9th Annual Ride For Freedom '98
I was very honored to be a part of the 9th Annual Ride for Freedom "98"
sponsored by the Friends of the Forgotten at the Philadelphia Vietnam
Veterans Memorial. It was quite stirring to see over 1000 Motorcycles enter the city in support
for our cause.
The intent of the Friends of the Forgotten is to educate and raise public
awareness on the POW*MIA issue. I was grateful to have the opportunity to
speak on behalf of Operation Just Cause and hopefully gain more support.
We are all in this together and a house together stands!!
Some of the guest speakers at the event included:
1. Mayor Ed Rendell of Philadelphia, who supported the Friends of the
Forgotten and told them to keep up the fight.
2. David Christian (most decorated US Vietnam War Veteran) spoke of the
responsibility of all men and women who wear to the colors to keep on our
elected officials until all remains and missing are accounted for, as that
is our duty. He will continue the fight until all are returned to American
soil or until he takes his last breath.
3. George "Jay" Veith (Former Army Captain and author of "Code Name Bright
Light") informed us of President Clinton's attempts to stop the search for
Korean remains and to brush aside the responsibility of these Foreign
Nations to account for our missing. He is most knowledgeable on this issue
and told everyone to not let up on our elected officials, but demand the
truth and demand action be taken.
4. Peggy Moore (POW*MIA Activist & Poet) who read a very moving poem
dedicated to the remembrance of "D" day. Also made the plea that we must
educate all those around us, so the fight does not stop with us.
After all the speeches there was a roll call of names of all those still
missing from PA. One of the gentlemen who was reading the names, J. H.
Chitwood, lost a brother in Korea who has been missing ever since. I know
that he will never stop trying to find out and this has just made me more
aware of how important our fight is.
One thing was clear in all the speeches. We must continue to write our
Congressmen and Senators, we must continue to bring the issue to light and
not let it die with our generation, but teach our children so this will not
be repeated in the future.
Thank you.
by Cheryl York
by B F Malone
On May 25, 1998, I was invited to the 1998 Roxbury Township Memorial Day Celebration in New Jersey This event was hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Alward & Henry Meeker Post 2833. It was a beautiful, heart-warming experience. Witnessing the VFW's Memorial Service and Wreath Placement was an honor. However, the highlight for me was when the guest speaker, Mr. Frank Anton, a former Vietnam POW, spoke to the crowd. After the ceremonies, I was introduced to this remarkable man. The most amazing thing that happened that day was when Mr. Frank Anton thanked me for coming. I wanted to take a moment to personally thank him for his speech and for his noble gesture. Most important, I would like to thank him for the Freedom I now enjoy. It was an honor and privlege to be among such an amazing group of people.
