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COLUMBUS—The Tour of Honor is an annual season-long, self-directed motorcycle ride to memorials and monuments around the United States to raise money and awareness in honor of veterans. 

The Doughboy Memorial in Columbus, which is maintained by the Daffy Jills Garden Club of Tryon, recently was the recipient of a Ride to Remember Memorial Coin left by one of the riders participating in this year’s tour.

“As a member of the Daffy Jills, I was very proud to find the coin left on the monument,” said Carolyn West, who discovered the coin while she and her sister, Lois Machida, were watering the plants provided by the garden club at the memorial. “We have a family member who is a retired, 25-year Seabee, who has made this ride for the last five years and is currently planning this year’s ride. So finding our coin was very special.”

A special challenge for Tour of Honor riders this year is to find as many Doughboy monuments as possible, in addition to the sites already listed for every state and region to visit. Funds raised this year will go to charities supporting Vietnam War veterans and their families. 

This year’s ride began April 1 and includes an all-new set of memorial sites with new roads to travel and new experiences for any avid motorcyclist. For more information, visit www.tourofhonor.com.

The Daffy Jills Garden Club maintains several gardens around Tryon and Columbus, as well as providing flowers for the Polk County Library and maintaining the Pollinators’ Garden at FENCE. Visit their Facebook page for more information on the club.

 

Submitted by Lynn Easley