Motorcycle parade honors two veterans, raises $3,300
The seventh annual Arkansas Honor Ride Purple Heart Parade, which traveled from Little Rock to Hot Springs Saturday, had an increase in participants, likely due to COVID-19 concerns canceling other events, and raised around $3,300 for veterans.
Wendell Roberts, director of Arkansas Veteran Support Services, which holds the event the first Saturday in October, told The Sentinel-Record prior to the motorcycle parade that due to COVID-19, it could be their largest turnout ever.
In 2019, the parade featured 64 motorcycles. While a final number for this year’s parade was not yet known, various event organizers estimated there were between 130 and 160 participating motorcycles.
The pandemic has forced many events to be canceled, including many motorcycle rallies. “With the COVID thing going on — Hot Springs rally being canceled — I think all the biker people like to get out and mingle,” Roberts said.
The motorcyclists met at Rock City Harley-Davidson in Little Rock, and at
10:15 a.m. they began their police-escorted parade. They drove through Hot Springs National Park and the downtown area before ending at the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park.
After the parade finished, a ceremony was held to honor two military veterans who both died in 2019. Roberts spoke about both U.S. Army veteran Jack Milton, who died on Oct. 20, 2019, at the age of
75, and Navy veteran Benjamin Haymon,
who died on Dec. 18, 2019, at the age of 110.
Roberts said Milton was “attacked by three gang members” who then stole many of his possessions. “We heard what happened to Jack, we used money we raised at fundraisers like this” to replace the “basic necessities we all take for granted,” he said.
“That was Jack Milton, what a great guy,” Roberts said.
As for Haymon, Roberts said he “defined humble.” They had learned Haymon didn’t have hearing aids and were able to get him some that same day, noting, “He was able to talk on the phone and hear his son for the first time in 20 years.”
“I miss my buddy Jack, and I miss my buddy Ben,” Roberts said.
The money raised on Saturday will now be used in similar ways to help other veterans, he said.
“If you guys know an aging veteran, go talk to them, they just want to share their stories,” Roberts said.
Terry Massey, president of Arkansas Honor Ride, called the event a success. “I think it was very good,” he said, noting how much money they were able to raise. “We had about 140 bikes show up, representing different motorcycle clubs.”
Mike Settles, vice president of Arkansas Honor Ride, also said he was happy with the event. “We had a good turnout, had a whole bunch of clubs join us,” he said, noting they “had about three times as many people this year as last year.”
Massey noted many of the parade participants were veterans. “Without our vets, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” he said, ‘ Our veterans have sacrificed so much for us to have our freedom. That’s why we do it.”