American Legion Riders Post 12, Dothan, Alabama

Welcome to the FB site of the American Legion Riders of Dothan, Alabama. We are a brand new ALR chapter in the process of getting established. Keep tuning in and watch us grow!

Nationally:
The membership of the American Legion Riders nationally, is a very diverse group, so are the programs that we are involved in. By allowing each American Legion Rider Chapter to give their members the ability to manage their program at the Post level, the program has been allowed to grow. Today there exist Legion Rider programs in several states, and many more starting. The types of things that these groups are doing are far too many to mention on this page, but here are a few examples:

Participation in the annual POW/MIA Rally held each Memorial weekend in Washington D.C. known as "Rolling Thunder".

Sponsoring or participating in local Charity events.

Raising money for such organizations as local VA Hospitals, Battered Women and Children's Center, Varied Children and Youth programs, a School for Blind Children, Veterans Relief, Needy families and many, many others.

Sponsoring or participating in motorcycle "Runs" to benefit numerous charities, including charities for underprivileged children and medical research, just to name a few.

Participation in memorial ceremonies and community parades.

One group is spearheading an effort to erect a "Veterans Memorial Park" in the center of their Downtown area.

The recognition by local communities has marked the program as a true success. The American Legion Riders Group in Michigan was even honored by the Local City Council, when they drafted a resolution Declaring the American Legion Riders as a valuable asset to the community. Motorcyclist can be a very dedicated group of people. When you combine this with the fact that they are legionnaires, you create a win/win situation

History of the American Legion Riders

In the fall of 1993 Chuck (Tramp) Dare shared a dream with then Post Commander Bill (Polka) Kaledas, American Legion Post 396, Garden City, Michigan, to start a motorcycle association that would operate within the American Legion. The idea was to provide an atmosphere where Post, Auxiliary and SAL members, who shared an enthusiasm for motorcycles, could come together as a family oriented group.

At the Post meeting, the members voted to sponsor the group to be known as the “American Legion Riders”.

The Riders started with just a small group, but within a few months grew to nineteen members. They developed a set of by-laws and designed an emblem containing, within its design, the emblem of the American Legion. This emblem is worn today by American Legion Rider groups throughout the country.

The Riders soon found their membership grew, not from current Legion members, but many who joined the American Legion to become members of the American Legion Riders. It is estimated that over half of the current membership joined the American Legion to enable them to join the Riders.

In 1996 we had an article published about the American Legion Riders in the American Legion National publication of the “Dispatch”. An article in the American Legion Magazine soon followed up this article. In about 1996 “Tramp” moved to Texas, where he did a great job of promoting the Legion Rider program there. Today, there are groups of American Legion Riders throughout the country.