Motorcycle tour to aid veterans likely to top $200,000
Those who have been wounded will benefit from the ride
A motorcycle ride that covered 48 states rolled into its final stop Saturday, raising about $200,000 for wounded veterans.
The 110-day journey sponsored by the Nation of Patriots, a nonprofit group that assists veterans and their families, ended in Beaver Dam with about 500 bikers crossing the finish line.
No one rode the tour’s entire 14,000 miles, but some people covered multiple states.
Altogether, about 15,000 motorcyclists participated in the ride that began May 26 in Madison and was marked by a large American flag that was carried the entire way.
The ride gets bigger every year, said Wade Fletcher, who helped organize the first Patriot Tour in 2010.
“This year we are expecting to top $200,000 in a comfortable fashion,” Fletcher said.
Nation of Patriots, founded in Wisconsin, says it is run entirely by volunteers and that expenses are covered by corporate sponsors and T-shirt sales.
“It’s important for people to know that 100% of their donations go to the veterans. There are no administrative fees,” Fletcher said.
The group works closely with Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals to identify wounded vets and their families in need.
Veterans can use the money for many things including household expenses, medical bills and mortgage payments.
“We have a pretty simple goal, really, and that’s to help as many veterans as we can,” Fletcher said.
“There’s always more help needed than money available,” he added.
The tour covered more than 100 destinations, with a flagraising ceremony at each of them and thousands of people lining the streets as bikers rolled into town.
The stories that veterans share at the flag-raising events and during the ride are powerful, according to Fletcher.
“It’s very emotional, very rewarding, and sometimes very sad,” he said.
Many vets turn to motorcycle riding as their prescription for finding peace after war.
Riding, they say, often lets them set aside their problems for a short time, and the camaraderie with other bikers rekindles good memories of their time in the military.
It’s also helpful in dealing with some of the bad memories, they say.
“You can sit down with another vet and have a heart-toheart talk … even when they aren’t going to open up to a parent, spouse or counselor,” said Ted Palmatier, an Army veteran with the DMZ Motorcycle Club in Burlington.
“When I talk with a younger person, it’s also good for me. It’s kind of a soul cleansing,” Palmatier said.
DMZ works closely with the Veterans Home in Union Grove. It’s also a peer-to-peer group that helps vets address many issues including housing and employment.
“One of our goals is to get the younger vets to accept the fact that we, as a whole, can help them conquer their problems,” Palmatier said.
Also, Saturday, Rolling Thunder, a national motorcyclist group that advocates for veterans, POWs and MIAs, donated $10,000 to Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin.
Veterans Outreach, based in Racine, assists homeless and at-risk vets. It runs the James A. Peterson Village in Racine that provides transitional housing.
A big part of what the motorcycling community does is to help veterans, said Jeff Gustin, Veterans Outreach cofounder.