Rolling Thunder Ride: Motorcyclists Honor Memorial Day

The Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run is a yearly protest and gathering that first began in 1988. Motorcycle riders from around the country and even around the world gather in the Pentagon's parking lots and then begin to cruise a designated route through the Mall area of Washington, D.C.

Many of the bikes bore American flags or the black and white POW/MIA flag of the National League of Families, which consists of the silhouette of the bowed head of a prisoner of war (POW) in front of a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black field, bearing the words "You Are Not Forgotten." 

Many servicement and women of the US armed forces have been killed or are missing in action (MIA) without their remains being returned home or respectfully buried. There have also been reports of living POWs left behind after the wars.