Maryland Legion Riders head out on 10th Gold Star Legacy Run, raising funds for the Veterans & Children Foundation along the way.
David Heredia is busy wrapping up his year serving as American Legion Department of Maryland commander. But the member of Joseph L Davis Post and American Legion Riders Chapter 47 in Havre de Grace took time from that busy schedule to put more than 220 miles on his motorcycle.
He did so taking part in the 10th annual Maryland Gold Star Legacy Run, which is approaching an impressive milestone. He joined more than 60 other Legion Riders on Day 1 of the four-day ride, which started out at Overlea-Perry Hall Post 130 in Perry Hall and finished at Synepuxent Post 166 in Ocean City.
The ride has raised $765,000 since its inception – $610,000 for The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund and $155,000 last year for the Veterans & Children Foundation (VCF). More than $22,000 was donated during the course of the day, bringing the total heading into Day 2 to close to $60,000.
“From a department commander standpoint, I’m proud of our Legion Riders,” Heredia said before the Riders departed Perry Hall. “My motto all year long has been ‘Champions of Hope’. And this is the epitome of ‘Champions of Hope’ because we are advocating for those we serve. As service leaders, we’re giving back to the community. We’re engaging the community. This brings pure joy to my heart.
“When we first started talking about this (ride) many years ago, we never envisioned it getting to the point where we’re leading from the front. The tip of the spear, so to speak.”
Heredia has filled the role of tail gunner on past Gold Star Legacy Runs and for the past few years he’s served as the assistant chief road captain on the national Legacy Run. He praised the Riders for raising awareness about the Legion – and for giving him a reason to join the organization.
“I joined The American Legion not knowing what a Legionnaire was, just what a Rider was,” he said. “A lot of these men and women who ride know the importance of serving our veterans. By me being here as a department commander, it shows that the Department of Maryland cares about what we do. Because this is important.
“How better do you advertise what The American Legion is about than being out in the community. Being seen. Wearing your Legion Riders vest. Your cap. To let the people know The American Legion is here for them.”
The Importance of the VCF. Maryland Department Vice Commander/Western Maryland Region Commander Keith Clevenger was impressed when the first Gold Star Legacy Run made a stop at Francis Scott Key Post 11 in Frederick, where he is a past commander and his wife Jami is a past American Legion Auxiliary president and the current ALR membership chairman.
It was enough for the pair to take part every Gold Star Legacy Run since, including this year’s. The husband-and-wife team also have taken part in eight Legacy Runs, last year serving on the advance team.
Keith, Chapter 11’s treasurer, has also taken his wife on similar in-state Legacy Runs in both Virginia and North Carolina. “We love the camaraderie with all the other Riders,” Keith said. “We enjoy riding, and as long as we stay healthy, we’ll keep doing it.”
But he also believes in the cause. Clevenger said raising money for the VCF now, rather than The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, “is just as important. The slogan before was ‘for the children.’ That was always an easy selling point. But now, it’s still for the kids because of Temporary Financial Assistance. And it pays for training for veteran service officers, so the more service officers that get training, the more benefits they can get for veterans, and that means more families that will be able to have those benefits.”
In Perry Hall. Post 130’s American Legion Family served ride participants a free breakfast and also showed it support in another way: more than $13,000 donated to the ride, including $7,000 from Squadron 130 and $5,000 from the post.
Baltimore County Executive Katherine Klausmeier attended the kickoff at Post 130, presented ride co-chairman and Past Sons of The American Legion National Commander Joe Gladden with a certificate honoring the Gold Star Legacy Run.
In Rock Hall. The ride was welcomed by members of Sgt. Preston Ashley Post 228’s Legion Family, who provided a snack spread that included a ridiculously good crab dip.
Eve Heath, getting ready to start her fifth term as Post 228 commander, was proud her post could host the ride. “To me, it’s an honor that they choose our post to come to,” she said. “I put it in the newspaper. I posted it on Facebook how important this ride is, and I tried to explain to everybody what a great service that these guys on this ride are doing. Not only for community, but for the entire nation.”
In Easton. Talbot Post 70 provided a lunch that included chicken salad on lettuce, chips and desserts. Post Adjutant Ruth Higgins, immediate past department commander, was there to greet the Riders.
“I tried to make it as simple as possible,” she said. “And I had the SAL and the Auxiliary helping, between cutting the grass and setting up the room and making desserts. It’s been a Legion Family project.”
Higgins is a member of Jeff Davis ALR Chapter 218 in Centreville, rode on the Gold Star Legacy Run last year and knows the importance of the reason behind the ride. “It’s an honor (to host). It’s great pride to be able to support the mission of the Legacy Run and what it represents,” she said. “It’s an honor to give back and support them in their cause to raise money.”
In Ocean City. Synepuxent Post 166’s Legion Riders chapter picked up the cost of a buffet dinner for ride participants, which included chicken wings, three kinds of sliders, multiple salads and desserts.
“It’s an honor, first of all, just to have them approach us and ask if they can come in and use this as one of their stops,” Legionnaire and Chapter 166 Director Kenneth Ingram Jr. said. “We felt just totally overjoyed with that idea. We understand the cause and what they’re trying to do.
“I ride myself. So I understand what it is to have the hospitality and the open arms, and to be welcomed at the post. It’s a big family thing.”
A Message of Thanks. At Post 166, two Gold Star parents thanked the Riders for all they do. Post Commander Joe Kundrat and his wife Lynda lost their son, U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. William Joseph Kundrat, in a Marine KC130 crash in Mississippi.
Kundrat was a member of Post 11 in Frederick, where he grew up before his parents moved to Ocean City a few years ago. He had served on 13 deployments, including to Iran and Afghanistan. His son is using the Legacy Fund to help pay for his college expenses at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
“You’re the best part of The American Legion,” Lynda said. “I’m sure that many of you here have lost a brother. Someone you remember more than anything. Someone you’ll never leave. Someone that you know. We have to remember them. And I want to say to you each, thank you for doing what you do. It means the world to us. My son was a damn good Marine, and I want to thank you for all you’ve done for his family.”
- Riders