Motorcycle riders ride every year to show their support for the troops in the Annual Support Our Troops Memorial Run. On this 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks the ride will end up once again at the Bakersfield National Cemetery in Arvin.
Somehow we all remember the tragedy on September 11th,2001 but we manage to forget that kids are dying for our freedom everyday. This year's coordinator Ben Patton said, "Kern County is incredibly supportive of our veterans and we must keep the information and the memory on the forefront of everybody's mind.
The ride will begin at Bakersfield Harley-Davidson on Merle Haggard Drive where Patten is the parts manager. The bikers will head to Shafter Airport to Minter Field for a special program.
"There was a young lady on our first ride who had lost her father in 9/11 and that is when we decided to do it every year," said Bill Pitcher the co-founder of the Support Our Troops ride. "On that ride we started from South High School and rode to North High School," said Pitcher.
Every year a video copy of the ride is sent to our troops overseas. This is the sixth year they have kept their promise. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel from Bakersfield has a flyer for the ride on his wall in Kabul, Afghanistan.
On September the 15th you could not even find a flag for purchase in Bakersfield. People have forgotten that kind of stuff and the patriotism that we all enjoyed back then. Patten also commented,"I think the ride is to rekindle that patriotism and keep it alive."
