Where veterans thrive.

Help Darwin Motorcycles reach their goal to give $10,000/month to Pros For Vets, (whose mission is to help vets get free legal assistance) AND ALSO to help Darwin Motorcycles give away 1 free motorcycle a month to a service member or vet.

You can help by joining their “Insiders Club” and get unlimited discounts on parts & apparel. Be eligible for weekly give-aways. Get “behind the scenes” and “how to” videos. And if you start your membership with 3 months, get a free exclusive Insiders Club shirt (that is not available for sale). 

Membership starts at a low $4.95/month and $1 of that goes to Pros For Vets. No contracts. Moneys are used to help give bikes to our troops as well as provide free legal services for our troops.

Join today. Go to http://www.brassballsbobbers.com/insiders_club.aspx

We firmly believe in their cause and ask you to support it. 

When prompted, select “referred by CAMMO/Rolling Thunder Washington DC Inc.”

[MAY 15, 2012 - WASHINGTON D.C.] Rolling Thunder in Washington, D.C., is an annual motorcycle Demonstration Run that attracts well over 450,000 motorcycles and one million attendees and this milestone year will pull many more supporters. For this Memorial Day weekend event five tribute custom bike builds will be unveiled on Saturday, May 26, to honor Rolling Thunder XXV.

Jay Allen of Jay Allen’s Road Show and creator of the legendary Broken Spoke Saloon managed the tribute build project. Allen’s custom built U.S. Army bike, featuring an S&S Cycle engine and Baker Drivetrain transmission, inspired the bike build concept back in August 2011 at Sturgis when he was approached by Walt Sides and Ted Shpak, executives of Rolling Thunder, Washington, D.C., Inc.

The other tribute motorcycles were built by four distinct builders: Brigitte Bourget of Bourget’s Bike Works, tribute to U. S. Marine Corps; Dar Holdsworth of Darwin Motorcycles, tribute to U.S. Navy; Mike “Kiwi” Tomas of Kiwi Indian Motorcycle Company, tribute to U.S. Coast Guard; and Billy Lane of Chopper’s Inc., courtesy of Avon (Fla.) Correctional Institution, tribute to U.S. Air Force. These historic motorcycles are now on their way to Washington, D.C.

“I look forward to seeing the reaction on everyone’s faces when they see these five bikes roar to life as if reporting for duty, paying homage to our troops around the world,” said Jay Allen who will emcee the unveiling at the tribute stage. “These bikes, built by some of the best builders in the industry, are on a mission to honor each branch of the military as a symbol of strength, courage and power as they tour major venues across the country.”

Mike “Kiwi” Tomas departed from La Quinta, California, for his cross country journey to Rolling Thunder and is expected to arrive in D.C. on May 24. Saddled on his tribute Coast Guard bike–a customized 1945 Indian Chief, Kiwi Mike is making a number of significant stopovers and his adventure can be followed at kiwiindian.com. “We are about as sweet a spot we could be! The bike is getting its miles on now during this amazing Ride to the Wall,” said Tomas.

“The Kiwi Coast Guard bike build will be in our August issue, with the completed bike feature in the September issue,” said Chris Maida, editor of American Iron magazine. “Mike has done a fantastic job and we’re very proud to be featuring his creation and to be honoring the Coast Guard.”

Navy Defense Media filmed Dar Holdsworth’s Navy tribute bike build and will air it on Armed Forces Network and www.navy.mil. “We have been involved in some very important builds. But none more than this. What Rolling Thunder symbolizes to me is remembrance and honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” explained Dar, a Desert Storm Air Force veteran. “We as a country can never leave anyone behind and never forget. Our servicemen gave their all. And we are giving our all on this Navy bike to pay tribute. It is simply the very best bike we have ever built. We are honored to be part of this historic event.”

Brigitte Bourget of Bourget’s Bike Works continues to keep her U.S. Marine bike top secret and the editors of The Horse Backstreet Choppers are keeping Billy Lane’s tribute build to the U.S. Air Force under tight wraps.

The bikes will be unveiled May 26 in the afternoon at the C*A*M*M*O (Center for Military Music Opportunities) Tribute Stage located at Henry Bacon and Constitution Avenues, NW Washington, D.C., just across from Thunder Alley.

