Posted on 05/24/2008 12:23:04 PM PDT by Perseverando
Rolling Thunder, Inc. 21st Anniversary Memorial Day Demonstration in Washington, D.C., May 23-25, 2008, To Include Families of Iraq War POWs/MIAs
ROLLING THUNDER MISSION STATEMENT
The major functions of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. are to publicize the POW/MIA issue, to educate the public of the fact that many American Prisoners of War were left behind after all past wars, to help correct the past, and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War/Missing in Action. Rolling Thunder is committed to helping American Veterans from ALL WARS.
• Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States, and members abroad. Our membership consists of veteran and non-veteran men and women from all wars and peacetime. Visit us online at: www.rollingthunder1.com
• In 2007, Rolling Thunder Charities, Inc. was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This status enables individuals and corporations to receive a tax deduction for funds donated to Rolling Thunder Charities. These funds are used for veterans, active military and their families in need of help. No officers or members of Rolling Thunder, Inc. and/or Rolling Thunder Charities, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.
• We expend over $500,000 a year, nationwide, educating the public and increasing awareness about the POW/MIA issue and other injustices suffered by veterans and to improve legislation that would rectify the POW/MIA situation and improve veterans' benefits from all wars. The organization regularly donates POW/MIA flags to local area schools, youth groups, non-profit organizations and special interest groups, and organizes flag raising ceremonies promoting public awareness about the POW/MIA issue.
• The organization sponsors search and retrieval missions into Southeast Asia for POWs, MIAs, and the remains of those killed in action.
• Thousands of hours are logged in by Rolling Thunder members at local VA hospitals nationwide; members visit and provide moral support to nursing home veterans and patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We also provide food, clothing and financial aid to homeless veterans.
• Rolling Thunder, Inc. helped facilitate the publishing of a POW/MIA U.S. postage stamp through the U.S. Postal Service that displayed dog tags with the declaration, "POW & MIA - NEVER FORGOTTEN."
• H. Resolution 111 – We continue to lobby Congress with more than 260 co-sponsors to establish a Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. The Committee would conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, WWII, Cold War Missions, or Gulf War, including POWs and MIAs. Bring Them Home Alive Act of 2000 - Rolling Thunder, Inc. also co-authored the Bring Them Home Alive Act of 2000, which was co-authored and sponsored by Sen. Ben Nighthorse-Campbell. The Act grants refugee status in the United States to nationals of certain foreign countries in which American Vietnam War or Korean War POW/MIAs may be present, if those nationals assist in returning POW/MIAs alive.
Persian Gulf War POW/MIA Accountability Act of 2002, S.1339 - First introduced by Sen. Campbell in August 2001, the legislation amends the Bring Them Home Alive Act of 2000 and extends the granting of refugee status in the United States to nationals of Iraq or the Middle East region, providing the International Broadcasting Bureau, which includes the Voice of America, to broadcast information about the law in the Middle East. The need for this legislation is demonstrated by the case of SSgt. Matt Maupin (Army) captured 4/9/04, remains found, identified and returned 3/30/08, as well as, Pvt. Byron W. Fouty (Army) and Sgt. Alex R. Jimenez (Army), both captured 5/12/2007, and Capt. Scott Speicher (Navy), a Persian Gulf War Veteran who has been missing since 1991.
Rolling Thunder, Inc. continues to lobby for enhanced legislation for finding and returning American Prisoners of War, and for legislation to increase military funding to provide our troops with the proper combat protection gear, better compensation, and to provide our troops and veterans with better healthcare and disability benefits.
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Needs Your DNA
You may be able to help the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) identify America's missing heroes. If you are a family member of an individual who is Missing in Action from any war or conflict, JPAC may be able to use a sample of your DNA to help with the identification process. JPAC can only use samples from family members who share the same mitochondria DNA as the missing service member. To learn if you might be a donor for this program, visit JPAC online at www.jpac.pacom.mil. JPAC's mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of our nation's previous conflicts.
Link to: Rolling Thunder XXI Memorial Weekend Schedule May 23-25
Link to: ROLLING THUNDER XXI Press Room Page
Link to: MEDIA ADVISORY
Link to: ROLLING THUNDER XXI Itinerary
Link to: Click here for the ROLLING THUNDER, Inc. Information Sheet (Mission Statement)
Link to: Saturday's Program
Link to: Sunday's Program
Link to: Actor John Amos to Participate in Rolling Thunder XXI
Be advised C-SPAN is airing the "Rolling Thunder Rally at 5:30 pm EDT this afternoon and 1:00 am EDT Sunday morning.
If you can’t remember what a real American looked like, check out these people. They have not forgotten!
Post #9 of the article contains a link to a few pictures I hastily took. It was a beautiful sight! The pictures don't begin to do them justice.
Run For The Wall 2008 (Southern Route), Day 10, Salem, VA
Thank you and a BTTT!
You there?
Or going?
IN THEIR RUSH TO "NORMALIZE" RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM, THEY RAN ROUGHSHOD OVER THE POW/MIA HEARINGS.
