Getting their motors runnin
Getting their motors runnin’
Veterans’ group to ride into town Wednesday
By JANE NORDBERG, DMG Writer
HANCOCK — The sound of roaring engines will be heard across the Upper Peninsula as members of the Forgotten Eagles make their annual motorcycle ride Wednesday to raise awareness for veterans issues.
The Forgotten Eagles is a veterans organization that does most of its traveling on motorcycles.
At approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday, members from Chapter 1 from the eastern side of the U.P. and upper lower peninsula will reach the Baraga and Houghton county line, where they will be escorted by local law enforcement to Veterans Park in Houghton.
A short ceremony will be held at the park, followed by dinner at the American Legion Alfred Erickson Post 186 in Hancock.
Forgotten Eagles member Dennis Cleary said the ride will not only raise awareness for the group, but also has been a successful fundraiser in the past.
“Our main goal is to get MIA and POWs back to the United States,” said Cleary, president of the newly-formed Chapter 2. “We think a lot more can be done at the Washington D.C. level than what is being done to get these people back home.”
Last year’s ride generated $13,000 for the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, which is donated to the Jacobetti Home in Marquette. The donation was the largest donation to Michigan veterans in history, breaking the record-setting Forgotten Eagles donation of $12,000 from 2004.
“Obviously, we’re hoping to raise at least $14,000 this year to break that record again,” said Cleary.
Legions, VFW organizations and local businesses have helped to raise about $400 over the last month, he said.
“We’re extremely grateful to the businesses and organizations who have helped us out,” he said.
Support for the organization in the western U.P. is growing, Cleary said, and a new chapter has been formed to accommodate that interest.
There are five different chapters in the state of Michigan, and when Chapter 2 in the Lower Peninsula folded, Cleary, of Dollar Bay, asked if he could start a new Chapter 2 on the west end of the U.P.
“It was getting pretty hard to attend chapter meetings way over on the east end,” he said.
The new chapter, established in February, only has three members but Cleary is welcoming more.
“We hope that anyone who wants to ride with us will know they are welcome to do so,” he said of Wednesday’s event.
About 30 Forgotten Eagles members are expected, but they are typically joined by many more as they ride through the county, Cleary said, with about 60 people coming through last year.
“We had a big group, and we’re hoping the same will happen this year,” said Cleary, who has received interest from local motorcyclists in the L’Anse and Baraga areas. “We’d like any support we can get.”
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com
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