Ride Report for Ride Captain Fuzzy
We were invited to a Welcome Home/Surprise Birthday party by the family of SBE5 Shawn Allen. How could we say no to that.
So, on what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday afternoon 40 bikes and 4 cages rallied behind the Riverside Police Department to go get our Hero and escort him to the Dutch Wagon in Medford for a long awaited pretzel dog.
With Riverside P.D. leading the way we arrived at the home of Shawn’s mom Robin and step dad Phil where we  took Shawn totally by surprise. This was his 2nd Welcome Home and he sure wasn’t expecting to see all of us pull up out front. With a huge smile on his face he greeted us all and agreed to let us take him out for lunch.
It was a smooth ride, about 1/2 an hour in all, with Shawn sitting on the back of his parents convertible looking like the rock star he is.  Medford P.D. picked us up on Rt. 70 to make sure we got to the Wagon safely. Good thing there was a very long driveway. It gave us plenty of time to appreciate the huge flag Medford F.D. had set up between 2 ladder trucks. There were Boy Scouts saluting, patrons were cheering and as always, the wonderful people from Operation Yellow Ribbon had decorated with beautiful ribbons and flags lining the driveway.
After a short presentation from O.Y.R., including a proclamation read by Nino DePasquale from the Medford Returning Veterans Committee, WWR “coined” Shawn with a pretzel dog and sincere thanks for his service. We ended with a rousing WWR version of the Happy Birthday song. There was much laughter, hugs, mugs and most of all gratitude for men and women like Shawn Allen. As always you make us very proud.
Thank you for inviting us to this very fun and special day.
But most of all,
Thank You for Your Service Shawn Allen
Welcome Home
Fuzzy