Fact Sheet
Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder , Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit
organization with over 90 chartered chapters throughout the United States
and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans and
many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling
Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans.
All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for Prisoners Of
War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA) of all wars, reminding the government,
the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.”
The Rolling Thunder® Story
In the fall of 1987, Vietnam veterans met to discuss their personal concerns
about the POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War. Having honorably served their
country and having taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of
the United States against all enemies..." and to "bear true faith and
allegiance to same," they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent neglect of
attention given to those who did not make it out with their lives or their
freedom. These veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of
live Americans living in dismal captivity. Intelligence reports of these
sightings were generally ignored by the government and mainstream press.
The First Rolling Thunder®
Demonstration
The Founders of Rolling Thunder were ordinary men who understood that they
had a right to have their voices heard and proceeded to lay down the plans
for a gathering in Washington, D.C. during the 1988 Memorial Day weekend.
They reached out to their families, fellow veterans and veteran's advocates
to unify and form a march and demonstration in the nation’s Capitol. Their
arrival would be announced by the roar of their motorcycles, a sound not
unlike the 1965 bombing campaign against North Vietnam dubbed Operation
Rolling Thunder. Hence, they would call themselves "Rolling Thunder" a title
that would endure time and be trademarked in 1990. Word spread quickly and
by Memorial Day weekend in 1988, approximately 2,500 motorcycles from all
over the country converged on Washington, D.C. to demand from our leaders a
full accounting of all POW/MIAs. As the Founders of Rolling Thunder made
their stand that day in front of the Capitol, they reflected thankfully for
the people who came in support of the POW/ MIAs and for the unity that was
felt. This was Rolling Thunder's first demonstration. Only until ALL
POW/MIAs ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, it will not be their last. On that day, the
foundation was laid for the annual "Ride for Freedom" to the Vietnam
Veteran's Memorial Wall (also referred to as the "Ride to the Wall"). The
number of participants/spectators in the Memorial Day weekend Ride for
Freedom has grown from 2,500 to an estimated 900,000.
