Brothers,

   As you read this the Memorial Day Weekend is officially starting. I know, like me, you're feeling down and perhaps a bit lost that you're not in Washington D.C. for our annual event. Whether under it's old name, Rolling Thunder, or the new "Rolling to Remember" coined by the new sponsors, the fact we will not be there is something that has never occurred in the history of the Nam Knights. Our patch has been a part of this event since it began in 1989. While my Nam Knights involvement didn't begin till 1991 I too have been here every year since the beginning. It will weigh on us all this Memorial Day that we won't see each other; share stories; remember our Brothers who have gone to the Eternal Chapter as well as those we served with in the military or law enforcement who have gone before us. We won't share the sorrow of loss or the love of Brotherhood in each other's company. We won't ride the streets of our Nation's Capital, impressing all who see the long line of bikes or hear the rumble of our exhaust. We won't drink all those beers and bottles of booze. Not this year...

   But...

   Our Brotherhood is more than just physical presence. We have a bond, a thread that runs through the entire organization from the Parent Chapter to the newest; from the longest tenured member to the most recently patched. From the Founder to the latest prospect. This Club is more than just a patch on your back, a motorcycle or a clubhouse and a bar. It's an idea, much as our country is an idea. It's an idea that the camaraderie of service, be it in the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Iraq, the streets of a community or anywhere in the world that we serve can be duplicated with like minded individuals. As Jack says, "one goal, one soul." So, as it says at the top of this message, we may not be side-by-side but we ARE still standing together.

   As a matter of fact, I'd like you to do something for your Brothers, near and far this weekend. On Saturday 23May at 1200 hours, the time we'd be weaving our way through the streets of Washington D.C. on our way to honor our fallen military and law enforcement heroes, stop whatever you're doing, pause and give them a moment of silence. If we all do it together we will truly be standing together. Do it for every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, Coastie and Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice. Do it for every law enforcement professional whose name is enshrined at the National LE Officers Memorial. Do it for them and for us.

   And in that moment remember our Brothers, Gary "Non-Stop" Lord (Southern Tier) and Dick "Scrap Iron" Gudowski (Arrowhead) who we lost recently to accidents. And please, remember our Brother Mark "Snake" Natale (Parent Chapter) who we lost to this virus and whose loss is still being felt throughout the Parent Chapter. This organization is more than the sum of its parts. Each and every one of you makes it better than any other I have been involved with. We'll get together and see each other soon. And that, will be one hell of a party.

   In Brotherhood,

   Fritz

   KFFK