A Tribute on Wheels
There are thousands of ways Americans are memorializing the events of last Sept. 11, including a small group of people using their motorcycles.
In a cross-country trip that left San Diego on Sept. 2, participants in America’s Ride traveled 3,500 miles in nine days, stopping along the way--in Las Vegas, where two riders got married; in Lima, Ohio, where 200 local riders joined them to show their support; in Shanksville, Pa., where they attended a ceremony honoring victims of United Flight 93.
Today, the motorcyclists will ride to New York City and suburban Washington, D.C., and attend memorial services at ground zero and the Pentagon. Among the riders were Vinny Forras, a firefighter who worked at ground zero; Charles Cook, a ground zero volunteer; and Mitchell Morrison, chairman of the World Trade Center Miracles Foundation, which arranged the event to raise money to assist people injured in the attacks and its aftermath.
A year ago, the chance to ride across America would have been just another adventure. On this ride, it was also a tribute to those whose lives were sacrificed and to the resilience of a nation.
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