Tuesday, 13 August 2019 05:45
PRESS RELEASE: 2019 Ride to Remember keeps focus on Montana’s 53 POWs & MIAs.
Written by Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association
Photo: 18/8/18, West Yellowstone, MT
Be warned. On August 17th, 2019, we are coming to your town. If you live in Helena, Townsend, Three Forks, Ennis, or West Yellowstone, or any other community along highway 287 – the Montana POW/MIA Memorial Highway, it is far too late to avoid the feelings that may occur.
At first, you may think you feel a subtle vibration under your feet. An earthquake? Or, perhaps a stampeding herd of buffalo about to trample your prize zucchini? Soon you will also hear something. It could sound like a cloud of angry bees searching in vain for their runaway queen, or perhaps like a group of 10-year-olds, hopped up on sugar and blowing Bohemian Rhapsody on kazoos. But soon you will realize the sound is getting closer and louder. Your heart may start beating a bit faster.
You look toward the sound. You will see a scary sight. A highway patrol car with flashing lights and hundreds of motorcycles of all types in pursuit. You may think all the scary motorcycle gangs in the region have gathered and are coming to raid and pillage your town. You may feel the urge to run the other way, or to call the police. You should do neither.
You should relax - perhaps grab an American flag to wave around - and watch as participants of the 6th Annual Montana Ride to Remember passes through your town, right in front of your eyes. This is event organized by the Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association and follows highway 287 from Helena to West Yellowstone. Highway 287 was designated the Montana POW/MIA Memorial Highway by Montana's governor, Steve Bullock on May 23rd, 2014. We make this ride in memory of the more than 82,000 POW/MIA personnel from across the country with a special focus on the 53 POW/MIA service members that have not yet returned home after leaving Montana to serve their country; eight still-missing from WWII, 27 from the Korean War, 16 still-missing from the Vietnam War, and two are still missing from the Cold War.
This event is open to anyone who chooses to participate and is traditionally held on the 3rd Saturday in August. The ride begins after an opening ceremony at Memorial Park in Helena and ends with a closing ceremony at Pioneer Park in West Yellowstone. There will be two rest and refuel breaks, one at the Town Pump near Three Forks, and one in front of the school in Ennis, along Charles Avenue. We will have a police escort for the entire length of the ride. So, no, the patrol car with the flashing lights at the front of the procession is not trying to get us to stop, they are there to help us get though the towns as quickly as possible.
The table below shows approximate times of arrival in the various communities along the route.
Town Pump generously offers free bottled water to riders at the Three Forks refueling stop.
During our stop in Ennis, the GFWC Madison Valley Woman’s Club has generously offered to provide sack lunches to the hangry participants during the Ennis school rest break. Proceeds from donations for the lunches will go to the Quilts of Valor foundation. Quilts of Valor’s mission is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts.
You may find more information about the Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association, this ride, and the other veteran support activities we do, by visiting our website at http://mtridetoremember.org/ and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MTRideToRemember
The Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association exists to increase awareness of the important POW/MIA related issues for the people in our area. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and any funds raised go to support the replacement of the flags we post at the Helena end of Montana’s POW/MIA Memorial Highway and in the planning of and preparation for our annual ride (purchasing posters, fliers, patches, etc.). Any excess funds are donated to various Montana and National veteran-based organizations as specified in our bylaws. We do not raise money to enrich ourselves, only to support our ongoing mission to bring POW/MIA awareness and veteran issues to the forefront.
Published in
Ride to Remember
Wednesday, 06 April 2016 02:43
Montana POW/MIA Personnel Identified!
Written by Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association
Published in
POW/MIA Related News
Tagged under
Tuesday, 03 November 2015 21:13
The 2015 Ride to Remember Raffle Items
Written by Montana POW/MIA Awareness AssociationWe are still trying to wrap up a few loose ends from our August Montana Ride to Remember. If you won a raffle or other prize drawing and haven't collected your items, please send a message using the form at the bottom of this page.
Published in
Ride to Remember
Tagged under
Monday, 13 July 2015 21:09
Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association's 2nd Annual Ride to Remember
Written by Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association
Join us for our 2nd annual Montana Ride to Remember on August 15!
Thank you for your interest in our POW/MIA Awareness ride.
This year we are adding a BBQ at Helena’s Memorial Park on the Friday evening prior to this year’s ride (6PM – 9PM, August 14th). We will have a band, will be cooking burgers and brats (donations welcome), will be doing a raffle for several fabulous items and a couple of 50/50 drawings. 50/50 tickets sold on Friday will be drawn on Friday at the end of the BBQ. Raffle tickets will be sold at the BBQ and on the day of the ride. The raffle drawings and the 50/50 tickets sold on Saturday will be drawn after the closing ceremony in West Yellowstone.
