Motorcycle riders swarm freeways in appreciation of injured warriors
Drivers in Orange County may have found the back-end of their Friday morning commute a little less mundane with the spectacle of close to a thousand motorcycles parading from Irvine to Chino in a patriotic caravan steeped in camaraderie and benefiting a good cause.
The fourth annual Injured Warrior Appreciation Run to raise money for wounded U.S. military veterans has nearly doubled in size every year since it was established by the Orange Coast Harley Owners Group, or OC-Hog. Event founder and avid Harley rider Kim Kohlenberger said the goal is to raise $100,000 this year, up from about $30,000 when the ride first started in 2012.
“There are more than just Harley riders that are patriotic Americans that want to help out our service members,” said Kohlenberger, 57, while playing hooky from her job as a high school science teacher, “and so that’s why I opened it to all motorcycle riders.”
Starting at Orange County Harley-Davidson in Irvine, the pack moved out just before 10 a.m. with a police escort, snaking around three cloverleafs along the 405 freeway to reach open pavement. The nearly 50-mile route to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino was mapped out mostly over the 133 and 241 toll roads to minimize impact on local traffic.
With the cycle celebration-in-motion stretching up to two miles from head to tail, motorists taking note might have found they had something in common with some of the mostly leather-clad 1,200 riders and passengers.
“As far as the demographic goes, it’s all walks of life, all types of professions,” said 57-year-old electrical consultant and OC-HOG Director Steve Burke. “From teachers to doctors to lawyers to construction people, public service people, so it’s a wide variety of types of professions involved.”
Noting a large population of service veterans, policemen, firemen and other public service members among their ranks, organizers said the cause is a natural fit for the motorcycle riding community.
“I think its one of the greatest things there is. I’m very honored to be a part of it,” said Nicholas Dietz, 41, of Mission Viejo and a Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq without getting wounded. “I’m just honored here to help my brothers and sisters that got hurt and to do whatever I can to support them.”
Dietz was among a handful of speakers who addressed the gathering once the caravan rolled to its destination. Ceremonies also included fly-overs by vintage World War II aircraft at the starting point and finish line. A fleet of specially designed Camaros known as the 9/11 Angels served as escorts between the Irvine and Chino city limits.
The five Angel Camaros are detailed to honor the victims of the 2001 Twin Tower attacks, those at the Pentagon, the first responders who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as the 84 victims of the 1965 military plane crash out of Marine Air Station El Toro.
The event raises money through the $100 entry fee for each rider and benefits the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, a nonprofit veterans assistance program that Kohlenberger said she selected because 100% of the proceeds go to service members in need through the all-volunteer foundation.
Other support for the ride comes from companies like Jersey Mike’s, which donated lunch, and Caltrans, which waived toll road fees for all the riders.
“I’m glad to see we’re taking care of our own,” said Steve Nielsen, a 67-year old rider from Dana Point and Vietnam combat veteran. “I think the community still has a way to go, but groups like this pull together and take care of our own, that’s really what we’re seeing here.”