Motorcyclists support wounded veterans, unite community in a wave of patriotism and remembrance
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
Admiring bystanders enthusiastically waved flags as police cars and fire trucks escorted several hundred motorcyclists from the Naval Base Ventura near Pt. Mugu to Bluffs Park on Sept. 10 for The Ride to the Flags event, an annual motorcycle ride to Pepperdine’s Wave of Flags. The Wave of Flags is a display on the Pepperdine campus honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11.
The ride was followed by a gathering of organizations that support wounded veterans. For the 15th year, the annual tradition inspired attendees.
Where It All Started
“I proposed the Wave of Flags to Pepperdine in 2006 and for 18 months, I attended donor meetings, fundraised across California and Arizona and I took care of all the preparations,” said Ryan Sawtelle, founder and Chairman of The White Heart Foundation, sponsor of the ride. “In 2008, right in the middle of the great recession, we launched both events and our Foundation honors the victims of 9/11 and also supports post-9/11 veterans who have been injured both physically and mentally through military life.”
The inspiration for the Waves of Flags?
“I went to high school in Kennesaw, Georgia, where every five years, the Kiwanis Club sponsors the Field of Flags at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park, a tribute that honors and memorializes the 2,977 innocent individuals who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001,” Sawtelle said. “I just knew it would be an awesome display to honor the victims in a similar way on Alumni lawn at Pepperdine.”
When asked about the most moving moments he’s observed at the event over the years, Sawtelle paused and then said, “The first year that I did this, I was sitting standing in the flags and one lady who had seen the display on TV in Manhattan told me she bought a plane ticket to fly to LAX to come visit the Pepperdine display. She said it was so emotionally moving to her — at that time the Ground Zero Memorial did not exist yet.
“The second most moving moment occurred last year, when I spoke with another lady who was a few blocks away from the twin towers and witnessed them falling. She said that she tried to flee while covered in soot and that for years, she could not bring herself to walk among the Pepperdine flags because she feared doing so would bring up so many traumatic memories. When she did visit the flags, she broke down, but she said she found it amazing and therapeutic.”
Attendees who gathered at Malibu Bluffs Park after the motorcyclists arrived also were moved by the event.
“I think our gathering here is a credit to the American spirit,” said David Alvarez of Boy Scout Troop 380, whose Eagle Scout project was to acquire and assemble the Troop’s American flags. “We have managed to turn one of America’s greatest tragedies into a triumph by honoring those who served our country.”
Motorcyclist Hutch Khandjian agreed, simply stating, “This event means a lot to me because anything that has to do with our flag means a lot to me.”
Fellow rider George Asali, who has served 14 years with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, admonished that “Everyone should always pay their respects to those who have put their lives on the line for the rest of us.”
Attendee Frank Kerze, who has for years stood by the side of the road as motorcyclists ride by, simply said, “We gather every year to support the 9/11 ride because it commemorates both sadness and pride. Our doing so is a tiny way to show we will never forget what happened — we lost a lot on that day, but in the process we’ve all gained strength and camaraderie.”
Many who gathered made their way across the Pacific Coast Highway to the Pepperdine lawn, where one is immersed in a sea of red, white, and blue amidst the colorful flags of other nations whose citizens also fell victim in the attack.
As they do so, their faces display waves of emotion expressing their feelings, which vacillate from waves of feelings of pride to waves of feeling immense gratitude. As each pauses under the flags, their somber but proud spirits seem to also collectively say, “Long may She wave.”