Some of the items being raffled are:
- Original Artwork – Dan Carpenter.
- Items from Willie’s Whiskey Distillery – located in Ennis Montana.
- Items from Triple Divide Vodka Distillery – located in Helena Montana.
- Weber “Original Kettle Premium 26 inch” Charcoal BBQ Grill.
- Custom knife – “Buck” Buckmaster, Helena.
- 2 knives; 1 hunting, 1 survival – Gordon Bechard, Windy Ridge Kennels, Dutton.
- And more…
The band is a local band from Helena, The Longhorns, and will be playing from approximately 7pm to 9pm on Friday.
We will provide information for several businesses who are offering deals and discounts to ride participants. This year’s 2015 rocker and the Ride to Remember patch will be available for purchase Friday evening and Saturday.
If you plan to participate this year, please fill out the pre-registration form. Click here to download the pre-registration form. By doing so, you will be helping us plan accordingly for the expected number of riders. You may either mail your pre-registration to the address below or complete it and email it back to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please have your pre-registration completed by August 7th.
For more information about the ride, this page shows the route, has links to maps of the start and end points for the ride, has a general schedule of events for the ride, and has a list of lodging options. Also, review the ride etiquette, flag etiquette and the FAQ pages on our website. If you are not experienced with riding in large groups, please stage and ride toward the rear of the group.
To order your 2015 ride shirt, contact FastSigns at (406) 442-6545 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to purchase your shirt. Click here to see the flier for information about pricing and sizing. You can have your shirt shipped directly to you, or opt to pick it up with your registration packet at the registration table Friday evening or Saturday morning. To guarantee availability by the day of the ride, t-shirts must be ordered no later than Tuesday, August 11th.
Finally, email us with any questions you may have and by all means, if you know anyone who might be interested in this ride, forward this message along.
Thanks again! Hope to see you on August 14th & 15th!
Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association
P.O. Box 7693
Helena, MT 59604
http://mtridetoremember.org – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our sponsors and supporters have been a great help to us as we have worked to bring awareness to POW/MIA issues, please support these businesses when you can!
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Ride to Remember
It was with trepidation that we put out the flags. The weather forecast was ominous at best, however, we went ahead and posted the POW/MIA flags today to honor Montana's missing. We worked through light sprinkles at 0530hrs in the morning and shortly after we were done, the clouds opened up and it rained and rained all day long. I drove by the flags a couple times to check on them and they stayed put and flew all day long.
On the drive back to town at 1800hrs to begin collecting the flags, the rain got lighter and lighter and by the time we met at the meeting place at 1830hrs, it had stopped and there was a refreshing wind blowing! My fear of dealing with soggy wet POW/MIA flags were needless as the light breeze completely dried out the flags!
What a great day! We really needed the rain here and we also had the opportunity to honor the POW/MIAs at the same time!
I'd like to throw out a big thank you to Tim Ravndal from Townsend, who saw my wife and I (a two person team doing the normal job of three) pulling down the flags and stopped to offer his assistance. Also, a big thanks to the members of the Helena Marine Corps League, specifically; Mike Morrison, Monique Damuth, and John & Nancy Morgan who were kind enough to lend a hand in this endeavor while some of our members were unavailable.
Published in
POW/MIA Flag Day
Governor Bullock signed HB211 into law on May 5th, 2015. We'd like to send a thanks out to those that contacted their representitives in support of this new law. We would also like to thank the legislators who saw the importance of this issue and voted for this bill as it progressed through the process.
The Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association was established by a group of Montana based veterans dedicated to the memory of the more than 83,000 POW/MIA personnel and focusing on the 55 personnel missing from Montana.
The group has been focused on bringing awareness to POW/MIA issues throughout Montana.
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Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association
Thanks to everyone that donated money and items to sell, helped, and purchased items from our Garage Sale. We earned $775 in support of our Association goals. This money will be used to replace some of the POW/MIA flags, which are flown on highway 287 on veteran related holidays, and to support our other events which are intended to bring attention to POW/MIA issues.
The Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association was established by a group of Montana based veterans dedicated to the memory of the more than 83,000 POW/MIA personnel and focusing on the 55 personnel missing from Montana.
The group has been focused on bringing awareness to POW/MIA issues throughout Montana.
Published in
Fund Raiser