More than 500 bikers escort Vietnam Memorial replica through Florida
Herald Tribune
By Omar RodrÃguez Ortiz, Marco Eagle
Posted Feb 19, 2020
Marco Island is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall’s first stop of its 25th season, and the only stop it will make in Florida.
Over 500 bikers escorted a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall from Fort Myers to Marco Island on Tuesday.
The Wall That Heals honors more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the 58,276 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Marco Island is the wall’s first stop of its 25th season and the only stop it will make in Florida.
Roger Spies, a Vietnam War veteran, was one of the first bikers to arrive at the Interstate 75 rest stop by exit 131 to escort the wall on his Harley Davidson Road King. read it here
Robert Kraft Pledges $100,000 To Families Of Motorcyclists Killed In NH Crash
CBS News Boston July 13. 2019
“I know you have a GoFundMe page and it said you’re looking to raise 700 (thousand dollars) and you’re somewhere near $560,000, so our family, we’re going to commit $100,000 to that,” Kraft said.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“And if you don’t get to the 700 today, we’re making it up whatever it is,” the Patriots owner said. “We are all Patriots and you are the true Patriots.”
FOXBORO (CBS/AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a surprise announcement Saturday, as he pledged to donate $100,000 to the families of seven motorcyclists killed in a tragic crash in New Hampshire last month.
More than a thousand bikers came from across the country to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to celebrate the lives of the men and women who were killed when a pickup truck and trailer crashed into a group of motorcycles in Randolph, New Hampshire on June 21. They were members or supporters of the Jarheads, a New England motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses.
Kraft met the group in the parking lot for the event Saturday, which raised money for the families of the victims. When he got up on stage to address the crowd, he made this surprise announcement. read it here
Nearly 900 drivers suspended in wake of deadly motorcycle crash in New Hampshire
USA Today Joey Garrison July 5, 2019
Connecticut also mailed the Massachusetts RMV as notice, but like thousands of other out-of-state notifications, it was discarded into one of 58 mail bins in a state facility in Quincy, Massachusetts.
BOSTON — The embattled Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has suspended an additional 330 drivers whose past violations in other states had gone unprocessed after thousands of notices piled up in mail bins inside a registry facility for the past 15 months.
The RMV's lapse in processing out-of-state suspensions was discovered in the aftermath of a horrific crash in Randolph, New Hampshire, in which Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a 23-year-old truck driver, crossed a double-yellow line, collided with a group of bikers and killed seven motorcyclists.
In all, 876 Massachusetts drivers whose out-of-state traffic infractions had previously been overlooked have now had their licenses suspended in the two weeks since a deadly motorcycle crash in New Hampshire exposed severe deficiencies within the RMV. read it here
Women's motorcycle club holding benefit run to help disabled veteran
NBC 26 News By: Stacy Engebretson Jul 03, 2019
The Sapphires not only help military veterans, they also support the Oshkosh Police Department's K-9 unit, Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services and people battling serious medical issues. Next year, they plan to team-up with the Oshkosh Fire Department as well.
NEENAH, Wis. — The rev of their engines. The breeze in their hair. The camaraderie. There's so much the Sapphires enjoy about their all-female motorcycle group, but number one Is riding for a reason.
"We're a strong sisterhood," said Leslie Schultz, one of 14 members of the Sapphires.
The Sapphires are Oshkosh's chapter of the nationwide motorcycle club the Chrome Angelz . It's a nonprofit organization with 176 chapters worldwide where women ride with a purpose.
"That's pretty much what gets us going is it's the people we support, our sisters and our actual brothers that are out there riding for the same cause," Schultz said.
They're supporting six causes this year including a benefit run for 37-year-old Tatiana Saunders of Neenah.
"I feel grateful," Saunders said. "And I keep wondering why me?"
Saunders served nearly five years in the U.S. Army. A year of that time, she was in a war zone in Iraq. read it here
'Tough to Lose Your Brothers': Funerals Held for Marine Motorcycle Club Bikers
The Associated Press By Michael Casey 29 Jun 2019
"The thing that brings us all together is love, love for my Dad." Matthew Ferazzi
Members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club and a police honor guard salute as the casket of Michael Ferazzi is loaded into a hearse outside St. Peter's Catholic Church in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Friday, June 28, 2019. Ferazzi, a motorcyclist and retired police officer, was killed in a fiery crash that claimed the lives of seven people riding with the Jarheads Motorcycle Club in New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A motorcyclist who was among seven killed in a collision with a pickup truck last week was a family man, proud Marine and dedicated public servant, mourners said Friday at a funeral that drew about 200 people, including leather-clad bikers and law enforcement officers.
