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DELRAN - There was heavier-than-usual motorcycle traffic
on Bridgeboro Road here yesterday, a lot heavier.
The activity was centered at the Delran Coffee Shop, a
friendly landmark and normally a quiet breakfast-and-lunch
sanctuary with legions of loyal fans.
By midafternoon yesterday however, dozens of motorcycles
were parked at the coffee shop and in the yard beyond
it. The occasion was a motorcycle-run gathering of participants
from the newly formed Delaware Valley chapter of the Nam
Knights, hosted by the restaurant's owner, Bob McKee.
McKee, a Vietnam veteran, and about 60 others, spent yesterday
afternoon unwinding at the picnic after participating
in a 62-mile ride to benefit the battleship USS New Jersey.
The Nam Knights club was formed to unite motorcycle-owning
veterans of the Vietnam War and members of law enforcement
agencies for service projects. Members from other chapters
also enjoyed the hospitality of McKee and his wife, Lorrie.
"It was sensational, wonderful," said McKee,
who helped form the infant Delaware Valley chapter of
the regional organization last month. "Even though
we couldn't see the battleship, we did the run to help
benefit the whole floating museum project."
The USS New Jersey was docked a few miles from where the
motorcycle contingent massed at Camden's Wiggins Park
for a brief ceremony honoring the ship. Some glitches
in the completion of the pier where the ship is to be
permanently moored accounted for its absence yesterday.
The motorcyclists had traveled a route from the Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard to Delaware and back to Camden. The theme
for the day was "Birthplace to Berthplace."
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For
McKee, the USS New Jersey has special significance. "I
used to watch it defend the port of Da Nang back in 1968
when I was stationed there," he said. "We'd
sit up on a hill and watch the action, which was impressive."
The participants in yesterday's motorcycle run each donated
$10 to the USS New Jersey cause. They included David Lewis
of Moorestown, who was in large measure responsible for
creating the local chapter. A Vietnam veteran and former
member of a North Jersey chapter of the Nam Knights, Lewis
was eager to start a local chapter when he moved to the
area.
"This is a wonderful organization that believes in
doing good in the world. We often surprise people who
think bikers are tough, violent people," said Lewis,
a partner with his wife, Patti, in The Family Company
which creates and markets products that help support and
unite families.
Allen Ferg of Moorestown, an attorney who now serves as
a state deputy attorney general, also helped create the
local Nam Knights chapter. Ferg called yesterday's event
a huge success, with "great weather and a great turnout."
He also spoke of the deep bonds Vietnam vets have for
one another.
"You'll notice that we're a very close group, that
we even call one another 'brother.' We were somewhat isolated
in society when we returned from Nam. No one said nice
things about us, so we learned to rely on each other,"
said Ferg, who served in Vietnam for 13 months with the
Marines.
Lewis explained that the link between Vietnam veterans
and police in Nam Knights was natural. In the late 1960s,
police officers often were ostracized, as were Vietnam
vets. "So we found one another, and we still stick
together," said Lewis. "We all think that we
can help to make a difference in the world, and this organization
is one of the ways we do that."
Monday, August 27,
2001--Burlington County Times, Burlington, New Jersey |
