Tamare Salem's life changed in an instant one fateful day. But everything changed when she was granted the opportunity to add a checkmark to her bucket list. (Photo by Andrea C. Dickerson)

Legion Riders make Memorial Day dream a reality

For Tamare Salem, her love for riding started the moment she parked herself on the seat of her Suzuki motorcycle.

Salem gave up her bike after finding out she was going to be a mother. Almost 18 months ago she was diagosed with cancer, which was later deemed terminal. Salem spoke wth Roy McCracken, commader of Bicentennial Post 1976 in Annandale, Va., and shared her dream of riding in Rolling Thunder.

Out of all of the motorcycle rides in the country, Salem says she chose Rolling Thunder because of the sheer reverance of the event. Touched by the sea of red, white and blue - Salem longed to be one of those who made the descent into D.C. to pay respect and honor the nation's fallen servicemembers.

Salem, wife of a Marine veteran, said she sought the help of the Legion because she admired the camaraderie and patriotism of the organization. "I knew I had to become a part of it," she said.

"Once Roy introduced me to the members at the post, I became part of the American Legion family. I let him know that my bucket list included riding in Rolling Thunder."

From there, the commander reached out to his contacts at other posts to see what he could do to make her wish come true. McCracken found a way to appoint Salem as an honorary Legion Rider and was able to secure a seat for her on a three-wheeled motorcycle with a Rider from Legion Post 177. The commander said it felt great to be able to present her with a vest and patch so she could ride across Washington representing the post. McCracken said he was humbled that a civilian would hold such regard for veterans - so much that she wanted to be right there beside them.

Patched-in in less than a week, Salem hopped on the back of a bike and took off for Rolling Thunder. She said she enjoyed every moment of the ride. "It felt unbeliveable pulling into the Pentagon and seeing a sea of bikes from all over the United States," she said. "People even traveled from as far as Great Britain. Post 177 from Fairfax, Va., made the experiance unforgettable."

The once avid rider said she enjoyed seeing the brotherhood between the Legion Riders and looked up to them for banding together, looking out for each other every step of the way.

Salem said she was moved by the effort of everyone who came out - from the spectators to participants. "To see veterans on the side of the street saluting the Riders was touching. Seeing the Marine standing at attention the entire time was unbelieveable. For me, it was my first time. Words truly can't describe how I truly feel. It all gave me a sense of pride. It was an honor."