Ride Update for Wed. August 30, 2006

Hi Everyone,

I am having a hard time sending this ride update on the ride update e-mail list with this wireless server. So it is just on "Gary's Blog" for now.

We are dedicating this years Torches Across America ride to two New York fire fighters that died in the line of duty battling a third alarm fire August, 27, 2006. Their names are Lt. Howard J. Carpluk Jr. and Michael C. Reily.

Lt. Howard J. Carpluk was a 20 year veteran of the FDNY and worked at Engine Company 42 in the Bronx.

Fire Fighter Michael C. Reily just graduated from the FDNY academy on July 6, 2006 and worked at Engine Company 75 in the Bronx.

All of us with Torches Across America give our condolences to their families.

This is the update Mike Mohn has sent me for the morning of September 11, 2006:

We will meet at the chapel at 830am and begin to line the road from the chapel with our motorcycles. the service will start at 9am and then bell ringing ceremony after first biker blessing.

Tattoo Bob and his group will arrive about 1pm at the chapel area. We will go to crash site and then back to the chapel for a second 4pm blessing/devotional.

Keep all this in prayer as we wish to be a blessing and not take away from the real reason we are here-to honor and minister to those families who were affected by the 9-11 tragedies.

This is a go, any updates I will notify before 9-1 via e-mails-after that contact the chapel direct.

Terylene Fritz, sent me this a few weeks ago and I forgot to send it to you all. Great thing for us to do.

Just say ""THANKS""

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one.
If you go to the web site at www.letssaythanks. com you can pick out a thank you card and the Xerox Corporation will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can’’’’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn’’’’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Have a great day.
Gary Covert

We are dedicating this years Torches Across America Ride to two FDNY firefighters that died this week in the line of duty.

FDNY Michael Reilly



FDNY Lt. Howard Carpluk Jr.





We are dedicating this years Torches Across America ride to two New York firefighters that died in the line of duty battling a third alarm fire August, 27, 2006. Their names are Lt. Howard J. Carpluk Jr. and Michael C. Reily.

Lt. Howard J. Carpluk was a 20 year veteran of the FDNY and worked at Engine Company 42 in the Bronx.

Fire Fighter Michael C. Reily just graduated from the FDNY academy on July 6, 2006 and worked at Engine Company 75 in the Bronx.

All of us with Torches Across America give our condolences to their families.

Some of the riders might want to be in San Diego, CA on September 1, 2006 and ride along with the World Memorial when it heads for Oceanside, CA

For the riders coming to Oceanside to start the ride you might want to arrive a day earlier to be a part of the escort of the World Memorial exhibit "Release of Souls" that is traveling with us to Cambridge, OH.

At 12:00pm the World Memorial will leave downtown San Diego with the "Release of Souls" exhibit and head to Oceanside and join us on the ride September 2, 2006.

It will have a "Presidential" escort out of San Diego.

Here are some pictures of them loading it up with the help of "Operation Strong Angel III".

Mitch says "Operation Strong Angel III" has a camp set up here at The San Diego Fire Department Training Facility that includes a simulation, seminar and technical equipment use such as satellite links and the latest software and hardware applications for disasters, both man made and natural. Most of these folks have been everywhere: NYC – WTC, Banda Aceh, and New Orleans.

Strong Angel III
http://www.strongangel3.net/
About Strong Angel III
http://www.strongangel3.net/about

August 23, 2006 ride update

Hi Everyone,

Our time of arrival and host for Kingman, AZ, has been changed. Our new time of arrival is set for 6:00pm and our new Host is VFW Post 10386 Kingman, AZ. Located at 2985 E. John L Ave, Kingman, AZ 86409, (928) 757 - 7192.

We will have a Memorial Service and dinner there. The dinner will be ham and I told them we would pay for our own dinners.

On the morning of September 11th in Shanksville, PA we are going to have riders at two different Memorial Services at the same time. It will be up to the individual rider as to which Memorial Service they want to attend.

The two different Memorial Services that are taking place that day in Shanksville, PA, is the public Memorial Service at crash site 93 and a Memorial Service taking place at the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel.

The speaker for the 2006 Torches Across America Ride Mike Mohn and his wife Theresa will attend the Memorial Service at the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel. Mike and his wife are very active in the CMA and they have other CMA members that will be attending with them.

Mike sent me an e-mail a couple of days ago telling me about the Memorial Service at Flight 93 Memorial Chapel and it went like this:

I will be doing a devotional at 9:00am with a biker blessing to follow. Reverend Alphonse Mascherino asked that we are an honor guard and line the street from the Chapel into Shanksville approximately ½ mile. I need to contact other ride groups that would like to be there that day and see if they would like to participate at Flight 93 Memorial Chapel.

I know you and others will be going to the Memorial Service at crash site 93 but I need volunteers for this. It will be open to ride groups and anyone who is riding there that day.

