9/11 Remembrance Ride
By - Kevin Irwin - Chapter Secretary/Webmaster and Ride Leader
Photo Credits: Eddie Valle
On Saturday 9/11/21 twelve members of IMRG Chapter 1963 gathered to remember the victims of the terror attack on September 11th, 2001.
The group stood together at 9:20 am while I reviewed the time line of horrid events that occurred twenty years ago.
8:46 AM: Hijackers crash Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
9:03 AM: Hijackers crash United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
9:37 AM: Hijackers crash American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
9:59 AM: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
10:03 AM: Passengers launch a counterattack on hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93. The hijackers crash the plane into an empty field near Shanksville, Pa.
10:28 a.m.: The north tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
Confirmed fatalities that day include 246 crew and passengers onboard the four fatal flights, 2,606 victims at the World Trade Center, and 125 civilians and service men and woman at the pentagon.
The group then traveled to the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in a ride to remember those lost on September 11th, 2001 and those servicemen and woman who were then tasked to stand and defend our country in the War on Terror.
It was a beautiful morning with a warm sun and gentle breeze. The group arrived at the cemetery and parked in the arched circle near the flags recognizing the service branches. Some members set off to locate graves of friends lost, while others sat and discussed the weighty significance of the day that changed the world as we knew it.
After a brief moment of silence in a circle around the half masted flag, the group slowly departed. As I road along, I thought about the freedom we enjoy as Americans. How it was attacked that day and how it was ultimately defended. I looked at the flags that members were proudly displaying on their motorcycles and realized how intertwined my sense of freedom is with my motorcycling. While “Riding Free” that morning my sense of sadness was replaced with feeling of gratefulness. I was grateful I was riding free with this group of friends.
