Legacy Run Day 3: An overdue memorial becomes reality

During the first planning ride for this year’s Legacy Run, Chief Road Captain Bob Sussan made a stop in Green River, Utah. When he suggested to local officials laying a wreath at the town’s veterans memorial during a potential Legacy Run stop, he was told such a memorial didn’t exist.

One does now.

Thanks to a collaborative effort with Sussan and The American Legion Riders, and Green River officials, one such memorial was built. And when the Legacy Run made a stop in Green River Monday, the Riders took part in the memorial’s dedication ceremony.

Sussan said he was told the town, which has more than three dozen veterans among its less than 1,000 residents, had been trying to get a veterans memorial. “I said, ‘I’ll make you a deal: Get some (people) together and I’ll get people to pay for it,’” Sussan said. “We talked a lot. We got the mayor involved. They got a campaign together locally, and (the Legion Riders) did 40-some percent of memorial. They got some stuff donated. That’s how it all got started.

“I think it was a perfect awareness of the Legion, the Riders and what we do. Today was the fruition.”

At the dedication ceremony, which included members of the community, Green River City Mayor Pat Brady said that Sussan was able to “put the spurs to us, and we got this going. We would not be standing here under our great flag without the Riders here today, those in our community who have served and the ones that we have lost. We need to always remember them and keep them close to our hearts and our minds.”

George Ahrend, a Legion Rider and Legionnaire from Post 284 in Colonial Heights, Va., said it was nice to see a town like Green River, which once was the home of the Green River Launch Complex military installation, not forget its military roots.

“To see the people not lose confidence in the military and honor the veterans that are still around, it was really nice seeing,” Ahrend said. “They’re still a patriotic city.”

Bob Daniel, a member of Shellsburg, Iowa, Post 166, patted his chest when explaining what attending the dedication meant to him. “That was a tear-jerker,” he said. “Any time I hear the national anthem, ‘God Bless America,’ it brings tears to my eyes every time. I get a lump in my throat.”

Ironically, the memorial was dedicated at the same time longtime Legacy Run Chief Road Guard Verlin Abbott was being buried in Indiana. Abbott co-planned this year’s ride with Sussan and was in Green River when the memorial talk first started.

“It’s fitting that this memorial is dedicated on the day of his interment,” Sussan said. “I think that man upstairs had plans, and I think everything came into place.”

Another newcomer

Ahrend is on his first Legacy Run. First work kept him from attending, then being a caregiver for his mother took priority over riding. But this was his year.

“I’d never been west of the Mississippi, so I really wanted to go,” said Ahrend, who rode 1,400 miles just to get the ride’s start in Dodge City, Kan. “It’s been great. The teamwork, the camaraderie of the guys you ride with – people you don’t even know – it’s just so friendly. It’s just been nice.”

Some fellow Legion Riders from Post 284 tried to tell Ahrend what to expect, but “unless you’re here, you can’t envision what it’s like. Seeing gas stops where you run 300 bikes through a gas station in 45 minutes or less, that was incredible. All these Legion posts treating us like we’re a part of their town. It’s been great.”

Like riding a bike

Daniel has taken part in four Legacy Runs. But this was his first in four years. It didn’t take to get the hang of riding with 240-some other riders. “You’re a little bit shaky there for a couple miles,” he said. “But then you’re right back into it.”

Wreath laying in Richfield City

The Riders closed their day with a visit to the Richfield City Ceremony, where they took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the city’s Veterans Memorial. Members of the community – as well as Department of Utah Commander Alex Aerts and Legionnaires from Post 37 in Monroe, Utah – also attended the ceremony.

Sussan shared with those outside the Legion how strongly the Riders feel about their cause – The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. “The people here are all volunteers,” he said. “Many use their annual vacation (to attend the ride). We say ‘we ride for the kids.’ And it means a lot to a lot of these people. We want to make sure that our brothers and sisters who served this great nation … that their children are taken care of.”

Ret. Navy Capt. Ron Lewis reminded the audience of the importance of staying vigilant in calling for a full accounting of U.S. POWs and MIAs. And Richfield City Mayor David Ogden praised the Riders for their dedication.

“You have stirred our hearts when you drove in on those motorcycles,” Ogden said. “We recognize your commitment. We are so grateful that you picked us. We love you, and we love what you have done for the kids of America.”