(Little Rock -- Friday, May 15, 2009) – Carry the Flame began their annual trek across country on May 11, out of Barstow, CA to Washington D. C. for Memorial Weekend. Carry The Flame is a non-profit organization which promotes awareness regarding the needs of our veterans and their families.

On Tuesday, May 19, Carry the Flame will stop in Little Rock’s historic MacArthur Park. The riders will arrive at 10:00 am with a short program beginning at 10:15 am.  Following remarks, there will be the lighting and passing of the torch. The event will conclude with Taps.

Following the program, Landers Harley Davidson is providing lunch for the riders.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend and show their support.

Chairman of Carry the Flame King Cavalier III states “Our mission along this journey is to unite Americans, and render proper respect and support for all the sacrifices of the Military Family”. This group of travelers includes Gold/Blue Star Mothers, Veterans, and Patriotic Citizens. Each stop along the way there will be a ceremony of “Hope and Remembrance” which will encompass a lighting and passing of the Torch, and a statewide name reading of the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan with a special guest present to render honors.

The torch will travel across country and conclude the 2009 ride with a symbolic lighting and passing of the torch, along with a complete reading of all the names of the fallen service members from Iraq and Afghanistan at the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., Saturday at 5 pm on May 23, 2009.

Stops will include the following locations: Barstow, CA; Flag Staff, AZ; Page, AZ; Window Rock, NM; Cuba, NM: Amarillo, TX; El Reno, OK; Conway; Little Rock; Hurricane Mills, TN; Knoxville, TN and Staunton, VA, before arriving in Washington, D.C. on May 23, 2009. Exact details are available at www.carrytheflame.org.

Carry The Flame is honored this year to have Tim Chambers a Marine of 14 years traveling with them. SSgt Chambers’ grew up in Silverton, Oregon. His Great Uncle died serving his country in WWI; his grandfather served in WWII; and his dad served in Vietnam. Chambers moment of truth came on 9/11 at the Pentagon. His courage on that day was commended by the Secretary of the Navy with a Navy Commendation Medal.

Chambers tireless dedication towards the spirit of volunteerism, lands him speaking at military funerals, teaching about military history, as he was a partner with the Korean War Commemoration Committee, and it was 8 years ago he had a permit and set up his display on the national mall educating Americans and giving long overdue appreciation to the Korean War Veterans. That is when he learned about Carry the Flame, Rolling Thunder, and Run for the Wall.

The next year he reached out to Veterans in his dress blues, and ended up jumping in the middle of the road at the Rolling Thunder Demonstration and held a salute till every last motorcycle passed. This feat lasted over four hours. He received such an outpour of emotion from Americans all across the country that he made it his annual trip to D.C. The longest salute was 61/2 as over 600,000 motorcycles drove by. Chambers does this mostly out of his own pocket and he has returned the past six years.
Chambers has volunteered his services through many organizations to educate and inspire others about the sacrifices made by our countries service men and women. He has received awards from the USO, National Military Family Association, American Legion and Marine Corps.

He has established his own non-profit organization called Tim-for-America. Its mission statement is to strengthen the bonds amongst Americans through the spirit of volunteerism, by bringing Americans together to improve the quality of life of our less fortunate youth and heroic Veterans by means of nurturing, compassion and education. In 2008, President Bush was very impressed at what he was doing on his own for his country and their veterans; he invited him to the White House for breakfast to include his wife and grandma.

At each Carry the Flame Stop, Chambers will be standing with a salute during the lighting of the torch ceremony while the names of those fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan from that particular state are read.

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