The funeral for Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire, was held at a church in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The rumbling of motorcycles echoed through town as dozens of bikes made their way to the service.
Many riders were fellow members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, with which Ferazzi and the other six killed were riding when they died. They hugged one another as Ferazzi's flag-draped casket was carried into the church and offered a military salute alongside their bikes as the service ended with the Marine Corps hymn on bagpipes.
"Tough to lose your brothers, especially so many at one time," said Jarheads member Paul Downey as he and his fellow bikers got on their motorcycles for the ride to the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
"He had a lot more life in him," said retired Lt. Col. Joe Murray. Ferazzi was in his American Legion post, he said, and the two marched in parades together.
"He didn't need to die when he was obviously enjoying the ride with his buddies," Murray said. "But it's good he died doing something he loved." read more here
Here is what to do if you want to help after a tragedy
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 19, 2019
Right now, everyone wants to help the Jarheads after the terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of 7 of their group.
Right now they need all the support they can get, but it is more important they receive the right kind of help.
While the shock is still fresh for them, many will experience a harder time after the funerals. Some may think it is their job to stay strong for the others, and that is OK, as long as they allow themselves time to grieve.
Let them honor what they are feeling so they can begin healing.
If they are angry do not try to shut it down. Help them yell at the air, hit pillows, stomp their feet...let them release it.
If they want to cry, let them. Hold their hand, walk beside them or sit near them. Let them know you are there for whatever they need. Do not try to stop their tears. They will stop crying when they get out as much pain as they need to.
If they want to talk, listen to them. Do not try to fix them. They do not need to be "fixed" and you finding something to say is not what they need from you. They need your ear, your time and patience.
If you think about what you would want from them if you were in their place, that will help you know what to do...as much as you will know what to not do, or get as close as you can.
There is no time limit to grieving other than as long as it takes them to do it. No two people are the same.
If you are a survivor, know that the guilt you may feel is "normal" but whatever you think you may have been able to do, it was not like the movie you can play out in your own mind. Most of the time, what you think you should have done, or could have done, is usually impossible.
Do not blame yourself any more than you blame God. He did not do this, but He did send people to help comfort you as much as they can. Lean on those who care about you so you can heal. After all, you'd probably do the same for them.
Within 30 days, if you address what you are going through, your pain should ease up. Flashbacks and nightmares should begin to lose power.
While the pain may be there for a long time, as long as it is not as strong, keep working on it.
If your pain is stronger after 30 days, contact a mental health professional so that you can work on healing with their help.
Know that if you are hit by PTSD, it hit you because your emotional core is strong. As you feel good stuff stronger, you feel pain on a deeper level. As a survivor use that strength to help you heal.
Honor your feelings so you can begin healing! Trying to "get over it" or "stuff it" lets that pain spread out like an infection.
If I can help contact me at woundedtimes@aol.com or 407-754-5426 and it will be kept confidential.
Motorcycle club leader says resignation of RMV head over N.H. crash is ‘ridiculous’
Boston Globe By Travis Andersen and John Hilliard Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent June 26, 2019
The head of a motorcycle club that lost seven people in a horrific New Hampshire crash last week said Wednesday that the abrupt resignation of the Massachusetts RMV boss is a “ridiculous” response to the tragedy, allegedly caused by a West Springfield man who kept his commercial driver’s license after an impaired driving arrest last month in Connecticut.
“It’s ridiculous for someone to be allowed to resign, or forced to resign . . . [and] run away from the problem,” said Manny Ribeiro, president of Jarheads MC, which lost seven riders who were killed June 21 when a truck driven by Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, allegedly plowed into them in Randolph, N.H. read more here
‘It was extremely horrific’: Jarheads motorcycle club president describes New Hampshire crash scene
“It was like nothing I’d ever seen — never in my life.” Boston.com By Dialynn Dwyer June 25, 2019
A Marine who survived the deadly New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists says what he witnessed that day was worse than anything he saw in combat.
