Rolling Thunder (organization)
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| Motto | We will not forget |
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| Formation | 1987, incorporated 1995 |
| Type | 501(c)(4) non-profit |
| Purpose | To bring full accountability for the 'Prisoners Of War' and 'Missing In Action' of all U.S. wars |
| Headquarters | Neshanic Station, New Jersey |
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Region served
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International |
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Membership
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90 Chapters |
| Website | rollingthunder1 |
| Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall | |
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The Rolling Thunder Run on Arlington Memorial Bridge in 2010
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| Genre | Motorcycle rally |
| Begins | Sunday, Memorial Day weekend |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Washington D.C. area |
| Inaugurated | 1987 |
| Previous event | May 26, 2013 |
| Next event | May 25, 2014 |
| Attendance | 350,000 (2008) |
| Organised by | Rolling Thunder |
| Website | |
| rollingthunderrun |
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Rolling Thunder is a United States advocacy group that seeks to bring full accountability for prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIA) service members of all U.S. wars. The group's first demonstration was in 1988. It was incorporated in 1995, and has more than 90 chapters throughout the US, as well as overseas.
Their main annual event occurs on the Sunday before Memorial Day, in which members make a slow ride on a dedicated, closed off, pre-set route, called Run to the Wall in Washington D.C., referring to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, also called the Ride for Freedom, which leaves the Pentagon parking lot at noon, crosses the Memorial Bridge, and ends at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. During the Rolling Thunder weekend, members and supporters spend time at the Thunder Alley (the official vendor site for the event), visit significant areas of Washington D.C., particularly the numerous memorials, and hear speeches given by members, supporters, military officials and politicians.
In 1987 Rolling Thunder made its first ride to the Vietnam War Memorial.
Ray Manzo, a former United States Marine Corps corporal,U.S. Army Sergeant Major John Holland (Ret.), Marine First Sergeant Walt Sides (Ret.) and Sergeant Ted Sampley (Ret.) are the four men that are credited with starting Rolling Thunder.
In 1987, Manzo visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., talked with fellow veterans, and first learned that American servicemen had been abandoned in Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. This was counter to his Marine Corps training to leave no man behind, and he became consumed with the idea that he must do something to bring attention to this issue. Manzo attended a POW/MIA vigil sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club when the idea came to him to host a motorcycle rally in the nation's capital to show the country and the world that U.S. prisoners of war and missing in action (POW/MIA) still mattered to their fellow servicemen and the country for which they sacrificed their freedom. (citation needed)
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Wikipedia