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History of the ALR
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.
Click here for the history on the American Legion |
