Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The members of District Three of the American Legion Riders, which includes Madison County, recently held a drawing to give a motorcycle to a deserving veteran from the area. The drawing took place on Saturday, June 3, during a celebration event at Ellie Ray's RV Resort and Lounge, in Branford. The winner was Billy Howard, of Lee, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who was injured in 1979 while serving in the Navy, nearly losing his right arm.
The American Legion Riders decided they wanted to do something for a deserving veteran. The decision was made to donate a motorcycle, along with all the needed safety equipment and training to go along with the motorcycle. Linda Hamby, owner of Hamby's Fruits and Veggies, in Madison, contacted the local American Legion Post, in Cherry Lake and offered her late husband's three-wheeled motorcycle (called a “trike”). Her late husband had been a veteran before his passing and enjoyed riding his trike. Since he passed away, the trike sat idle in Hamby's garage. She decided to donate the trike because she felt that is what her late husband would want her to do. The trike needed a great deal of repair work, so the local chapters comprising District Three of the American Legion Riders began holding fundraisers and reaching out to find a deserving veteran. The list of veterans was narrowed down to 12, with those 12 names going into a drawing. During the event on Saturday, June 3, Howard's name was drawn.
Butch Diehl, a member of both the American Legion Post 224, in Cherry Lake and a member of the American Legion Riders motorcycle group, was the brainchild and helped to spearhead the project. He expressed his appreciation to everyone involved in the project. “A huge shout-out to everyone that showed up to the bike giveaway,” said Diehl. “We all pulled together to make things happen. To the cooks and food preparation folks, 'thank you.' There were way too many to name. To those who volunteered to do any and everything, 'thank you.' All this could not have been done without each and every one of you.”
The American Legion Riders is an independent group of American Legion members who enjoy riding motorcycles and the fellowship that goes along with it. They help supplement the community service projects undertaken by the local American Legion Posts.