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CNN Live Sunday
Rolling Thunder Comes to Nation's Capital
Aired May 25, 2003 - 18:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And it's a Memorial Day weekend tradition. For the past 16 years, the roar of motorcycles in the nation's capital from the Rolling Thunder Ride to Freedom.
Our Patty Davis joins us from Washington for a look at the event.
And still no biker gear you got there, Patty?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No biker gear. Yes, I -- they didn't have any shops to buy any biker gear. So I haven't been able to pick any up. I'll remember that next time, though, Fredricka.
Thousands of bikers here, though, in Washington, D.C., today, taking part in a procession roaring from the Pentagon to the Washington Mall. So many bikers. It took them two hours to do that procession. Literally roaring. The sound of -- the roaring of motorcycles you could hear all morning and into the afternoon.
Now Rolling Thunder named after a U.S. military bombing campaign in Vietnam. This group trying to keep the issue of POWs and those missing in action in the public spotlight. Very long lines also at the Vietnam veterans' wall.
Now none are still missing from the recent war in Iraq, but there are still 78,000 -- hard to believe -- missing from World War II, 8,100 missing in action from the Korean War, and about 1,900 missing in action from the Vietnam War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe, if it wasn't for us being here on Memorial Day weekend and what we do all year long, that no remains would have been returned in the past years from World War II or Vietnam or Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You heard how many Harleys today? Tens of thousands? Well, you only need a few hundred, and it still sounds like the B-52 strikes that was -- that were a part of Rolling Thunder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: The concert is now over. You can see that they are taking it down at this point. We saw Paul Revere and the Raiders, a '60s and '70s group, performing here. Nancy Sinatra. Also, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Now the group tells us, when they started riding from the Pentagon, they had a special guest of honor, and that was Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the chairman there -- Richard Myers, apparently, hopping on his motorcycle to join the procession -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Patty, it looks like everyone has pretty much dispersed, right now, but I know there's still a lot of activity there on the mall. From your vantage point, can you already start to see that people are starting to assemble over -- west of the Capitol building for tonight's concert?
DAVIS: Can't see because we're really probably several football fields away from that over near -- next to the Lincoln Memorial.
But it is raining here in Washington, D.C., once again. So, hopefully, that won't stop that concert from taking place. I know everybody looks forward to these concerts everybody holiday here in Washington -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: It's a tradition, indeed.
All right. Thanks very much.
Patty Davis.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 25, 2003 - 18:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And it's a Memorial Day weekend tradition. For the past 16 years, the roar of motorcycles in the nation's capital from the Rolling Thunder Ride to Freedom.
Our Patty Davis joins us from Washington for a look at the event.
And still no biker gear you got there, Patty?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No biker gear. Yes, I -- they didn't have any shops to buy any biker gear. So I haven't been able to pick any up. I'll remember that next time, though, Fredricka.
Thousands of bikers here, though, in Washington, D.C., today, taking part in a procession roaring from the Pentagon to the Washington Mall. So many bikers. It took them two hours to do that procession. Literally roaring. The sound of -- the roaring of motorcycles you could hear all morning and into the afternoon.
Now Rolling Thunder named after a U.S. military bombing campaign in Vietnam. This group trying to keep the issue of POWs and those missing in action in the public spotlight. Very long lines also at the Vietnam veterans' wall.
Now none are still missing from the recent war in Iraq, but there are still 78,000 -- hard to believe -- missing from World War II, 8,100 missing in action from the Korean War, and about 1,900 missing in action from the Vietnam War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe, if it wasn't for us being here on Memorial Day weekend and what we do all year long, that no remains would have been returned in the past years from World War II or Vietnam or Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You heard how many Harleys today? Tens of thousands? Well, you only need a few hundred, and it still sounds like the B-52 strikes that was -- that were a part of Rolling Thunder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: The concert is now over. You can see that they are taking it down at this point. We saw Paul Revere and the Raiders, a '60s and '70s group, performing here. Nancy Sinatra. Also, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Now the group tells us, when they started riding from the Pentagon, they had a special guest of honor, and that was Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the chairman there -- Richard Myers, apparently, hopping on his motorcycle to join the procession -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Patty, it looks like everyone has pretty much dispersed, right now, but I know there's still a lot of activity there on the mall. From your vantage point, can you already start to see that people are starting to assemble over -- west of the Capitol building for tonight's concert?
DAVIS: Can't see because we're really probably several football fields away from that over near -- next to the Lincoln Memorial.
But it is raining here in Washington, D.C., once again. So, hopefully, that won't stop that concert from taking place. I know everybody looks forward to these concerts everybody holiday here in Washington -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: It's a tradition, indeed.
All right. Thanks very much.
Patty Davis.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
