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Note:  I picked up the group in Florence , KY on Sunday and broke off  at Ringgold, GA that night. The next day I came back through TN back roads ( the Dragon) and Tue back home through Cumberland Gap. On the way back from Lexington, to Louisville I happened to pick up a Military Transport van, they let me play mini-escort for about 50 miles. Really topped off the trip right for me! What an Honor.  Put almost 1000 miles in 3 days. Pictures are from the whole trip.

The four-day Veterans Tribute Tower celebration involves the entire community and includes the on-site casting of the bell. The festivities begin on Saturday, November 8th, whereby the North Miami community will take part in an ‘ingot brigade,’ loading 500 pounds of bronze ingots into the 2200 degree furnace. The bell will be poured, cast and installed on-site. Using its one-of-a-kind “Bell Foundry on Wheels,” a special on-site casting process, Verdin will enable the entire community to help create the custom bronze bell, and to experience the casting of the bell.

“This bell will be a voice for the North Miami community in their tributes to honor past, current and future veterans,” said North Miami Parks Director, Terry Lytle.
On Sunday, November 9th, the North Miami community will watch as the bell mold is broken by the North Miami City Council, and other local dignitaries, using a large sledgehammer to expose the customized bronze bell. A formal dedication of the Veterans Tribute Tower will begin at 10 a.m. on Veterans Day, (Tuesday, November 11, 2008). The Veterans Tribute Tower is made possible by community and business donations and the city of North Miami.

The Veterans Tribute Towers are built by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, and being installed across the United States as a way to enable communities across the nation to honor and thank their veterans. Verdin will donate a portion of revenue to The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans. “It stands as a reminder that all communities need to ensure that our veterans receive the treatment they deserve,” said Jim Verdin, president of The Verdin Company. “It’s also an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to veterans in honor of their selfless service to our nation.”

The Veterans Tribute Tower is a project of the Veterans Coalition and The Commission on the Future for America’s Veterans. The Commission is writing a new strategic plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs that will ensure our veterans receive the health care, employment, vocational rehabilitation, and transition programs they have earned in service to our country.

The Veterans Tribute Tower will leave the Verdin manufacturing facility in Cincinnati on Sunday, November 2nd, at 10 a.m., and be escorted to North Miami by 300-500 Patriot Guard Riders from six states. The Patriot Guard Riders is an organization of motorcycle enthusiasts from across the nation that have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. The group has over 154,000 members across the nation.

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