U.S. Marine Corps veteran Alex Whitney, who deployed to Iraq after 9/11, part of Maryland Gold Star Legacy Run wreath-laying ceremony at Flight 93 National Memorial.
Department of Maryland Legionnaire Alex Whitney joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1999. Two years into that commitment, the United States was at war.
Whitney would deploy to Iraq following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. And on Saturday during the Maryland Gold Star Legacy Run, he was able to honor a group of Americans whose heroism likely saved the lives of hundreds or thousands more fellow countrymen in and around the U.S. Capitol.
The department’s Gold Star Legacy Run brought more than 70 motorcyclists and passengers to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pa., which honors the passengers of 9/11’s fourth hijacked airliner that was headed to the Capitol Building. When the passengers learned of what happened to the other three hijacked planes that day, they attempted to break into the cockpit, causing the plane to crash in a deserted field in rural Pennsylvania.
Whitney – a past commander of Carroll Post 31 in Westminster and a past Maryland Western Region commander and department vice commander – has been to the Memorial three times.
“I volunteered during peacetime that turned into wartime,” he said. “I think of the men and women that died here as my heroes. They gave their lives unknowingly, but willingly, to prevent loss of other lives. And that is what every man and women who served is willing to do at one point in time.”
Whitney has been on the state Legacy Run “for seven or eight years”, bringing his daughter with him. He continues to come back because of “the camaraderie of the people,” he said. “We are a Legion Family that loves each other, supports each other and likes to have fun. But also, to give back.”
And that feels very personal to Whitney. “I am a disabled veteran,” he said. “I have two children who are going through college right now. When we started this (fundraising) it was for the Legacy Scholarship Fund to help the men and women who lost their lives and their children at home without them.
“And with the (Veterans & Children Foundation) being the charity of choice, it helps people like me – and my brothers and sisters – get the benefits they deserve, as well as supporting them in need. That’s why we do it.”
Sons of The American Legion Past National Commander Joe Gladden – the Gold Star Legacy Run co-founder/chairman and chief road captain – delivered a prayer during the ceremony.
“Please remember all those that sacrificed themselves … so that our leadership of would remain intact to be able to guide us through the future years that took so many of our brave young men and women, sacrificing their lives for us to have the freedoms that we have.”
The visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial was sandwiched between a visit to Proctor Kildow Post 71 in Oakland for lunch and then a dinner stop at Fort Cumberland Post 13. The day also saw more than $27,000 in donations, including $9,100 from Sykesville Memorial Post 223’s American Legion Family and $8,500 from Mason Dixon Post 194’s Legion Family. The total raised going into Day 4 is more than $172,000.
A Family That Rides Together. Only five of this year’s Gold Star Legacy Run participants have been on all 10 rides. Three of those are from the same family – and same Legion Family.
Maryland Gold Star Legacy Run co-founder/chairman John Horner and his wife Bev both ride motorcycles, while their daughter Nicole drives the chase vehicle in addition to her many other responsibilities. All three are Legion Riders and either Sons of The American Legion or American Legion Auxiliary members at Post 22 in Towson.
Nicole – secretary of Unit 22 and treasurer of ALR Chapter 22 – was a part of the Legion Family at an early age. “I have been a member since 1993. I guess was 3 or 4 when I was signed up,” she said.
In addition to her support vehicle details, Nicole also works with her mother along the ride by collecting plaques and distributes certificates of appreciation to all the donors and stop hosts.
“I save my days to take off for this, basically because of everything that we do,” she said. “It’s for the veterans. It’s for the kids. Kids are a big part of my career and my life as a teacher. It’s tough, but I schedule to keep one (of my vacation days) for this.”
There’s also the people she’s met on the ride. “It’s also the family and the connection of everybody that’s here and all the friends that you meet,” she said. “I describe it to coworkers and friends that aren’t Riders … ‘I’m going to spend the weekend to raise money with somewhere between 50 to 100 of my closest and most personal friends. We have friends that we may or may not see all the time. It’s nice to see them or talk to them.”
Bev, Chapter 22’s secretary, starts working on the ride before it even starts, ensuring that both the ordering and sales of ride T-shirts is handled. She’s also in charge of the 50-50 drawings that also serve as a fundraiser for the ride.
She admits she initially took part in the Gold Star Legacy Run to assist her husband, but it has become a labor of love. “I enjoy the people. We have a great group,” Bev said. “You’ve got a connection with them, and it’s a deep-running connection with the people. And it’s just one way to give back. It’s helping the veterans who have children.”
John, the director and a founding member of Chapter 22 and the squadron’s first vice commander and acting adjutant, said being able to have his family on the ride is “great. It’s wonderful.” Even his son Johnathon, a Maryland State Trooper, took part the first seven state Legacy Runs.
When he and Gladden started the Gold Star Legacy Run, John said he had no idea what it would become. “I don’t know if Joe did, but I never envisioned it would get this large, or as quickly as it did,” he said. “But everybody who comes out and rides seems to love it. They tell us they can’t wait until next year. We try to change the route around a bit each year.”
In Oakland. Rain pelted the ride as it moved from Frederick to Proctor Kildow Post 71. But that didn’t bother Donell Brown, a member of American Legion Post 259 and Chapter 259 in Clinton.
“It extended drizzle, but it wasn’t pouring down. It wasn’t that bad,” Brown said. “But the rain is kind of secondary to what we’re doing. It’s important for veterans and their children and families. That’s the least we can do. I’m a veteran, but fortunately I don’t need the help. But there are a lot of veterans that do. It’s whatever little bit we can do to help them.”
Brown spent 22 years in the U.S. Air Force. He didn’t start riding a motorcycle until he was 61, but he’s already taken part in three Gold Star Legacy Runs. “It’s the camaraderie. It’s a fun ride. I just like to ride. I started late. I’m a late bloomer.”
Post 71 provided the ride a lunch that included baked ham, green beans and other sides. It was a team effort by the post’s Legion Family.
“It’s just to support our fellow Riders,” said ALR Chapter 71 Director and Legionnaire Warren Rinehart. “It makes me happy to see them. We’ve rode with them before. Any time we can do something for them, we do.”
In Cumberland. The day came to a close with what has become a famous meal stop within the ride: Fort Cumberland Post 13’s grilled chicken dinner. Each diner gets half a chicken, with or without barbecue sauce. The post began cooking the chicken on a new smoker earlier in the morning, preparing 194 pieces.
“The first year they came up here that’s what they had,” Post 13 Commander Jeff Hotchkiss said. “And ever since then, that’s what they request. That’s what they like. That’s what they want. That’s what they get.”
Post 13 has hosted the Gold Star Legacy Run nine of the ride’s 10 years. “Every year we look forward to this,” Hotchkiss said. “They enjoy coming. We enjoy having them here. We’re a 105-year-old post. They like ending their ride. They enjoy our hospitality. And we enjoy them.”
- Riders