Manny Ribeiro and his wife, Valerie, were riding in the front of the group of motorcyclists with Jarheads MC, a New England-based club for Marine veterans and their spouses, when an oncoming pickup truck hauling a trailer collided with other bikers in the group on Friday evening in Randolph, New Hampshire.
“It was like nothing I’d ever seen — never in my life,” he told reporters on Monday, according to CBS Boston.
The driver of the pickup, 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged Monday with seven counts of negligent homicide. Authorities have not revealed details about the potential cause of the crash, only that Zhukovskyy was traveling west on U.S. 2 while the bikers were headed east at the time.
Ribeiro, who is now serving as president of Jarheads MC, told the Associated Press that the 21 riders in the group of 15 motorcycles had just finished dinner and were on their way to a fundraiser at a nearby American Legion post.
The motorcyclist had been riding beside the club’s president, Albert Mazza Jr., 59, of Lee, New Hampshire, at the time of the crash.
“It was just an explosion … with parts and Al and everything flying through the air,” he said. “He turned hard left into us and took out pretty much everyone behind me. The truck and trailer stayed attached and that is why it was so devastating … because the trailer was attached and it was such a big trailer, it was like a whip. It just cleaned us out.” read more here To contact the JarHeads go here
Father of fallen Marine mourns friends killed in Route 2 crash
New Hampshire Union Leader By Shawne K. Wickham New Hampshire Sunday News Jun 22, 2019
“I don’t know why God does this. I don’t know. Maybe there’s a reason.” Deputy Chief Steven Xiarhos
In Steven Xiarhos’ darkest hour, after his 21-year-old son was killed in Afghanistan, a group of motorcycle riders, all Marines, came to offer comfort and support. And they’ve stood by his family for the 10 years since.
Now, after some of those Marines were killed in a horrific crash on Route 2 in Randolph, it’s Xiarhos’ turn to stand by them.
Xiarhos is deputy chief of police in Yarmouth, Mass., on Cape Cod. He’s been friends with members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club there for a decade. News that members of the club died Friday evening hit him hard.
Those who died were “American heroes,” Xiarhos said.
“I don’t know why God does this,” he said, his voice breaking. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s a reason.”
His son, Nicholas, was 21 years old when he was killed in combat in Helmand Province in Afghanistan while going to the aid of fellow Marines.
“It was Marine bikers that came to me in my worst time in my life,” Xiarhos said.
They asked if they could hold a charity ride in his son’s honor. And Big Nick’s Ride for the Fallen has been held every year since, raising thousands of dollars for worthy causes.
In order to be a member of the Jarheads, Xiarhos said, “you have to be a combat Marine.”
Members served in different wars, he said. “Some of them are young, from this war; some are from Vietnam.” read more here
God did not do this!
How would you turn to God in your darkest times, if you believe He just caused them? What is the point in praying for relief if you believe God is punishing you? All of us search for answers...and someone to blame when bad things happen, especially senseless ones. God did send people to help after the tragedy. God did send people who responded and tried to render medial aid until emergency responders arrived. He also sent those responders, because He called them to take on those jobs. He caused people from around the nation to donate and help the families. Each of us have the ability to do harm or help someone in need. Those who choose to help, listened to what their soul called them to do. Whatever good comes out of something bad, He is there.
‘We all feel it’: Motorcyclists mourn death of 7 in crash
Associated Press By Michael Casey and David Sharp Posted Jun 22, 2019
RANDOLPH (AP) -- Investigators pleaded Saturday for members of the public to come forward with information that could help them determine why a pickup truck hauling a trailer collided with a group of 10 motorcycles on a rural highway, killing seven bikers.
The crash in remote northern New Hampshire involved members of Marine JarHeads MC, a motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses, authorities said. The tragedy sent shockwaves through New England’s communities of motorcyclists and military veterans, which often overlap.
“When something like this happens, we all feel it,” said Cat Wilson, who organizes a motorcycle charity event in Massachusetts and is a friend of some of the crash victims. “There is no tighter community than our biker community.”
Authorities identified the pickup driver as Volodoymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, an employee of a Springfield, Massachusetts, company called Westfield Transport.
