POW*MIA Awareness Rally

“Greater Love has no-one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”

9th ANNUAL IDAHO THUNDER RUN

MEMORIAL DAY, MONDAY, MAY 28^th, 2012

(ORGANIZED AND RUN BY THE POW*MIA AWARENESS RALLY CORP.)

ALL RIDERS AND VEHICLES ARE WELCOME

9:00 A.M.              – Meet at Restlawn Cemetery to stake flags

10:30 A.M.            – Arrive & gather at Century High School parking lot

11:00 A.M.            – Depart Century parking lot for Lava

11:45 A.M             – Arrive at Thai restaurant (east of Lava), flag up

12:00 A.M.            – Arrive at Lava memorial & conduct ceremonies (Guest Speaker Mayor Marshall Burgin)

12:20 A.M.            – Conclude ceremonies

12:40 A.M.            – Depart Lava 

1:20 P.M.             – Arrive & flag- up at Idaho Central parking lot (break)

1:30 P.M.              – Depart to Chubbuck City Hall

1:35 P.M.              – Arrive Chubbuck City Hall Memorial

1:45 P.M.              – Start Ceremony at Chubbuck City Hall Memorial (Guest Speaker; Mayor Steve England)

2:15 P.M.              – Depart for SE ID Veterans Memorial – At Upper Ross Park, Lunch hosted by Blazing Grace Church

3:30 P.M.              – Start Ceremony at SE ID Veterans Memorial (Guest Speaker; Mayor Brian Blad) 

3:45 P.M.              – Ceremony concludes

4:00 P.M.              – Depart for Pocatello Veterans Home – Meet and greet our Heroes and the Staff

5:00 P.M.              – Depart Veterans Home (flagged up) to Bannock County Jail

5:15 P.M.              – Arrive to Bannock County Jail parking lot, stage

5:40 P.M.              – Depart for Century High School

5:45 P.M.              – Arrive at Field of Hero’s (Century High School) for closing ceremony @ 6:00 P.M.

Questions / Contact:

Ted Booth, aka “Torpedo” – 251-5917

Friday April 27th 2012

 Chubbuck,  Mayor England was presented with a POW*MIA vest at our General Membership meeting.

Casey (aka) X-Ray Jackman presented him with it on behalf of the Pocatello POW*MIA Association.

It is an honor to have him standing with us on the POW*MIA issue.

To see photos from this meeting please check out our facebook site @

 http://www.facebook.com/powmiarodeo

Attention all art inclined biker folk!  We need your help!  It is time to start developing the design for our 2012 Rally Shirts!  Submit your ideas to X-ray at xraypowmia@yahoo.com.  If you come up with a compete design all by yourself you will win one of everything we make.  (hoodie, long sleeve and short sleeve T-shirt, sleeveless and tank top too!  That is over a $130 value for coming up with a killer idea!  We will take hand drawings, jpegs, just about anything.  Adobe is preferable!  If you collaborate or we mix and match ideas each contributor will win a hoodie.  Remember that we need design ideas for the front, back and long sleeves.  Please incorporate the mission of the POW*MIA.  Ideas can be found via the web or on our website at http://powmiarodeo.org/mission/. Please do NOT submit copy written material.  Submissions need to be in by March 20th for Board screening. Final vote at the General Meeting the 23 rd 7 pm  at the Clarion Inn in Pocatello! Photos from last years design.

So happy to announce that we not only reached our goal but even had a couple extra!! A sincere Thank You to everyone who participated!

Our POW MIA event has officially started! For every person who likes Danny Gray Seats page on Facebook, Danny Gray Seats will donate $1 to the Pocatello POW MIA – help us out and tell a friend!!! Please share this information with your friends and family. It is easy to do, just go to the facebook site link here and LIKE the web page and share it with everyone else. This will continue untill Feb 7th 2012. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DannyGraySeats/127433487322628?sk=wall

Thank You  to everyone who made this event possible. Ruby Tuesday for hosting the event and giving back to the POW*MIA, to everyone who donated items, those who collected the items and those who attended. Well done to All.

To view photos from the event follow the link and check them out on our facebook site.

   http://www.facebook.com/powmiarodeo#!/powmiarodeo?sk=wall

This last summer the officers of the Chief Joseph Chapter 509 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, representing Veterans with Purple Hearts in the Treasure Valley area (Boise, Nampa, Meridian, and Caldwell) of Idaho, decided on a change of uniform in an attempt to reach out to more Veterans and create some enthusiasm for our mission. “The mission of the Military Order of The Purple Heart – MOPH – is to foster an environment of goodwill and camaraderie among combat wounded veterans, promote patriotism; support necessary legislative initiatives; and most importantly, provide service to all veterans and their families”. The old uniform is pure vintage WWII – an outdated “Garrison Hat” in purple and white and a coat of some type with the MOPH logo on the lapel – left a lot to be desired in terms of looks and being up to date.

The decision to get creative came about during our Chapters attendance and participation in the POW/MIA Rally and Rodeo held in Pocatello in July of this year. This was mainly a Harley Davidson motorcycle event and most Harley riders wear a black vest covered with patches and whatnot from their riding days and membership in various organizations. We, Bob Lenigan the MOPH Idaho Department Commander, Pete Oakander the Chapter 509 Commander, and Henry Parker the Idaho Department and Chapter 509 Treasurer, made the command decision to purchase some black vests right then and there and then decorate them with the appropriate patches worn by members of the MOPH and the units we all served in while in the Military. In an attempt at conformity on the front of the vest are an American Flag on the upper left lapel and the Purple Heart ribbon on the right opposite. Additional patches that relate to the particular wearer can be added also. On the back of the vest at the top is a patch dictating ones membership in their respective service – Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. Under that is a large Purple Heart Ribbon patch, and under that is another patch dictating which conflict the wearer and receiver of the Purple Heart was in. For the three of us we have a patch that says Viet Nam Veteran done in the colors of the Viet Nam Campaign Ribbon. To top it off we created a baseball cap in black with an outline of Idaho overlaid with the Purple Heart Ribbon.

Our first public wearing of the vests and hats was at the Idaho Veterans Olympics held at the Boise VA Hospital grounds this last Saturday – September 24^th. Both the Idaho Department and Chapter 509 donated $500 dollars to the event to purchase the medals and ribbons handed out to the participants – which we did. Needless to say, and with much satisfaction on our part, the vests were well received by all who attended and took notice. There is really no mistaking who and what we represented – which was our goal. So if you are a Veteran and were awarded the Purple Heart, or know someone who has the Purple Heart, and want or need help wading through the VA system and you see one of us with our vests and baseball caps on at one of the local military events that occur on an annual basis here in the area then please stop us and say hello and we will gladly help you out. If you are reading this article and want to contact us directly you can do so by contacting Pete Oakander at 208-585-9399 or go directly to the MOPH website at www.purpleheart.org . If other Purple Heart Recipients see this and want a vest they can contact “Wink-n-Twink” and get a great deal PLUS she will donate back some of the money collected to the Military Order of the Purple Heart!
 
Wink N Twink Embroidery, LLC, Satin-edge sew-on patches for Bikers
http://shop.winkntwink.com/   11621 Kuna Road  Kuna, ID 83634-2611
(208) 362-2202