Community welcomes NVAR participants

Riders stop in Evanston as they honor, support veterans

Mandee Leonhardt, Herald Reporter
Posted 5/25/17

Veterans awareness ride stops in Evanston

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Community welcomes NVAR participants

Riders stop in Evanston as they honor, support veterans

Posted

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”

 – President Harry S. Truman 

EVANSTON — For 10 years, the National Veterans Awareness Ride has rolled through the city of Evanston. 

Last week, on Thursday, May 18, veterans from all over joined together for their annual ride from Sacramento to Washington, D.C., where they time their ride to arrive at the Washington Monument in time for a Memorial Day ceremony. Despite the cold and snowy weather, they got into town just as planned. A few local bikers even rode to Echo and back to Evanston to escort other ridres.

During their stop in Evanston, riders gathered at the Uinta County Complex to enjoy a performance by the Evanston High School choir. The choir sang them a few musical numbers, and had a moment of silence for the soldiers who never returned home. 

Following the ceremony, riders headed to the VFW, where they were shown thanks and appreciation with a filling dinner and drinks. They also raffled quilts and a few guns. 

There were veterans from every war dating back to WWII. 

NVAR participants said the reason they do the event is to recognize and honor veterans, as they deserve.

“We are making it a point to thank and welcome every veteran home. As a veteran, we take an oath; even if we’re not in active duty, we still take that oath very seriously,” said Jason, Utah’s state coordinator for the ride (participants asked to be identified by their “rider names” only).

Evanston’s organizer Lexi Lamb, with help from members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4280, made the event a success, truly showing the appreciation for veterans and their service. 

“It’s great to be an American,” Bruno, a second-year rider, said. “It’s great to see the people who have served doing this. It’s good to know after you come back from a combat zone, people thank you. It’s great to be an American, man. It’s the greatest country in the world.” 

Jason said his group started out in Roy, Utah, and met others in Wendover, Nevada.

“Utah is the only state that does a state-line-to-state-line escort,” he said. “We will actually ride three states in a day, which is quite a bit. We had the opportunity to ride all four seasons.”

Jason talked about some children he had seen at the earlier ceremony, parading across the street, waving the flag.

“The experience is undefinable,” he said. “If you’ve ever seen something really moving and basically your heart jerked out, well up in tears, that’s the entire day. I saw little kids today waving the flag, it makes me tear up. That little kid has no reason, no idea why he is waving that flag, but he knows he was told to do it. And he gets excited seeing all these men and women on motorcycles.” 

Some of the Utah crew headed back to Salt Lake the night of the event. 

Riders said they are very thankful for the event that gets held in Evanston — many of whom said the hospitality Evanston community members show them is amazing.