Welcome to the Warriors' Watch Riders!
The title of this news letter may sound a little strange if you are one who has been riding under the WWR banner for a year, two, or three. But, in looking over some records and statistics, it seems that in this, the third summer of life for the newborn Warriors' Watch Riders, membership is growing exponentially. Also growing is public awareness of and interest in the activities of the WWR - we have become well known in those areas where we operate. The main WWR website, what I've always called the "public face" of the WWR, gets over 4,000 unique hits per week. The forums, where we go to plan and where the public goes to see those plans, gets between 8,000 and 9,000 unique hits per week.
Mission requests - requests sent through the website for welcome homes for loved ones - come in at the rate of about 10 per day. (More on how we cover these requests later.) Some Warriors' Watch chapters get as many as 3 or 4 mission requests per day. (Right, Illinois?) and that's only the ones that come through the main website. Mission request can originate from many sources.
Total active membership is right at 5,000 (just over 5,000 in the member database, just under 5,000 on the forums.) This is a real number, for the most part active members, not just a count of everyone who ever logged on to the forums.
Get to the point, Lutz!
The point is that we have a lot of new members. In fact it's been a month since the last "Weekly" newsletter, and in that time the WWR has grown by several hundred. This newsletter is for you, the new member, as well as a sort of "refresher" for long-time members.
The point is that you are having a tremendous impact on the culture. "Thank you for your service" has become the thing to say to troops, "Welcome Home" has become the motto of many. People now even approach me in the supermarket to say "thank you for your service." It's a new era with new attitudes towards our troops and veterans, and it's all because of you and your actions.
It is the stated purpose of the WWR to inspire others - both individuals and organizations - to do what we do, to treat veterans the way we treat them, to see our nation's warriors as celebrities. In fact, this is one of the most fundamental differences between the WWR and another similar group - we encourage others to do what we do, we will never try to copyright "Welcome Home."
I have just returned home from a Welcome Home here in Southeast Pennsylvania. The soldier who was our subject was obviously very emotional at our appearance. It was a "run-of-the-mill" "Mug-n-Hug," the family at a backyard BBQ and we just roared into his street - engines gunning and horns blaring and police sirens wailing. A family member had told us that despite this soldier's TWO tours - one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, no one had ever said to him "thank you for your service." The soldier was near tears. The family, the friends and neighbors who came out to see what all the hubub was about, were awestruck. This is the power that you, the WWRider, wield.
For those of you who are new, this is an emotional experience that you will never forget. Being on the giving end of these welcomes gives you a feeling of accomplishment that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
When our warriors' experience this welcome home, they understand that their service was not in vain, that they did not serve a nation "for nothing" - in other words a nation that did not care that they were away from home risking their lives.
So welcome to the Warriors' Watch Riders! THANK YOU for joining us, and prepare to embark on an emotion-fueled ride of honor!
September 9-10-11, 2011
Believe it or not this year marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on America in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Warriors' Watch Riders members across the nation are gearing up for tributes and memorials and awareness rides and other funcitons to show that we have not forgotten. In the immediate aftermath of those murderous acts of war committed against the United States, the murder of 3,000 innocent Americans, we all swore that we would never forget. Nothing says "we remember" quite as loudly as a V-Twin engine at high RPMs, except maybe for 500 V-Twin engines at high RPMs.
Here in SEPA, we are honoring the victims of 9/11/01, and the thousands of military men and women who have lost their lives in the wars that grew out of the horrors of 9/11/01, with a 3-day weekend of activities.
First, to honor our troops. On day 1 of this 3 day weekend, September 09, 2011, the Warriors' Watch Riders will take part in the FOX29's annual Salute the Troops event, where they will block off Market Street in front of the FOX studios and have all manner of military displays and veterans support groups. WXTU will be doing a remote from there, and we will use the opportunity to spread the word to the military families of who and what the WWR is, so that they may avail themselves of our services. This will take place from 0700 to Noon, and we will begin setting up at 0500. Please follow this planning thread for more information.
http://forums.lutzkicksass.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1304377617
Next day, Saturday September 10, will be the Warriors' Watch Riders Ride of Honor and Rememberence. This is a big one - a group ride that will begin at Brian's Harley-Davidson, wind through beautiful and historic Bucks County, Pa, and stop at the Garden of Reflection and the Washington's Crossing National Veterans Cemetery. The symbolism should be clear - the Garden for the rememberence of the victims of 9/11, and the cemetery for rememberence of the military deaths that have come in the wars since.
The Garden of Refleciton is Pennsylvania's only official memorial to the victims of 9/11. It exists solely on donations and grants, and the costs of maintaining such an area of beauty are high, so public donations are absolutly vital to the survival of the memorial. See the Garden here:
http://www.9-11memorialgarden.org/
The Washington's Crossing National Veterans Cemetery is the nations newest Veteran Cemetery. It opened only this past January, and already there have been more than 3,000 burials there. (The Warriros' Watch Riders are honored to have been asked to tend to a monthly interment ceremony at W.C., held for the veterans buried during a given month who had no family to attend their funeral. We will be their families.)
See the cemetery (and visit the Washington's Crossing Historical area) here:
http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/
http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/washingtoncrossing.asp
Registration tables will be set up at Brians, but there is no registration fee. There will be vender and informational tables, and the vendors will be donating a portion of each sale made to the Garden of Reflection. Another table will be set up for the express purpose of collecting on-the-spot donations to the Garden (that money will be left at Brian's until delivery to the Garden can be made. The money from the venders will be sent by them directly to the Garden, so that no WWR member will handle any money for any purpose.)
Follow this thread for planning:
http://forums.lutzkicksass.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1289776753
Finally, day 3, September 11, 2011, the 10th Anniversary of a horrible day when thousands of innocents died, but when American re-awakened and found her soul. It was a time when villians were identified and heroes were born. The Garden of Reflection Memorial will be hosting a 10th anniversary ceremony, marking the precise times of the hit of each plane that day. The event is expected to draw thousands, and the Warriors' Watch will be playing a prominant role, along with the Fire and Police honor guards.
Many WWRiders will be coming here from around the country. For those of you from out of Pennsylvania who can make it, there are hotels near the activity that are offering discounted room rates to the WWR and other ceremony attendees:
The following hotels will be offering a Garden of Reflection discounted rate:
Hampton Inn + Suites, 1000 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA 19067 Alilssa Soto, Director of Sales: 215-504-9761 Homewood Suites by Hilton, 110 Pheasant Run, Newtown, PA 18940 Mark Auman, Director of Sales: 215-860-5080
All three of these days are early starts, so I hope y'all are "morning people."
For those of you who are coming from other states, I am very much looking forward to meeting my fellow riders. If you are not planning to come to SEPA, be sure to check your area's calendar and watch your email for events being held in your town to commemorate the day, and to remind the world that Americans have long memories.
May God continue to bless the United States of America, still the greatest nation the world has ever known, and may He bless and watch over all of those who defend her.
*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer, written to a friend who was feeling down, was read at her graveside:
"It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake."
Click here for a Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: "The Ride"
