Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund leads Valley Forge ride to honor 58,281 names; organizers outline route and safety plan

Callie, a representative of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, opened the event at Valley Forge by saying the ride is meant "to honor and remember" the 58,281 individuals whose names appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She told participants the group would line up for a photo, then open the sides of a trailer containing "some of the more than 400,000 items that have been left at the wall since 1982 when it was dedicated."

The ride was introduced as a public remembrance and a welcome to veterans and their families. Callie invited participants to visit the Wall during the day or at night and said the organizers will present participants with a commemorative pin after they finish the route.

Montgomery County Commissioner Thomas De Bella offered brief remarks praising veterans and urging safety. "You are what makes America great," he said, recalling his prior participation when the ride was staged in Upper Providence Township.

Organizers then delivered a detailed safety briefing for the planned route through the Valley Forge area and parts of Montgomery Township. The briefing stated the group has a permit from Valley Forge and asked riders to avoid excessive noise and not to rev engines while exiting the park. Police motorcycles will assist at intersections and along the course, and riders were instructed to travel in a staggered formation and to "stay off the yellow line."

The briefing listed traffic and route details: organizers said there are three speed bumps in Upper Marion and three in Norristown Borough, that sections of DeKalb Pike have construction, and that viewing areas will include Valley Forge Casino, the 202 Parkway Trail near the Brady Bridge, Montgomery Elementary School, the Montgomery Township administration building and the Montgomery Township recreation center. The speaker set a target ride speed of "25 to 30 miles an hour throughout this ride" and told participants to be prepared to stop suddenly where needed.

Organizers also told riders to fall out of line and safely pull to the roadside for mechanical or medical issues; a tow truck will be in the ride to assist with vehicle problems, and participants were told to call 911 for emergencies. Riders who served in Vietnam or are veteran-era service members were asked to move to the front so they could be placed in front of the trailer.

The safety briefing closed with a request for a round of applause for police officers and first responders supporting the event. Organizers said the ride will end at a street park listed in the briefing as Windle Street Park; the briefing later also referenced "Wyndham Street Park," a discrepancy noted in the transcript of the event.