Ride for Remembrance

The 28th Infantry Division is America's Oldest Army Division. Officially established March 12, 1879, elements of the 28th Infantry Division can trace their histories back to 1747, when Benjamin Franklin organized his battalion of Associators in Philadelphia. Other units of the 28th Infantry Division had their beginnings in the Revolutionary War to include Troop A, First Squadron, 104th Cavalry (organized on November 17, 1774) and the 109th Artillery Regiment (formed on October 17,1775) as the 24th Connecticut Militia. These Units were part of George Washington’s Continental Army.

Some of the goals of the 28th Infantry Division are to foster camaraderie with all active Soldiers and veterans of the 28th Infantry Division, to support memorials honoring the 28th Infantry Division and assist in their maintenance and to educate the public on the historical and current roles of the 28th Infantry Division Soldiers.

In keeping with these goals, the annual Ride for Remembrance was started in 2011. It is held in memory of all the casualties of the War on Terror since 9/11 and benefits the 28th Infantry Division Association Memorial Fund. The 28th Infantry Division Association supports memorials honoring the division and assists in their maintenance to the extent possible. The Memorial Fund is a special purpose fund designated for monument projects that are approved by the Executive Council. This includes purchase, restoration, or repairs of monuments that honor the 28th Infantry Division or its regiments. Any monument across the Commonwealth can be seen as a worthy project.

The memorial fund is supported though private donations and the Association's annual Ride for Remembrance. As a member of the 28th Infantry Division and as a member of the 28th Infantry Division Association since I was 12 years, I chose the Ride for Remembrance as my senior project. It started by my attending an Association board meeting about a year prior to the ride and getting named as the official ride coordinator for the 2015 ride.