On this eve of 9/11, WAVE 3 is taking a moment to show you how neighbors across Kentuckiana honored soldiers and local first responders.
In the shadows underneath the Kennedy Bridge, the thunder rolled on a sunny Saturday as bikers rumbled through Jeffersonville. They criss-crossed Southern Indiana during a ride to remember fallen service men and women.
"Supporting our troops - I'd do anything for them," Ruthie Wilder said. The Army mom keeps the memory of soldiers close to her vest. She displays patches and lapel pins on her clothing that shows her support.
She and at least 100 others spent the weekend morning riding to and from Scottsburg, Indiana - part of a ride benefiting the construction of a war memorial paying tribute to lives lost.
"People do understand what's going on because of 9/11," Wilder said. "But it was going on before 9/11 that we were having problems. And the country needs to support those who were in the armed service before and after 9/11."
"This was a good day to do it. To remember the folks that were lost in the tragedy of 9/11," Beany Smith said. He organized the ride that asked participants to pay $20 per motorcycle. The money will support a fund to construct a war memorial along Riverside Drive in Jeffersonville.
Across the Ohio in St. Matthews, a Kroger supermarket is catering to local firefighters. Employees dished out lunch to a station there apart of their thanks to first responders. Customers also had a chance to write a note on a dry erase board that was later delivered to area firefighters.
It's a message of appreciation at the grocery and along Riverside Drive to those who put their lives on the line.
