REMEMBERING "THE DAY AMERICA CRIED "

Motorcyclists from all over Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey joined together to commemorate the national tragedy of September 11, 2001 on the sixth anniversary of "the Day America Cried." Below is the account of one rider in that effort.

I had no idea what to expect of this ride. All I knew was that the word was out, "If you want to ride for a cause, be there." So I arrived at Bowman Field in Williamsport at 5:10 PM on September 11th to ride in memory of all the first responders who gave their lives on that day six years ago, and to honor those who have given their lives in the resulting war on terror.

When I arrived there were already motorcycles of every make and shape filling the parking lot outside the Crosscutters entrance. I was guided into the adjacent parking lot where we all parked our bikes in line. While I glimpsed a number of friends and a few familiar faces, I was surprised at the sheer number of strangers who came to take part in this tribute. These were not the stereotype "bikers" with names like "spike" or "slash" although I'm sure they were there too. This group included doctors, lawyers, and accountants and they ranged from 18 to 80, riding everything from Harley's to scooters.

We all registered and signed the obligatory "insurance waiver". When we registered, we were given a postcard (compliments of Labels by Pulizzi) with the name of a soldier who gave their life in Iraq. After a brief introduction and the reading of the safety precautions we were to follow, we were introduced to a New York Firefighter who had survived the collapse of the Twin Towers. He and a group of cycle enthusiasts from the NYFD known as the Fire Riders had ridden to Williamsport through a torrential downpour earlier in the day to lead our ride.

Then the color guard of the "forgotten heroes," a local color guard of WW II veterans provided a 21 gun salute to all fallen servicemen and women. During the playing of taps in their honor, each cyclist held their post card high above their heads to honor the individual we had drawn. I had drawn the card of PFC Donald E. Kashmer of Sharon, Pennsylvania who made the supreme sacrifice on June 9, 2005.

The Father John Mano of Annunciation Church provided a non-denominational prayer for our safety and the memory of the fallen. With that Father Mano, a cyclist himself started the ride with the words of the non-military heroes who lost their lives storming the cockpit of the high jacked airliner over Pennsylvania six years ago, "Let's Roll"!

Led by the courageous firefighters from 9/11 and a man of God, we were off. All 730+ registered cyclists fell into line and the ride began. I left the parking lot in just about the middle of the pack and as we rode slowly and solemnly through the city, I was amazed at the turnout along the streets of Williamsport. People were waving flags, beeping car horns, and cheering all along the way. Other cyclists sat patiently along the side of the rode and then joined the end of the line as we passed.

Crossing traffic was stopped for us by law enforcement officials at every intersection so we could pass unimpeded. In case law enforcement was called to an emergency, additional volunteers were at each intersection to take over.

As we entered Montoursville, the word trickled down the line that the last cyclists had just left Bowman Field! The Montoursville Fire Department had ladder trucks on each side of Broad Street with ladders extended over the street and a large American flag suspended between them. Passing underneath virtually every rider was struck by the emotion and patriotism.

The crowds and the spirit seemed to grow with every town we passed through. Montoursville, Hughesville, Muncy, Montgomery, South Williamsport, and Duboistown. As we passed one VFW club, I saw a veteran in a wheelchair and another elderly veteran in his military cap at attention, both saluting the cyclists. Imagine, these were America's true heroes and they were saluting us. We were just reminding our community of the bravery and sacrifice of all Americans.

By the time the ride ended in Duboistown, more than 300 cyclists had joined in the ride along the route putting the final number of riders for the day over 1,000, the number of spectators in the tens of thousands, and the number of heroes remembered, all of them… if not by name, at least in spirit. God Bless America and the men who serve our countryand our communities at home and abroad every day.

This story is dedicated to the memory of Private First Class Douglas E. Kashmer, Age 27, who lost his life in service to our country on June 9, 2005 and all his fallen comrades in arms.