Thank You
In my typical procrastinating nature, I’ve waited till the last minute to write my editorial. This month I knew that the Laughlin River Run was coming up at the end of our production cycle so I postponed writing this in hopes I would see or do something on my Laughlin trip that would inspire an editorial. After a fun weekend trip, riding home I had a few ideas in my head of what I would write about. Then as I decompressed on the couch that Sunday evening the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden by one of our military’s precision Navy SEAL units was forever etched into my memory. Just as the memory of exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard about the attacks on September 11, 2001, I will never forget where I was or what I was doing the evening of May 1, 2011.
Sitting there watching the news reports, I reflected back to that tragic day almost exactly 10 years ago. While many of the innocent victims who lost their lives and their grieving families and friends were on my mind, I also thought of the brave men and women who risked or sacrificed their lives to try and save all those they could. From firefighters to policemen and women, emergency respnders, and all the random bystanders who helped pull people from the ruble and ashes; all those heroes were on my mind. I then began to think about the thousands of men and women who from that day have gone on to fight and protect our country against terrorism and risk their lives to ensure we still have our safety and freedom.
Reeling with thoughts and memories, I was brought back to my trip to Laughlin, and more importantly, the people I spent it with. Over the past few years, I have become good friends with a group of guys who are all firefighters. And from hanging out with them (and my step-father who is a retired fireman) I have learned that while they all love to ride motorcycles, work on motorcycles, and talk about motorcycles as much as I do, they love their jobs just as much if not more. And I get it. Just like we motorcycle enthusiasts feel a brotherhood with those that we ride and hang with, firefighters, police officers, and our military personal have an even stronger bond of brotherhood with those they work with as their safety and lives while on the job depend on it.
While working on the magazine over the years, I have made many friends and acquaintances with readers and other industry people who are firemen, police officers, and military members who share the same passion and enthusiasm for motorcycles as I do. And while I always try to help them out with placing their letters or pictures in the magazine, the one thing I’ve come to realize I might not do enough for them is say thank you. So to all those I know and the many more that I don’t know, thank you for protecting our lives and safety. Thank you for risking your lives to protect and help us when in need. And thank you for the sacrifices you make or have made to ensure our freedom.
Until next time,
