GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Motorcycle riders from across Montana gather in Great Falls each year to honor those who died on Sept. 11, 2001 — and the event keeps growing.
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The U.S. Veterans Motorcycle Club Montana Chapter organizes the annual 9/11 Memorial Ride and Ceremony. Andy Franks, the club's president and a veteran, says the ride has taken place every year since 9/11.
"This ride needs to happen every year," Franks said.
Last year, nearly 300 motorcyclists participated. First responders join the ride, towing companies help block traffic and airmen from Malmstrom Air Force Base assist while hundreds of spectators line the sidewalks in support. Riders travel from communities across the state.
"We've got, we've had people come in from Billings and Havre and Browning, I mean all over the state," Franks said.
Franks was on active duty with the Air Force on Sept. 11, 2001, stationed in England and traveling home to the Nashville area for the first time in two years. Flying out of Newark, New Jersey, he remembers seeing the New York City skyline early that morning. By the time he landed in Chicago, he knew something was wrong.
"I remember walking through the terminal, and everybody was stopped, staring at TVs, and I'm like, 'what is going on?' I had my Walkman on back in those days. And I look up, and I see that first plane hit, and I was like, 'oh, that's not good,'" Franks said.
Franks has called Great Falls home since 2013, where he finished out his military career. The motorcycle club supports veterans through causes including Angels in Camo and Operation Warmheart. For Franks, the annual ride is about more than remembrance — it's about unity.
"The thing is, how we came together after that, we were all on the same page. And in today's world, we're not," Franks said.
The east end of the Montana Veterans Memorial displays the words "Lest We Forget" — a message Franks says the ride embodies.
"Let's not forget," Franks said.
Riders do not need to register but must have a motorcycle endorsement. ATVs and side-by-sides are not allowed. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the U-Haul on 10th Avenue South. The ride departs at 7 p.m. and travels to Flag Hill, then along River Drive, before returning to the Montana Veterans Memorial for a closing ceremony.
