Ride Report for Ride Captain RJ
Once again we gathered from across Northern Illinois at the Lake Forest (IL) Oasis for a ride up to General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee, WI to welcome home a group of WWII vets returning from their Honor Flight.   
For so many reasons those men and women will always have a special place in our hearts, for they are truly special.  They have demonstrated the resilience of the American spirit through depression and war.  They have been models of selflessness and patriotism.  They are humble, they are gracious and they are leaving us all too quickly.
So we came from near and far to our meeting place at the top of Illinois for the hour trip to Milwaukee, enjoying the comradery and anticipating time we will get to spend with our heroes.  Upon arrival in Milwaukee we parked our bikes in a specially designated area, assembled our flags and proceeded into the terminal to await the flight from Baltimore.
Forming our flag line, we waited for the mostly wheelchair-bound contingency of 7 Army vets and one (female) Navy vet to make their way from the gate.  Seeing their faces as they spotted our flag line and heard the cheering made it all worthwhile for us and the waiting families behind us.  After hugs and pictures in the terminal we loaded up and mounted up for the 90 minute ride to Palatine, IL.
Lake County (IL) Sheriffs were on hand as we exited the tollway to escort us through 5 or 6 towns to our destination, Splinters Sports Bar where we were greeted by more flags, more pictures and more cheers.  A brief ceremony hosted by Veterans Network Committee and Honor Flight McHenry included our WWR presentations and a few words from our heroes.  One after another they thanked everyone, told of their 3-day trip to Washington, DC and each one ended by saying how our flag line and the 90-minute motorcycle escort were the highlights of their trip. 
I smile every time I think about that.  In a nutshell, that is exactly why we do what we do and the next time someone asks, that’s exactly what I’m going to tell them.
RJ