The throaty roar of motorcycles belonging to 60 plus riders heralded the 9th Annual Thunder Ride organized by the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. A portion of the proceeds went to support the Vets To VA program, the service in Santa RosaCounty dedicated to taking veterans without transportation to the PensacolaVA Clinic. As reported last November, the previous ride earned around $800. The CVMA riders started at the VeteransMemorialPlaza in downtown Milton, then made stops at the Fleet Reserve, Ollie’s Neighborhood Grill, and finally The Cove Pub.
Before this year’s ride, CVMA officials welcomed three new members: Thomas Burmeister, Curtis Bailey, and Rebecca Pellerin. Garry Duncan, State of Florida representative for the CVMA said to receive the CVMA patch, they had to show service in combat. However, the supporter patch only required active duty service. Duncan said members include those who have served as far back as the Korean War. A recent member who passed, he said, served in World War II.
During the induction ceremony, the meaning of the organization’s three colors was explained. The red represents the blood shed on the battlefield. The military gold represents all branches of the military service. Black represents the “heavy hearts possessed for those who gave their lives and for those that are considered missing in action or prisoners of war.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Veterans ride for brothers and sisters in arms