Zhukovskyy survived the accident and has not been charged, authorities said, but they didn’t release details on his condition or his whereabouts. A phone listing for him couldn’t be found.
read more here
Vets Mourn After Crash Kills 7 Marine JarHeads MC Bikers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MICHAEL CASEY and PATRICK WHITTLE June 23, 2019 Randolph, N.H. (AP) -- Motorcyclists and military veterans mourned Sunday as authorities sought help in determining why a pickup truck collided with a group of bikers on a rural highway, killing seven of them.
The crash in remote northern New Hampshire involved members of Marine JarHeads MC, a motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses. Authorities said they might begin identifying victims by name as soon as Sunday.
The tragedy left the close-knit motorcycle community in shock, with many remembering their own close calls on the road.
"Seven people. C'mon. It's senseless," said Bill Brown, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran and motorcyclist, who visited the accident scene on Saturday to put down flags. "Somebody made a mistake, and it turned out to be pretty deadly."
A pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer collided with the group of 10 motorcycles around 6:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 2, a two-lane highway in the tiny North Woods community of Randolph. The pickup truck caught fire, and witnesses described a "devastating" scene as bystanders tried to help the injured amid shattered motorcycles.
This weekend's long-planned "Blessing of the Bikes" ceremony an hour to the north of the accident was expected to be especially emotional this year. Meanwhile, members of the motorcycle community had already begun organizing help for the victims' families, said Cat Wilson, who organizes a motorcycle charity event in Massachusetts and is a friend of some of the crash victims. read more here
On a personal note:This is what all of us fear the most
We know the dangers that can come from a bike breaking down, which did happen and one of our members was killed after a saddle bag dropped off another bike. We also know the dangers that come on the road with other drivers. My husband and I have been with the Nam Knights MC in Orlando for ten years. They are veterans and members of law enforcement, firefighters and patriotic folks serving others who served. It is family! Wives are usually on the back of the bikes, or on their own. We have lost members because some other driver in a car decided their time was more valuable than our lives. We love! We love riding together and working toward helping others. I used to ride on the back of my husband's Harley until my back was so messed up, I have to meet them where they are going. To have a pack of ten bikes hit and know that 7 did not survive, is mind boggling!
Please go to this GoFundMe and donate what you can!
On Friday, June 21st 2019 Jarheads MC was riding to a charity event at the local American Legion in Gorham, New Hampshire Post #82. Our pack was struck by an oncoming vehicle and we lost 5 patch holders and 2 supporters, and many others are injured. Our club and the families are going to need help and we cannot do it alone. I am pleading with you all, please do what you can, and 100% of the funds raised will go where it is needed to help ease some of the financial burden left behind after this tragic event. Jarheads MC has always been about helping veterans and their families. Please help us now and give what you can. Everything you can do is appreciated. We are strong enough to get through this, but we ask for and need your support.
Names and conditions of all will not be shared at this time as we are still being impacted by news as it arrives. We will be in New Hampshire the rest of the weekend supporting our friends and families.
*Jarheads Motorcycle Club is a club consisting of active duty or honorably discharged Marines and FMF Corpsmen. We ride and serve veterans and veteran families in our committees, with chapters in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
USA Today John Bacon
6/24/ 2019 A truck driver was charged Monday with seven counts of negligent homicide in a gruesome collision with a group of motorcyclists on a remote New Hampshire highway.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, was arrested at his home in West Springfield, Massachusetts, early Monday by the Massachusetts State Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit, the New Hampshire attorney general's office said in a statement.
"Mr. Zhukovskyy was taken into custody on a fugitive from justice charge," the statement said. He was expected to make his first court appearance later Monday. read more here
update Victims of New Hampshire Marine JarHeads motorcycle crash ID’d as bikers bid goodbye
Authorities identified the dead as Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire Albert Mazza, 49, of Lee, New Hampshire Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, New Hampshire Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island Joanne and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts.
read more here
Pickup Truck In New Hampshire Collides With Marine Motorcycle Group; 7 Killed
NPR Bobby Allyn June 22, 2019
The group was on a charity ride connected to an American Legion in Gorham, N.H., according to an online fundraiser set up for the families of the victims.
"Jarheads MC has always been about helping veterans and their families and sadly, today we are in need of that same support," wrote Doug Hayward, a member of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club.