Each bike build is exclusively assigned to appear in a leading motorcycle publication: U.S. Marines – Iron Works, U.S. Navy – Cycle Source, U.S. Coast Guard – American Iron, and U.S. Air Force – The Horse Backstreet Choppers. The U.S. Army bike was previously featured in American Iron.

“What an honor it is for American Iron Magazine to be a part of this very special event and bike build,” Maida went on to say. “Rolling Thunder’s work on behalf of all our troops is so very important and needed. We can never forget the many sacrifices of our military personnel.”

These road-worthy bikes will tour around the country with the traveling “Wall that Heals” and at various military installations and events, Veteran Affairs locations, major motorcycle rallies, and potentially taken overseas to the troops. A title sponsor for the tribute bike tour is being sought now.

“The tribute build came together even better than we could have hoped. The dedication of these builders really shows in these magnificent bikes. We’re tremendously grateful to them and to all the sponsors who came to the table to support the builders and Rolling Thunder XXV,” said Ted Shpak, President of Rolling Thunder, Washington D.C, Inc.

Rolling Thunder’s First Amendment Demonstration Run for the Prisoner of War, Missing in Action (POW/MIA) issues has also evolved to be a display of patriotism and respect for service members and veterans from all wars. The Demonstration Run is Sunday, May 27. www.rollingthunderrun.com

# # #

Media Relations:

Cathie Lechareas
C*A*M*M*O*
703-518-3162
cathie@cammomusic.org

Carol Mittelsdorf
Jay Allen Productions
917-763-1334
carol@mittelsdorf.com

Sasha Mullins Lassiter
Jay Allen Productions
917-514-0058
jayallensroadshow@gmail.com

David Foster and Friends tribute to U.S. Military

Alexandria, VA – Award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band will kickoff the entertainment portion of the Center for American Military Music Opportunities’ (C*A*M*M*O) tribute to Rolling Thunder’s 25th anniversary, on Saturday, May 26, at a special stage set up at the intersection of Henry Bacon Drive and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. The tribute provides a fitting salute to Rolling Thunder’s annual Demonstration Run on May 27 for Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIAs) and to show patriotism and respect for service members and veterans from all wars.
Sinise’s band is one of several musical acts, including nationally recognized military artists who have signed on to support the tribute, which begins at 11:45 a.m. and continues through 8 p.m. A series of guest speakers (to be announced over the next few weeks) will include prominent POW/MIA, military and veterans affairs leaders and activists.
A highlight of the tribute will be the unveiling of five custom-made “tribute” motorcycles—one for each branch of military service—built especially to commemorate the Rolling Thunder XXV anniversary. After the speakers and bike presentations, music will continue well into the evening as many talented entertainers continue to pay tribute to Rolling Thunder, including the following C*A*M*M*O artists:
• Singer/songwriter and U.S. Marine Mike Corrado, who has gained national attention with music videos on CMT and GAC and performed both as a headliner and in support of artists such as Bon Jovi, Black Eyed Peas, John Mayer, Train, and more
• Dale Beatty and his band, Outlaw 2 1 will be bringing that North Carolina rockin’ country sound to D.C., with Iraq war veteran SSG Dale Beatty on drums . This will be Outlaw 2 1’s third appearance in support of the Rolling Thunder Memorial Day weekend program, and their debut as a CAMMO artist. They appeared most recently at the Sturgis (S.D.) Buffalo Chip along with musical legends Stevie Nicks and John Fogerty.
• Singer/songwriter, U.S. Navy veteran and NBC Nashville Star finalist Tommy Stanley, who has performed alongside country artists such as Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, and Billy Ray Cyrus and has opened for acts such as Switchfoot, Tracy Lawrence, Edwin McCain, and John Michael Montgomery.

C*A*M*M*O is also expecting a number of additional “special” guests, to be announced later. Complete details of the program, as well as speaker and entertainer biographies, will be available soon in an online press room on C*A*M*M*O’s web site, on the Rolling Thunder Washington, D.C. web site, and a mobile app that will be available shortly.

