A massive motorcade makes a 50-mile journey to honor fallen veterans who have no family or friends to lay them to rest.
More than 200 motorcyclists joined ‘The Unforgotten, Run to Tahoma’ on Saturday.
The trip began in Port Orchard from the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office to escort seven veterans to their final resting place at Tahoma National Cemetery.
“It’s exciting, it really is. How many times do you ride and accompany your brothers and sisters to their final resting place,” said veteran Edgar Martin.
Martin is one of the pilots who supported unclaimed veterans.
“It’s the United States military, period. We are all brothers and sisters, we all look out for each other. It’s one big happy family, no matter the circumstances,” Martin said.
This tradition began in 2008 to support veterans to ensure they are never alone.
“No one should be there alone. We are there for them, we are family to make sure they are in their final resting place,” said Mark D. Lowe, vice chairman of the Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Council.
Lowe is a Navy veteran himself, having been along for the ride since freshman year.
It is a tradition that emerged outside the state.
“A funeral home in Missouri was sold and they found remains there and discovered that some of them were unclaimed,” Lowe explained. “The question was asked: Who do we have in our county?”
That’s what brought the idea to Washington. Since then, the 50-mile drive to Tahoma National Cemetery has continued to grow.
“You get emotional because you know these people wouldn’t be here if they didn’t care,” Lowe said.
The Unforgotten, Run to Tahoma Celebration of Life Ceremony is organized by the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, Kitsap County Medical Examiner, Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Council and Combat Veterans International, with support from the City of Port Orchard .
Since 2008, ‘The Unforgotten, Run to Tahoma’ has followed 68 veterans to their final resting place.