There will be people bused in for this and there will be a big event at 11:00am when the United Flight Attendants and Pilots Association dedicates their new Memorial there.

Also we will be a part of the bell ringing ceremony (they ring a bell each time a victims name is read) at 10:06am and I need 7 more people to be bell ringers.

If you want to be a bell ringer please let me know now for I can let Mike know.

What I would like to do on the morning of September 11th when we all assemble at the Super 8 Motel for our ride to Shanksville is for the riders that want to attend the public Memorial Service at crash site 93, line up first and the riders that want to attend the Memorial Service at Flight 93 Memorial Chapel, line up in back of them.

When we leave the motel we will ride to the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel and those that are going to attend the Memorial Service there can part from the group and the rest of the group will ride to the Memorial Service at crash site 93.

The Memorial Service at crash site 93 starts around 10:06am and we need to be there parked and ready for the Memorial Service by 9:00am.

We have the World Memorial coming with us on part of the ride this year. It will be traveling with us from Oceanside, CA to Tulsa, OK then they will drive on to NYC and set up the World Memorial and then try to meet up with us again on the east coast.

You can read about it on their web site: http://www.releaseofsouls.org/

The World Memorial is binging brought in an 18 wheeler a long with a 280lb piece of steel from the World Trade Center and an art exhibit called “Missing Person Flier Exhibit”, and the flier says “Missing last seen at the World Trade Center”.

Mitch Mender, Vice President World Memorial, E.M.T. Fire Fighter Paramedic, is coming with the World memorial as it comes across America.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's Proclamation making 9/11 "First Call Responders Recognition Day"

Jim Grant has helped us agin this year by getting New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson to come out with a Proclamation making 9/11 "First Call Responders Recognition Day" for all the First Call Responders in the state of New Mexico.

Governor Bill Richardson is great and I thank him very much for thinking this much of his states First Call Responders. This makes the second year Governor Bill Richardson has did this.

Hoboken, New Jersey and Jersey City, New Jersey are passing a resolution making 9/11 a Recognition Day for their cities First Call Responders.

The Hoboken MC is a very special motorcycle club. They have went out of there way to help make sure the Torches Across America Ride would always have a place to end the ride on the East Coast.

This year they have done something really special for the First Call Responder in Hoboken, NJ and Jersey City, NJ. They asked Mayor David Roberts of Hoboken, NJ and Mayor Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City, NJ to pass a resolution making 9/11 a "Recognition Day" for their cities First Call Responders.

Why this is so special is because these two cities had First Call Responders in boats crossing the Hudson River to help NYC before the first tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Their cities river front docks were used as temporary morgues for the 9/11 victims bodies and to shuttle aid workers and supplies back and forth to NYC.

Not many people around the world heard how important of a roll these two cities and their First Call Responders played on 9/11. I am glad to say now they will.

I thank all the members of the Hoboken MC for getting these two cities to be added to the list of cities across America that have made 9/11 a Recognition Day for their cities First Call Responders.

I like the words California Congressman Mike Thompson said to his fellow congressman during the 109th congress on July, 28, 2006:

Mr. Speaker, These First Call Responders have a long history of honorable and selfless service to the United States. This service has continued at a high standard, and these First Call Responders should be commended.

Mr. Speaker, these unsung heroes deserve our recognition for their commitment and personal sacrifice. Their efforts are vital to the peace and well-being of all humanity.

Many thanks to Dynamic Printing for there great work on the "FALLEN WARRIORS-LOST BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN" Memorial Wall

I thank Dynamic Printing for the printing of the new Armed Forces Memorial Wall "FALLEN WARRIORS - LOST BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN". They have done a great job on it again this year.

Everyone at Dynamic Printing helps with this project. They know how important these names are to the families that have lost a loved one.

James Wyatt, SR Graphic Designer at Dynamic Printing designed the wall. The minute we started talking about it in his office you could tell he was ready to put a 110% of himself into this project.

Operations Director Eric Willis is a great person to work with and has always been supportive of the Memorial Walls we take across the country and set up while on the ride.

This posting is for all of you at Dynamic Printing. Thank you for all your support and fantasic work.

Dynamic Printing is a super company to work with. You can contact them at:
Dynamic Printing
2849 Gretna Rd. Suite 100
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 332-8338
www.dynamicprinting1.com

Congressional Record Proceedings and Debates of the 109th Congress Second Session July 28, 2006

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I thank riders John Norcio, Robert Jordan, Larry & Suzanne Schnider from Lakeport, California for taking the time to talk to California Congressman Mike Thompson and getting this started.

I also thank Congressman Mike Thompson for bringing this up to his fellow members of Congress.

Now if they just could make 9/11 a National Recognition Day for our countries First Call Responders that would be great.