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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Chilton County American Legion Post 216 Commander Michael Hall is preparing for his second American Legion Legacy Ride from Aug. 21-25. The Legacy Ride raises money for scholarships for the children of wounded veterans or veterans killed in action after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Hall and around 15 other veterans from the state of Alabama will start the ride from the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile the morning of Aug. 21.

“It is enjoyable, and it is for the children,” Hall said. “It is what it is all about, looking out for our fellow veterans. If they are not here to take of their children or help them out, then we will step up and help them out anyway we can.”

This year’s Legacy Ride will cover 1,200 miles and end at American Legion Post 434 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin — just 20 minutes outside of Milwaukee where the 2022 American Legion National Convention is being held.

This year’s ride will be Hall’s second Legacy Ride after riding from Roger, Arkansas. to Phoenix, Arizona in 2021. Over 240 bikes participated in the 2021 ride, and more bikes are expected to be in the 2022 ride. 2022 will be the 16th Legacy Ride after a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Legacy Ride raised over $1 million in scholarship money for the children.

“Last year, it was really nice,” Hall said. “We rode through these small towns and to see the school kids that let out and local residents lining the streets, it was really nice to see that patriotism is alive and well in this country still.”

The Legacy Ride splits the riders into three different flights to help the flow of traffic throughout the ride. Hall and the Alabama riders will be in the C-Flight.

However, Hall and the Alabama riders will lead the Legacy Ride out of Mobile the morning of Aug. 21 to begin the 1,200-mile journey.

The ride will travel through Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois before arriving in Wisconsin. Hall said he is hopeful the American Legion National Convention will choose a more eastern state, so the ride can travel through Alabama more.

“I thoroughly enjoy it,” Hall said. “The comradery among the veterans is great, and although we come from different parts of the country and served indifferent branches of the military…when you get us together and talking, it is like we have known each other forever because we all have something in common.”

Donations to the Legacy Ride should be mailed to American Legion Post 216 at PO Box 1366, Clanton, AL 35046.