The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rally for Troops honors sacrifice
The streets of downtown Cleveland were filled with the thunder of hundreds, if not thousands, of motorcycles rolling in for the 16th annual Rally for Troops April 29.
The crowd, which was made up of men, women and even a few children, gathered before the Greater Cleveland Veterans Memorial on the Fountain of Eternal Life on St. Clair Avenue with one purpose: to honor the sacrifice of those who have served and will serve our country in the armed forces.
As a cold wind whipped off Lake Erie, the bikes lined three city blocks along St. Clair Avenue; an imposing chromed steel reminder of those still holding candles for the service members who returned, never returned and who did not return whole to the land they fought to protect.
Before the rally began, the thousands of
attendees milled around the overcast mall talking and waiting in line for free coffee provided by the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Many purchased $10 rally pins, wearing those from past years on their vests.
Television personality Monica Robins served as mistress of ceremonies for the event and after a rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” began the festivities. She talked about on what her Korean War veteran father would think of recent reports of North Korea’s willingness to give up its nuclear weapons program if given guarantees the U.S. will not invade.
“I’m not sure he’d buy that yet, but I think he would be very happy to see some progress is being made at least in that part of the world,” she said.
Kurt Hoffacker, chaplain of the Blue Knights Ohio XV, gave the invocation in which he highlighted the reverence deserved by those honored in the rally.
“In this day, Lord, when heroes are regarded as those who wear the uniforms of pro sports or entertain us through Hollywood, Lord God, the true heroes are the armed forces,” he said as the crowd bowed their heads. “The men and women, Lord, who sacrificed their time and spent it to protect our freedom, Lord.”
Rally organizer John “KIKS” Kikol then took the microphone, placed in the shadow of the Fountain of Eternal Life, and pointed out the names memorialized on bronze plaques around the landmark.
“There are 5,552 patriot names that are listed around this memorial from years 1899 to 2014,” he said. “The Fountain of Eternal Life that is behind me symbolizes mankind reaching toward God, toward eternal peace for our nation’s fallen heroes.”
Kikol then spoke about the importance of not forgetting those who lost their lives in the battle for peace.
“On the back of the Wounded Warrior coin is a saying,” he said. “That saying is ‘The greatest casualty is to be forgotten.’ We are all here today as a testament to make sure that the men in women who gave their lives in combat will never be forgotten.
“Additionally, we’re also here committed to support the men and women who have come home from combat with visible and invisible wounds and make sure they’re given the medical attention that they earned and deserve from our Veterans Administration,” he said.
According to Kikol, more than 1,350,000 men and women have been killed in combat since the Revolutionary War; many of them still unable to legally purchase alcohol “But certainly old enough to die for the country that they loved.”
He said those that do return from combat often claim they are not the heroes, but those who did not return.
Kikol also explained the importance of reading the 281 names of men and women who have died in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“They are more than just names,” he said. “They represent somebody’s son, daughter, husband, wife, father or mother for thousands of Gold Star families. We pledge to the Gold Star families that we will never forget the ultimate sacrifice of their loved ones for our freedoms.”
He also highlighted the importance of remembering the three women killed in a shooting at a California veterans home in March, whose pictures were placed above a banner behind the microphone.
“Unfortunately, they ended up losing their lives in the service of men and women that have served our country,” he said. “It’s important that we remember the VA has a lot of really caring people that try to do their best job.”
Col. William “Ed” Meade, Fort Ohio Commander, spoke on behalf of Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., commander of the Ohio Army National Guard.
“The Ohio Army National Guard, like all other branches of service, has contributed greatly to this nation’s defense and paid a high price for that honor,” he said. “Just since 9/11 the Ohio Guard has lost 14 soldiers and one airmen in conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, so it’s important, at every opportunity, to say thank you and to acknowledge the sacrifice that they and their families made to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
Meade also asked the assembled to consider the issue of suicide among veterans and asked them to get involved in trying to end it.
“Nationwide, we lose a veteran almost every hour of the day,” he said. “While some improvement in VA mental healthcare has helped, there is much more to do and I believe the best way to tackle this devastating issue head on is through vet-to-vet support and counseling.
“Get involved, reach out to a vet in need, take that extra step, make that extra call it might be the difference.”
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael E. Jackson, who runs the county’s veteran treatment court and is a Vietnam War veteran, also took to the microphone and spoke about Staff Sgt. Keith Taylor, who ho had molded Jackson into a Marine officer.
“Staff Sgt. Taylor is perhaps the most influential person in my life other than my family,” he said.
“He took someone who thought he wanted to be a Marine officer and taught me how to be one. Every time I go to court, I think of him.
“We here gathered today are doing exactly what all of those who lost and did not come home would want us to do: do not forget.”
Sheila Nowacki, the mother of Lance Cpl. Andy Nowacki who was killed in Iraq in 2005, spoke about the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument which is set to be dedicated Aug. 31 in front of the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center at 10701 East Boulevard.
“The purpose of the monument is to have a place for the families of those that have lost someone to go to remember and to reflect,” she said. “To those who walk by or drive it will be a reminder that there are people who died in service for their freedoms, and try to remember them and the families that stood behind them.”
Nowacki, a Marine, was a from Painesville Township. Nowacki, who was also a police officer in Grand River, was riding as the gunner of the lead Humvee on a mission in Babil Province, Iraq, when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
The rally ended with the reading of names of the 281 Ohio men and women killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, followed by a 21-gun salute by Strongsville VFW Post 3345 and “Amazing Grace” played by the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums.