Miles of Memories [Video]

The scene of sapphire blue skies of Sept. 11, 2001 that were pierced by pillars of smoke after hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Center in New York are indelibly etched in the collective memory of America.

The scene was repeated in a desolate farm field of Shanksville, PA and at the Pentagon in Arlington County, VA.

Terrorists intent on death hijacked the airliners and put them on the collision courses that forever changed the way America lives and conducts business. And an effort to ensure that the sacrifices made by thousands of innocents that day are not forgotten got off to a rumbling start in the Riverside section of Greenwich early Thursday.

Hundreds of motorcyclists - many of them law enforcement officers - rolled into the Riverside Common shopping center, to begin what has become an annual sojourn ... a nearly 900-mile ride to the hillsides of Pennsylvania, then to Washington, and then north to New York City where more than 2,800 people from all walks of life lost their lives.

"We're doing this to remember 9/11 ... we're keeping the memory alive," said motorcyclist Richard Freitas of Peterborough, NH. "We want to keep our country safe," said Freitas, who is participating in his third ride with the nonprofit  America's 911 Foundation, which organized the ride which is expected to draw about 2,000 riders from around the country. They were expected to converge in Somerset, PA, near Shanksville, Thursday night, and then continue their circuitous itinerary, culminating with a drive-by of the World Trade Center site in New York City on Sunday - an early remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Escorting the 200 cyclists who gathered in Riverside for the entire ride, are four Greenwich Police officers assigned to the motor unit - Officers Ron Carosella, Scott Johnson and Vinnie Loria, and Sgt. John Slusarz.

Carosella said he was honored that department brass allowed him and his colleagues to join the tour. As escorts, Carosella said the Greenwich officers would be responsible for stopping traffic along intersections on the route to allow the group to motor en masse.

Each rider was given a memorial card identifying each of the three hijacked flights and the name of a victim.

The riders came from throughout New England with several police departments in Connecticut represented. In addition to Greenwich Police, there were officers from Danbury, Westport, Fairfield, Trumbull, Newington, New London and Bridgeport and as far away as South Portland, ME.

David MacDonnold and his wife Lisa, of Woodstock, CT were making the ride aboard a Can-Am three-wheeled motorcycle. "I went to a show at the Javits Center in New York and saw the booth for America's 911. I came and told (Lisa) I just have to do this," said MacDonnold.

You can follow the entourage's progress by logging onto Americas911foundation.org.

Related Topics: 911 memorial, Ground Zero, Shanksville, World Trade Center, pa, and pentagon