This photo provided by Miranda Thompson shows the scene where several motorcycles and a pickup truck collided on a rural, two-lane highway on Friday. Miranda Thompson/AP
A pickup truck in rural New Hampshire struck and killed seven people on motorcycles Friday night. The crash ignited a small fire in a nearby wooded area and left a wreckage of damaged vehicles and the bodies of victims strewn across the highway.
State police said a Dodge pickup truck hit the motorcycles around 6:30 p.m. Friday along U.S. 2 in Randolph.
Authorities are still investigating what caused the deadly collision. Police have not released the names of the victims or the pickup driver, who witnesses said survived the incident.
"It's tragic," New Hampshire State Police Capt. Chris Vetter told reporters Friday night. "Our concern right now is with the victims, the victims' families and anybody else who was adversely affected by this accident," he said.
Police said two other motorcyclists were injured and one person was airlifted to a local hospital after the crash on the two-lane highway.
Some of the riders were members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, which comprises active and veteran Marines. They were on their way to a bike gathering in northern New Hampshire, said Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, a large motorcycle gathering that ended last weekend.
read more here
President Trump Said He Rescued the Rolling Thunder Tribute to POWs. It's Not That Simple
TIME BY RACHEL E. GREENSPAN MAY 26, 2019
Despite Trump’s tweet, Rolling Thunder’s founder and executive director Artie Muller affirmed again on Sunday this was the last year for the event in the nation’s capital.
In reference to the President’s comments, Muller said on C-Span that nothing had changed. “I know he means well, but I don’t know what the story is with them working it out with us,” Muller, a Vietnam War veteran, said. “There’d have to be a lot of discussion and a lot of changes for everybody that comes here and our organization that helps put this together.”
Rolling Thunder has held its motorcycle demonstration ride every Memorial Day Weekend in Washington, D.C., for more than three decades—which is why the nonprofit veteran advocacy group’s announcement last fall that 2019 would be the ride’s last year concerned many.
The news made it all the way to President Donald Trump, who tweeted from Japan on Saturday with a pledge to help. On Sunday, he weighed in again––this time declaring that Rolling Thunder would continue in Washington next year, implying he had fixed the problem.
“The Great Patriots of Rolling Thunder WILL be coming back to Washington, D.C. next year, and hopefully for many years to come,” he said. “It is where they want to be, and where they should be.”
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump The Great Patriots of Rolling Thunder WILL be coming back to Washington, D.C. next year, and hopefully for many years to come. It is where they want to be, and where they should be. Have a wonderful time today. Thank you to our great men and women of the Pentagon for working it out!
Rolling Thunder has organized an annual rally in Washington for 32 years, inviting veterans and bikers to ride together to voice support of veterans missing in action and kept as prisoners of war. read more here
Rolling Thunder takes its final ride in Washington
The Washington Post By Jessica Contrera May 26 at 4:26 PM
There was a line to see the man in charge.
“Artie,” people called.
“Artie, did you see?”
“Artie,” they said. “You gotta do something.”
It was the Sunday before Memorial Day, and in Washington, that has long meant that one of the world’s largest motorcycle rallies was in town. Every year since 1988, riders have roared into the District for “Rolling Thunder,” a demonstration in support of veterans, prisoners of war and service members who went missing in action. But this year, the organization’s leader, Artie Muller, had announced that the financial and logistical burden of making the rally happen had become too much; after 2019, the event in the nation’s capital would be no more.
The news inspired hundreds of thousands of bikers, likely a record-breaking number, to flock to the Pentagon parking lot Sunday morning, ready for their final ride into the city and around the National Mall. read more here
SPACE COAST DAILY TV:More than 1,000 motorcycles and hundreds of cars escorted the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall from the Eastern Florida State College campus in Cocoa to Wickham Park on Sunday morning. The Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson and Orville Susong covered the impressive procession live on Space Coast Daily TV.
Wickham Park Wall Escort 2019
Wounded Times and PTSD Patrol Kathie Costos May 5, 2019 This morning I was at Wickham Park in Melbourne Florida for the Vietnam Memorial Wall Escort. It is the start of the week long reunion for veterans. While it started as a Vietnam veterans reunion, it was changed so that all veterans felt like family!
It is one of my favorite events and I wanted to share it with you, so, no PTSD Patrol video as usual today.
Besides, when it comes to empowerment...sometimes it comes on two wheels and side by side~