THE SELECT COMMITTEE, ESTABLISHED AUGUST 1991, WAS TASKED WITH THE MISSION OF RESOLVING THE LINGERING POW/MIA ISSUE BY EITHER GAINING THE RELEASE OF AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR BELIEVED TO BE ALIVE UNDER THE CONTROL OF HANOI, BUT NEVER RELEASED, OR EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MISSING PRISONERS.
IN HINDSIGHT, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT MCCAIN AND KERRY WERE MORE INTERESTED IN USING THE SELECT COMMITTEE AS A MEANS TO JUSTIFY LIFTING THE U.S. IMPOSED TRADE EMBARGO AGAINST VIETNAM THAN RESOLVING THE ISSUE OF MISSING U.S. SERVICEMEN.
THE SELECT COMMITTEE WAS FORMED BECAUSE OF THE VOLUMES OF INTELLIGENCE POINTING TO THE EXISTENCE OF LIVE POWS STILL IN CAPTIVITY.
MCCAIN, THE "FORMER POW HERO," WASTED NO TIME MAKING HEADLINES BY ALLEGING THAT MOST OF THE ACTIVIST INVOLVED IN POW/MIA ISSUE WERE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY. HE STATED IN FRONT OF A ROOM FULL OF CAMERAS, "THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE THESE THINGS ARE NOT ZEALOTS IN A GOOD CAUSE. THEY ARE CRIMINALS AND SOME OF THE MOST CRAVEN, MOST CYNICAL AND MOST DESPICABLE HUMAN BEINGS TO EVER RUN A SCAM."
IN TWO SENTENCES MCCAIN EFFECTIVELY BRANDED NEARLY ALL THE ACTIVIST POW/MIA FAMILIES AND VIETNAM VETERAN ACTIVISTS AS "DESPICABLE" AND "CRIMINALS."
There is much more, but I’m on blood pressure medication as it is and when I begin thinking about what these 2 did, it shoots up about 50 points.
Michael
A Nam Vet
And started raking in the millions
"The select committee was formed because of the volumes of intelligence pointing to the existence of live POW's still in captivity"These two didn't use intelligence (all applications apply) but made their decisions to ignore the facts for politics and greed.
Shame on them.
Thanks for your Service, Vermont Vet.
Was trying to catch the Rally on C-Span and turned on the TV, and there’s Jimmy Carter speaking at Hamilton Jordan’s memorial service. Unbelievable!
My apologies to anyone tuning in due to my posting about the C-Span schedule. Hopefully he’ll be off soon.
RE: IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A FULL ACCOUNTING OF ALL MIA/POW’S, WE CAN THANK BOTH SENATORS JOHN (THE F’N TRAITOROUS RAT-BASTARD, SNAKE) KERRY AND HIS GOOD “BUD” JUAN (I WAS A POW SO YOUR DARE NOT CRITICIZE ME) MCLAME.
There has been too many for too long ignoring the POW’s/MIA’s from Vietnam.
We'll be participating in "Smokey Mountain Thunder" in East TN. Last year they had approximately 2500 motorcycles and that was incredible to be a part of. This is our way of riding in spirit with the folks in DC.
One year, we plan to join the Rolling Thunder event in DC.
RE: We’ll be participating in “Smokey Mountain Thunder” in East TN. Last year they had approximately 2500 motorcycles and that was incredible to be a part of. This is our way of riding in spirit with the folks in DC.
God bless you and everyone else there in “SMT.” Do you have any more info? Website?
Sorry, no.
Last time we went we sat outside the Pentagon from 10AM to 4PM, just waiting to move.
The friends we rode in with stayed after we bugged out [dogs at home needing tending] and they said they didn’t actually start rolling until almost 5PM.
There were 635,000 bikes, so I heard.
We went every year back when it was “small” but now people go days ahead, book motels and then leave somebody sleeping with the bikes just to get a place in line.
I really, REALLY miss it but with the dogs, there’s just no way we can be gone for 48 hours.
God bless everybody who is going.
Those vets appreciate it more than most people could ever understand.
[and half a million+ Harleys running all at once ~sounds~ freaking AWESOME!].......LOL!
Thank you for this very important post.
FOX just had Pres. Bush meeting with Artie Mullen (hope I got his name right) but they kind of broke off early after Pres. Bush put the vest on that they presented to him.
Hope someone posts a pic of that.
Next time if you want to fax or email me the dogs, I'll look after them for you...
:>)
It's an awesome event. What a great way to honor those that gave; especially those that gave all or are still giving as POW’s.
My son said the other day he had tickets for The Redwood Run and ran the dates by me.
Our secretary said to me, “That's Father's Day Weekend” so I said to my kid, “Oh, that's my present?”
Ungrateful little brat, he said no
LOL
We drove up last year, it was a blast.
It's held in our old neighborhood
I liked seeing the grin on Bush, when he saw the vest...he could not “tear off his jacket and tie fast enough.
The flag on the chest immediately made me think of “Mr., no flags please, Obama”. ( I did not let it spoil the moment)
He worked to adjust the hat “just right”.
It was a pleasure to watch the report on TV.
Impressive demonstration by Rolling Thunder.
As John Sidney stated, we are in Iraq for the oil.
Thanks, Michael. The pieces are beginning to fall into place. I was up there this weekend with 2 ‘Nam vets who have befriended me.
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