Especially for Jed and Brian Gilman, who remember the loss of their brother.

“I was in the fifth grade, my mom came in the classroom I knew exactly what she was going to say and I didn’t want to hear it,” James “Jed” Gilman said. “Our brother was killed in Vietnam in action March 16, 1970.”

The brothers talk about how everyone has a story to tell, and they are always there to listen.

“Everybody’s family, it seems like. No real strangers here,” Brian said.

Next year, the official Run For The Wall ride will be back on with large numbers once again. Along with that, the veterans and supporters hope to continue to share the legacies of the missing and fallen on Memorial Day.

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