Veterans kick off Tri-State Gold Star Families Memorial Ride in Tupelo

TUPELO - Local gold star family members and veterans gathered at the Gold Star Families Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park Thursday for the opening of the Flags of Honor Escorts' second annual Tri-State Gold Star Families Memorial Ride.

David McElroy, founder of the Flags of Honor Escorts, said a group of more than a dozen motorcycle-riding veterans began their six-day ride in Jackson Thursday morning with a prayer. Later that morning, the ride began in earnest in Tupelo. Bikers will tour parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana over the coming days, stopping at Gold Star Family monuments for ceremonies, veterans' homes and the National World War II museum in New Orleans along the way.

"Our purpose in this ride ... is to recognize our Gold Star families, to remember their fallen heroes and to honor our veterans," McElroy said during Thursday morning's ceremony. "We will never know the pain you have, but we hurt with you."

Gold Star families are those with family members who died during active military service.

Last year, the ride ended in the All-America City, with the dedication of the Veterans Park Gold Star Families monument dedication. This year's ride will end at Camp Shelby, outside of Hattiesburg.

During the ceremony, which included wreath-laying at both the Gold Star Families monument and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica, local Gold Star family members said the names of each of their loved ones that died in service. The group will carry each of those names on their drive.

McElroy said the monuments ensure those who made the ultimate sacrifice will be remembered. He hopes the ride serves the same purpose.

Before the ceremony, the veterans also took time to clean the monument.