Freedom Ride shows support for 9/11 victims
Cyclist and firefighter Mike Palmeri was working at Fire Station 21 in Atlanta, Ga., as he watched the events of Sept. 11, 2001, unfold on the fire station’s TV set.
A first he thought a terrible accident had occurred, but minutes later, when the second tower was hit, he knew it was a terrorist attack. “My stomach sunk,” he said.
It was the most tragic day in U.S. history for firefighters as 343 lost their lives, most dying as they were going up into the Twin Towers in an effort to save others.
Palmeri recalls his profound sense of loss for not only his fellow firefighters but for all of the lives lost and for the surviving families whose lives would be forever changed.
Eight years later, while working the same shift in the same firehouse, the idea to bike from Atlanta to New York City was conceived in an attempt to commemorate the lives of the firefighters and first responders who died that day.
What started out as a simple journey by two firemen on bicycles quickly swelled into a brigade of 20 riders and support crew making up Aaron’s Freedom Ride 2011. A dozen riders – firefighters and retired military – make up the team.
Prior to and during the ride, donations are being solicited to not only defray costs associated with the ride, but also to assist orphans of 9/11 victims.
The entourage of cyclists and support vehicles pulled into Lewes Sept. 7 after a 50-mile ride from Denton, Md. – the shortest ride so far of the two-week tour. That day followed 75 miles of riding in the rain from Washington, D.C. to Denton.
After spending the night at the Beacon Hotel, riders got back on the road Sept. 8 headed to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The tour will stop in Atlantic City, N.J., and Long Branch, N.J., before ending in New York City Saturday, Sept. 10, in time for memorial events and the opening of the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum at the site of the attacks on the Twin Towers.
By the time the 12 riders are finished, they will have pedaled 1,045 miles in two weeks, taking on 470 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, averaging about 80 miles per day. Although they're in the flatlands of the East Coast now, the group has totaled more than 60,000 feet of climbing, including eight straight-uphill days to start their ride.
Palmeri said they chose to ride along the mountain route to make the ride harder for a reason. “We wanted to feel the pain and suffering like the families do,” he said.
A celebration in downtown Atlanta Aug. 26 kicked off the Freedom Ride. Along the way, the group has stopped at fire stations and met with fellow firefighters.
Doug Kerns, the group’s captain, said the team has become close and jelled. “We are one and do whatever to get through that day,” he said. They spend at least six hours and as much as 10 hours on the bikes each day.
Kerns said he’s not sure what to expect when the team arrives in New York City. “I’ve never been there, so it will be overwhelming,” he said. “It’s gone by so quickly that I want it to slow down. I don’t want this adventure to be over.”
He said response to the ride has been phenomenal. The group has had police and fire department escorts, and people have stopped to clap for them along the road.
One of the highlights of the tour was the Sept. 5 stop in Washington, D.C. Not only did the team meet and eat dinner with several Washington firefighters, but they also toured the city and took a midnight ride to see the monuments lit up at night.
“Seeing the war memorials really brought it back home and made us proud to be Americans,” Palmeri said.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the crash of United flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa. The total includes 343 firefighters, 23 New York City police officers, 37 Port Authority police officers and 15 EMTs. Nearly 2,000 first responders were injured.
