By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

While a road trip from Bar Harbor to Bridgton on a motorcycle might sound fun to plenty of people, for the Epic Riders it was part of a grueling 13,500-mile ride across the nation.

The reason behind the five-week, whirlwind ride is to raise awareness and funding for a veterans’ cemetery in California that has yet to accept in-ground burials.

Along the way, the Epic Riders have presented Killed in Action (KIA) flags to eight different families whose loved ones died while serving their country. 

“It’s a pretty noble thing that they are doing. Riding in 115 degree heat — they had days of those temperatures across the southwest. They just came into Maine, they have been on the road for 21 days,” American Legion Post 67 Commander Don Mulcahy said.

“Cross-country riding is tough. It takes a tremendous toll on you physically. It wicks your skin. You get dehydrated. You are constantly needing to drink water. The wind and the sun takes a toll on you,” Mulcahy said. “For these guys to do this twice is amazing.”

That’s right — this is the second time that the American Legion Riders from California have hit the road in hopes that families can bury veterans who’ve died close to home, in a cemetery set aside for veterans.

According to a brochure which summarizes the fundraising cause: “The mission of the 2019 Epic Ride for Dignity and Remembrance is to raise funds for the continued development of the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery. In particular, it is to fund a robust Phase Two, which will include in-ground burial capability for Veterans who desire it or whose faith or cultures require it.”

The cemetery is located on the land of the former Fort Ord.

On Monday afternoon, members of Post 67, who are also riders, awaited the arrival of the four riders and the person driving the support vehicle (also known as the chase truck). Late last week, the Epic Riders spent time at the Maine Military Museum before heading to Bar Harbor.

“We are hosting them,” Mulcahy said. “We arranged for the Military Museum tour. That was Saturday. They came in from New Hampshire. They came into the museum in South Portland. We had arranged a lunch there. Several of our District 11 dignitaries were there. They spent about 2 1/2 hours touring the museum, having lunch, and proceeded up the coast. They took the scenic route along with all the other tourists,” he said.

Mulcahy said that the riders are working in conjunction with the Killed In Action (KIA) Honor Flag Organization.

“They do a flag presentation ceremony. That is pretty emotional. The flag has a portion of the battlefield cross, and the other is the living veteran. It represents the idea that you leave no one behind. The living veteran is going to pick up the battle cross,” he said. 

“The red color denotes the blood shed. The black denotes the mourning over the deceased,” Mulcahy said.

The Epic Riders roared into Bridgton about two hours later than anticipated and were thankful for a sit-down meal at the Bridgton Community Center.

The group included Hy “Crash” Libby, who grew up in Maine; Rick “Phin” Phinney; Rick “Shameless” De Arana; and Rick Gomez of New Mexico. 

The group was well-versed on their explanation of what was happening with the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery (CCCVC). 

“We want to make sure that at the end of life, veterans are buried in the veterans’ cemetery,” he said.

“Some families held the ashes of their family member for up to 15 years” until the cemetery accepted urns. 

“But, we need full-body in-ground burials. There are a lot of folks that don’t abide by or believe in cremation for the end of life,” he said. “If veteran’s families cannot bury them at CCCVC, they have to go 100 miles away, which creates a hardship for the family, especially aging members who would like to visit gravesites.”

He said, during the height of the current conflicts overseas, there were 12 people killed in action who hailed from this part of California and yet they could not be buried nearby. 

“The presentations to the gold star families are moving and emotional and convinces us that we are doing the right thing,” Libby said.

For more information about the route, scheduled stops, ride registration or how to donate, go to www.epicride.org To keep up to date, visit the Facebook page of the Epic Ride 2019.

The money raised goes toward Phase II, in-ground burials of veterans in the California Central Cost Veterans Cemetery, which currently only allows cremated remains to be transferred to the cemetery’s columbaria.