MILWAUKEE — A group of motorcycle enthusiasts with Milwaukee’s HOG chapter rode through the rain Sunday in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The group’s Assistant Head Road Captain Daniel Davis told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin they started the tradition in 2019 when the city stopped holding its Memorial Day Parade.
"We decided to pick something up to show our appreciation for our brothers and sisters who have passed and their time in services,” Davis explained.
Davis said he wants to help make sure people are recognizing Memorial Day for the right reasons.
“The barbecuing and everything is great. It’s a signal of the beginning of summer and everything but I wish — I hope that the families that are doing this are remembering what the meaning is for this day,” he said. “That they instill that on their children so that it just keeps going, getting passed on because if it doesn’t, it’s just going to all fall apart.”
It’s a message dad Josh Schedler from Grafton is on board with. Sunday, he brought his children to the Field of Flags display in downtown Milwaukee to learn about the history.
“We take for granted how easy it is to run around in the backyard and play a baseball game without any worries,” Schedler said. “I think it’s definitely important to understand there’s a lot of men and women who have made that possible for us.”
The more the 27 thousand flags on display represent every Wisconsinite killed in action dating back to the Civil War.
The group motorcycle ride began at State Fair Park and ended at the War Memorial Center in downtown Milwaukee.
Roughly 20 people took part, a decline from last year and the year before; then about one hundred riders made the trip. Davis said the rain Sunday deterred some from participating.
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