Facebook  Twitter  Google+  Instagram  Pinterest  Flickr  YouTube

Sixth Annual Miles for Minutes Motorcycle Ride

Written on: July 2nd, 2010 in Guest Posts, Recognizing State Employees

Guest Post from Major General Frank Vavala, Delaware National Guard:

I was honored to kick off the Sixth Annual Miles for Minutes motorcycle ride, a fantastic event hosted by Clear Channel Media, WDSD radio, and the Delaware National Guard. The event raises money for the purchase of phone cards through the USO that are sent to Delaware servicemen around the world.  The Delaware Guard has about 250 Soldiers and Airmen deployed, but countless other Delaware residents are serving as well.

What a great day it was! The weather couldn’t have been nicer and the smiles were as bright as the sun. The event has become a “base-to-base” operation, with the rally starting and ending at military facilities. This year it started at the Delaware Army National Guard’s River Road Training Site in New Castle. The ride takes the biker-patriots along scenic Route 9 and ends at Dover Air Force Base’s Air Mobility Command Museum.

There were almost 700 motorcycles and nearly 1000 participants in this year’s event. It speaks volumes about how the Delaware community supports our troops. I couldn’t be more proud to be a First Stater than on a day like this.

The riders raised enough money to buy almost 750,000 minutes this year. That’s right, almost a quarter of a million minutes!  That’s a lot of talking, and I am sure the men and women in the Armed Forces serving around the world will be glad to have a free opportunity to call their loved ones.

I want to personally thank Eric Fendt from WDSD for the tireless work he and his team do in putting this event together. Also, thanks to Joan Cote from USO Delaware for getting these cards to our troops. But most of all, thanks to all the riders who registered and rode to make this event such a success.

For news on the Delaware National Guard, please visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

Tags: Delaware, Delaware National Guard, Major General Frank Vavala, motorcycle, National Guard