NORTH LOGAN – Wally Odd, a United States Air Force veteran and president of the Rocky Mountain Veterans Association, has gathered a group of people and organizations to honor Michael Allred and other fallen heroes in our community.
Isaac Sanders of the Rocky Mountain Veterans Center (RMVC) said it was a motorcycle ride and Sunday devotional until last year. Now, it has become a major patriotic event.
Odd went to work and added a banquet as a fund raiser and it kind of took off from there.
“We have a lot of affiliate organizations and individuals that got involved,” Sanders said. “It’s going to be awesome. We are excited for this weekend.”
Les Patterson, an executive committee member of the Heroes Tribute program, said they have closer to 40 organizations officially and there may be others.
“This year we are going to give five RMVC Veterans Salute awards to some organizations,” he said. “We also have two main recognitions Dan Gyllenskog Veterans awards. Our facility is named in his honor.”
RMVC will honor the Dan Gyllenskog family for the work he did in the community and Robert Young, the owner of Rocky Mountain Dermatology. Young donated the space the veteran’s facility is located in. He is also a Navy veteran.
Terry Messmer, another member of the RMVC organization, said the event has gotten bigger after last year’s successful effort.
The Ride for the Fallen motorcycle ride was set up to honor and add to the Lance Corporal Michael J. Allred Scholarship which has grown into something that honors all veterans who paid the ultimate sacrificed for their country and others who have served.
“It has become a really cool event and Walley has done a great job putting this together,” Messmer said.
On Friday, August 22, there will be a Scholarship Banquet at the Riverwoods Conference Center from 6 to 9 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Craig Jessop, Director of the American Festival Chorus & Orchestra, former Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and former Director of the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants in Washington, D.C. LTC (Ret.) Wallace Odd is set to emcee the evening.
During the banquet, Utah’s Fallen Military will be remembered. This year there will be a special recognition for Gold Star Family of Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Ard of Hyde Park, a Green Beret soldier from the 1st Special Forces Group who died in 2019 during his service in Afghanistan. The evening will also honor the recipients of the Lance Corporal Michael J. Allred Scholarship.
Tickets for the banquet are $100 and can be reserved by calling the Rocky Mountain Veterans Center at 435-536-3150.
Things really get rolling on Saturday morning, August 23, with the annual Lance Corporal Michael J. Allred Ride for the Fallen. Cache Valley will be filled with the sound of motorcycles and the sight of flags. Riders will gather at Elk Ridge Park in North Logan, with registration and breakfast starting at 8 a.m., a Heroes Tribute Program at 9:30, followed by “Kick Stands Up” at 10 a.m. The ride will pass the Michael Allred home and gravesite in Hyde Park before winding throughout the valley.
Registration for motorcyclists who want to participate can be done online as well as the day of the event for $25 per driver and $10 per passenger. Ride for the Fallen shirts are available for $20, and lunch after the ride is $10. Breakfast and lunch are provided by the Marine Corps League Auxiliary Post 476 along with the Michael Allred and Dan Gyllenskog families.
The Heroes Tribute will conclude Sunday evening, August 24, at 7 p.m. with a Patriotic Devotional at Elk Ridge Park. The keynote speaker this year will be Brandy Vega, a U.S. Army veteran, media executive, and founder of Promise2Live. Promise2Live is a national mental health and suicide prevention campaign.
The evening will also feature a tribute to Utah’s Fallen Military by Staff Sergeant (Ret.) Patterson, a moving performance of Echo TAPS, a Rifle Salute, and a Military Color Guard Flag Ceremony. Music will be provided by the Green Canyon High School Crescendo and tenor Nathan Christean.
The Heroes Tribute has become more than a weekend of events, it is a heartfelt gathering where the community can stand together to remember and honor sacrifice, the service, and strengthen the bonds that unite us all as Americans.