Photo By Cpl. Christopher Johns | Motorcycle riders from the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron motorcycle club...... read more read more
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MIRAMAR, Calif. - Engines roared as Marines with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., gathered to inspect their motorcycles before a ride through San Diego to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Aug. 31.
The club started their second official ride aboard MCAS Miramar, riding through La Jolla and then to MCRD San Diego, where they watched the graduation of Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion.
“Today’s ride was to build camaraderie … and to pass on our experience to the younger, less experienced riders,” said Master Sgt. Steven Southall, the president of the H&HS motorcycle club and a Richmond, Va., native. “We took a nice scenic route to the depot to gauge how the riders were riding, so they could build on their fundamentals, like traveling in groups.”
More experienced riders mixed themselves in with less experienced, allowing them to watch and mimic the more senior riding styles, while coming closer together as Marines and fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.
“The newer riders were able to study the older riders’ styles,” said Southall. “They could watch how a senior took turns on the roads and learn from that experience to make their own riding style safer.”
Lt. Col. Joseph Murphy, the executive officer of H&HS and a Belleview, Wash., native, spoke to the motorcycle club about his own love for motorcycles and the MCAS Miramar policy about motorcycle safety, which, according to Murphy, dictates that all riders need road experience.
“[In] the policy letter we talked about things that would help [Marines] survive a mishap,” said Murphy. “One of those things mentioned specifically is experience. For younger riders, there is nothing that can be substituted for experience – experience on winding roads, unfamiliar roads and dealing with distracted or careless drivers.”
The ride to the depot was a longer ride than some Marines make on a daily basis. For some, it was the longest trip they have ever made on a motorcycle.
“I’ve ridden my bike before, but never this far,” said Lance Cpl. Edward
Mahon, a hand line Marine with H&HS Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting and an East Haven, Conn., native. “I got to practice maneuvering and staggering myself with another bike. I have about two months worth of practice on my bike, so this kind of get-together gives me the extra practice to help me be safer on the road.”
The idea of keeping the individual Marine prepared and safe is
one which is all too clear to Southall, even if it might not be too clear to the riders themselves.
“We want to protect our most valuable resource, which is the individual Marine,” said Southall. “You have vehicles, aircraft, weapons and all kinds of other equipment that is important, but the most vital resource the Marine Corps has is its Marines. If they hurt themselves on their motorcycles getting to and from work, or out on a ride on the weekend, we lose an invaluable part of the Corps. So we do what we can here, with the club, to encourage riders to follow the rules of the road, wear proper protective equipment and to be mindful of other drivers.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2012 16:25 |
| Story ID: | 94256 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US |
| Hometown: | CLEVELAND, OH, US |
| Hometown: | EAST HAVEN, CT, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 206 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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