Past National Commander Ron Conley, Pennsylvania National Executive Committeeman Richard Coccimiglio, Past Pennsylvania Department Commander Sandy Sandell and national Commander David K. Rehbein place memorial wreath at Flight 93 Memorial. (Photo by James V. Carroll)

Legacy Run riders visit Flt. 93 Memorial

Legion Riders and other motorcycle enthusiasts continued the fourth annual American Legion Legacy Run on Wednesday - a four-day, seven-state, 1,200-mile ride that raises scholarship money for children of U.S. military members killed on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. The riders departed Indianapolis Tuesday and will arrive Friday in Louisville, the site of the 91st American Legion National Convention.

Donations collect in the Legacy Scholarship Fund, which has raised more than $1 million dollars during the three previous Legacy Runs. So far, the 2009 Legacy Run has gathered $138,000.

Wednesday, riders participated in a wreath presentation at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. During 9/11, 33 passengers and seven crew members died aboard a Boeing 757 jet, which crashed at the site after the group attempted to retake the hijacked aircraft from terrorists who intended to crash the plane into the U.S Capitol in Washington.

Passengers aboard Flight 93 were unlike military members in that they reacted to their predicament by “gut instinct,” not rigorous training, American Legion National Commander David K. Rehbein said. But like their military counterparts, the passengers “advanced to the sound of the guns.”

In the first two days of the motorcycle run, riders have stopped for lunch or dinner at American Legion Posts in Fairborn, Ohio; Wheeling, W.Va.; Stoystown, Pa.; and Front Royal, Va. Currently, the Legacy Run is only about $260,000 short of its 2009 donations goal of $400,000.

For more information about the fund, contact Legacy Scholarship Program Coordinator Michael Novak by telephone at (317) 630-1212 or e-mail at mnovak@legion.org. To obtain an application, visit www.legion.org.