Words escape me not too often, but today I find myself having a hard time describing the emotions felt every time I looked in the rear view mirror and saw as far as I could see… a steady flow of motorcycle headlights!

But first allow me…

A young man, Jeff – double lung transplant recipient, met me at my residence at 5:30 AM. We fired up our scoots and started our trek… It was still dark as we headed south on Rt 10, then east on the PA Tpke. Along the way we “pick up” a lone biker with a WWR banner across the front of his scoot, Tom the Paramedic.

And then there were three…

We stop west of Rt 611 to “pick up” another biker & his bride, a living donor family with a son who’s a recipient, on a single scoot… we continue east on the pike as the light of day makes it arrival.
And then there were four…

We arrive at our rally point, Great American Pub, and see the steady growth of chrome & steel in the parking lot. Familiar faces and not so familiar, we exchange pleasantries, some had a bit of the “morning fare”, others chit-chatted. Soon thereafter we fire up our scoots and head towards the Middletown Twp PD.

And then there were many…

We were greeted at the township building by another gathering of bikes with the addition of six sharply attired in “motor unit” gear, keepers of the peace, standing next to their shiny, strobed and siren equipped iron steeds.

We gathered for a short briefing regarding the route of travel & other minor details. The theme of this day was shared – SERVICE. This ride came about due to a request for a couple of bikes to draw some attention to a worthy cause, organ & tissue donation, in a way never done before. That, a family, during their darkest moments, after a loss of a loved one, would pause and think of others in need is absolutely amazing and speaks volumes of our inherent giving nature. That, Chris Jones, Detective, Middletown Township Police Department, after having served his nation honorably in the US Navy, after having served his community as a police officer continues to serve even in his passing, by giving others the opportunity to live full normal lives via his donated organs, his Gift of Life, that in itself encompasses every meaning possible of the word SERVICE.

We saddle up shortly thereafter and as the rumble of the steeds interrupts the Sunday morning quiet,I looked around I saw Centurions… Bullets… HOGs… Patriot Guards… Angels… Warriors Watchmen.
I thought to myself… and then there was ONE!!!

We commence our mission officially at this point, the pre-amble being a drive through the portion of road on Rt 1 where Chris was fatally injured, as a show of respect. We then head south on I95, at a steady 40 MPH, all lanes to ourselves thanks in no small measure to the awesome job by our “keepers of the peace”. We finally made it to the Gift of Life building where a “reception committee of 2” was anxiously awaiting our arrival. One of them hopped on the back of one of the scoots and on to the museum it was. As we entered the traffic oval in front of the Museum of Art, the excitement of the crowd was immediately palpable with cheers & waves being drowned only by the rumble of steel. Of course we could not disappoint the crowd and responded to the “curtain call” by going around the oval once more.Over 70 motorcycles!!! What a sight!!!

After parking the bikes, we had a few photo ops and quite a few of us were approached by “dashers”, media types, transplant recipients and donor families… some curious about the “bikers” surprise kickoff for the event.. Others extremely grateful for the show of support and for bringing attention to the event. Specially the parents of the many kids that wouldn’t be there had it not been for someone like Chris.

In closing:
I and the Warriors Watch Riders, am extremely grateful to the Centurions MC, Bucks County HOG, Patriot Guard Riders, Bullets MC, Hillel’s Angels for their exemplary show of support and for riding today, as one, as “Team Jones”! (I apologize if I missed anyone – please email/PM me if I did).

To Lower Makefield and Bensalem Police Departments:

What we see as a flawless performance is what I know to be your operating standard – EXCELLENCE!Thank you for your support… Thank you for what you do day in and day out! May God watch over you always!!!

Middletown Twp PD Officer David Strother:

I believe I can speak for everyone involved today – It is an honor to have participated in this ride to honor a brother officer who gave so much in life and gave even more in his passing!Thank you as well for all you do to keep us safe!!!May God bless you and all the “guys in blue”, and may he keep you safe!!!
And to my fellow Watchmen:

I thank you for your support and am very proud of being part of this family which honors service and sacrifice. Many folks unfamiliar with us before are familiar now. The moniker “Warriors’ Watch” was voiced quite often today.We supported a worthy cause. What we do and who we do it for, has been learned by a few more folks today. We’ve done good!

Note: T, thanks for being a hell of a wingman!!!

Luis “Lou” Torres
SPOC LEO
2/57 ADA ’74 – ’76
New York State Police (Ret.)