SAN ANTONIO — On a bright cloudless day in Uvalde, you could hear what sounded like the rumble of thunder. It was not incoming weather, but around 100 motorcyclists from San Antonio who came to the memorial at Robb Elementary.
“It’s close to home. This is right at our backdoor,” said Michael Campa, one of the motorcyclists. “You would figure it would never happen here.”
“That could have been our children, but it is one of our children because it’s one of our sons and daughters from the community,” said Arturo Garcia, one of the motorcyclists.
Most visiting the memorial walked up but this group rode right in. They brought an orange flower arrangement. It is one that is difficult to see among all the other flowers, stuffed animals, and crosses. One rider said it is meant to show support for longer than just today.
“If we get together in a sad time like this, we should be doing it all the time,” said John Vasquez, one of the motorcyclists.
There were prayers and tears during their turn at the memorial.
“They just touch everybody’s hearts,” said Becky Velasquez, who delivered the flowers ahead of the arrival of the larger group on bikes. “It was the right thing to do, come and give our respects.”
Their holiday weekend plans changed quickly when they knew they would need to make a stop at the memorial. For some riders who are former Marines, this Memorial Day holiday is not only about fallen military members, but all the fallen including the 21 who died.
“As a country, we all remember all of the fallen whether they lose their life on the battlefield or whether they lose their lives in the streets of America. We honor all of them,” said Garcia.
They want the community to know that no matter how tough moving forward will be, they will never ride through this life by themselves.
“There are a lot of people who love them and they are not standing alone,” Garcia said.