ABOUT C*A*M*M*O
C*A*M*M*O is a 501c(3) non-profit organization founded in 2009 by U.S. Navy veteran Cathie Lechareas and U.S. Army veteran Victor Hurtado that believes in the healing power of music. Run by veterans for veterans and active-duty service members, C*A*M*M*O develops military and veteran artists, technicians, writers and musicians at its C*A*M*M*O centers. Concurrently it is developing military-specific music therapy programs providing qualified music therapists who can assist past and present service members who are suffering neurological impairments such as traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. For more information about C*A*M*M*O, visit their web site.

ABOUT ROLLING THUNDER WASHINGTON, D.C., INC.
Rolling Thunder-Washington, D.C., is a 501c(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to make certain that we, as a nation, neither neglect our prisoners of war nor forget our missing in action. Founded in 1987 by four Vietnam veterans—Cpl. Ray Manzo, Sgt. Major John “Top” Holland, Staff Sgt. Ted Sampley, and 1st Sgt. Walt Sides, the organization’s most visible outward symbol is the annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run through the nation’s capital every Memorial Day weekend. The rally began in 1988 with just a few hundred motorcycles and now attracts hundreds of thousands of participants from all over the world. A less visible, but equally important, expression of our mission is our legislative efforts. We strive to affect national policy in a way that will assist POW/MIAs. We wrote, got introduced and passed, the Missing Service Personnel Act of 1984. For more information, visit Rolling Thunder Washington, D.C., Inc.’s web site at www.Rollingthunderrun.com.

ABOUT GARY SINISE AND THE LT. DAN BAND
Gary Sinise, nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Lt. Dan—the character who lost both legs in battle in “Forrest Gump”—and the star of CBS’ popular “CSI: New York”–is also an accomplished musician. He formed the Lt. Dan Band in 2004 primarily for USO Tours, but now performs 30 to 40 fundraising concerts a year to entertain troops and families, to raise funds for charitable efforts to help wounded warriors and families of the fallen, and to support charities devoted to the same. In 2011 he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation, dedicated to serving the Nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities. For more information, go to www.GarySiniseFoundation.org.

JANUARY 20, 2012 – WASHINGTON, D.C. Memorial Day Weekend marks the 25th Anniversary of Rolling Thunder in Washington D.C., an annual Demonstration Run that attracts over 450,000 motorcyclists and over one million attendees. C*A*M*M*O will be presenting a Tribute Stage for special entertainment to commemorate Rolling Thunder’s 25th Anniversary. The event will take place Saturday May 26, 2012 from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm and will be located Constitution Ave and Henry Bacon Dr., NW.

The tribute event will feature top musical entertainment including nationally recognized military artists, and speakers. Cathie Lechareas, Executive Director of C*A*M*M*O states; “C*A*M*M*O would like to recognize the work that Rolling Thunder has done for our veterans throughout the last 25 years, from Legislation to Charities.”

A commemorative custom bike build project that represents each branch of the military will feature the stellar talents of the following four legendary builders; Brigitte Bourget of Bourget Bike Works, Dar Holdsworth of Darwin Motorcycles, Billy Lane of Choppers Inc., Kiwi Mike of Kiwi Indian Motorcycle Company. The bikes will be unveiled on the Tribute Stage. Jay Allen, an icon in the motorcycle culture, creator of the world famous Broken Spoke Saloon, and the facilitator of the bike build endeavor will emcee from the Tribute Stage. “It is an honor to be a part of this history-making weekend recognizing 25 years of Rolling Thunder. My deepest gratitude goes out to the Servicemen and Servicewomen of our fine country” Allen said.

C*A*M*M*O’s mission is three goals and each goal centers on opportunities.
• The opportunity to participate in therapeutic programs that provide outlets for our service members and veterans
• The opportunity for our service members and veterans to be trained and receive an education in music industry and other music industry related career choices
• The opportunity to receive proper instruction in order to become top professionals in the entertainment industry

Rolling Thunder’s Demonstration Run is not only a demonstration for the Prisoner of War, Missing in Action (POW/MIA) issue but also a demonstration of patriotism and respect for service members and veterans from all wars. C*A*M*M*O salutes Rolling Thunder, veterans and our all service men and women. www.cammomusic.org