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X-WR-CALNAME:National WASP WWII Museum
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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for National WASP WWII Museum
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240928T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240928T140000
DTSTAMP:20260624T132110
CREATED:20240812T213337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T155254Z
UID:11039-1727524800-1727532000@waspmuseum.org
SUMMARY:WASP Legacy Ride Celebration
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate Museum Ambassador Larry Ritland as he completes his 26-day cycling tour from his home state of Iowa to Sweetwater\, TX\, all in honor of the WASP. \n\n\n\nLocal cyclists are encouraged to meet Larry in Anson the morning of September 28 and ride the last 48 miles with him. \n\n\n\nWe will be serving sliders and hotdogs!  Bring your bike and come out to play games and experience our obstacle course.  This is a family friendly FREE event\, but registration is required.   \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Closed\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNational WASP WWII Museum Press Release\, August 8\, 2024 \n\n\n\nWASP Legacy Ride\, September 3 – 28\, 2024 \n\n\n\nSweetwater\, TX – Iowa veteran and avid cyclist Larry Ritland continues to take on physical challenges while raising awareness of important veteran groups and individuals. Ritland\, a Vietnam Veteran and 42-year member of the American Legion\, will cycle a route from Iowa to Texas this September in honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. \n\n\n\nRitland will arrive at the National WASP WWII Museum at 1 pm on Saturday\, September 28 flanked by local cyclists who will join him for the last 40 miles of the trip. The public is invited to a free celebration in honor of Ritland’s accomplishment. The Texas State Technical College culinary team will supply food and the Museum will host family-fun games. Students are encouraged to bring their bicycles to complete an obstacle course and enjoy face-painting and cornhole.  \n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Larry Ritland \n\n\n\n“Growing up in rural Story County\, Iowa\, I always had the greatest respect for my older relatives\, especially my uncles\,” remembers Ritland. “I had five uncles who saw plenty of action during World War II\, one didn’t come home. So\, every Memorial Day my dad would make us stop what we were doing on the farm\, load up the family car\, and travel the dusty gravel roads two and a half miles into little Roland\, Iowa\, for the annual Memorial Day Parade.  \n\n\n\nIt made me so proud to see my uncles in their military uniforms marching with at least 100 other local veterans\, all men\, down Main Street\,” Ritland explains. “At that age it never occurred to me that women had any impact on World War II.” \n\n\n\nNearly four years ago\, when the daily mail arrived\, there was one piece of mail that caught Ritland’s attention. It was a promotional piece that mentioned a museum in Texas called the National WASP World War II Museum. \n\n\n\n“That piece of mail went into a brief history of a program called the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)\, a group of women who flew military aircraft in the states during World War II. Their service would then make more male pilots available to fly combat missions overseas. While I thought I knew a lot about WWII history\, I had never heard about the WASP program and had no idea a museum was created to remember their legacy”\, Ritland continues. \n\n\n\nRitland and his wife visited the WASP Museum in November of 2022\, where he first learned about the 38 women who died. “During the WASP Program nearly 25\,000 women applied\, only 1\,102 would receive their wings\,” Ritland said. They were the only World War II unit that flew every type of military aircraft – from bombers like the B-24 Liberator to the latest WWII fighters like the P-51 Mustang – delivered 12\,650 aircraft\, flying over 60 million miles.” \n\n\n\n “Two were from Iowa and I had never heard of them\,” said Ritland. Because the government continued to classify the women as civilians the military would not pay for their expenses when one of the women was killed doing their job. Their fellow WASP would often have to take up a collection to return the body home. \n\n\n\n“This is what really motivated me to do something to remember these women\,” continued Ritland. “I have three daughters and five granddaughters. Their futures have no doubt been brighter\, with more opportunities because of the sacrifices these incredible\, pioneering women made.” \n\n\n\nRitland’s contribution to the legacy of two fallen Iowans who served in the WASP program\, will be to “ride my bicycle\, beginning at the grave of Gleanna Roberts (1919 – 1944)\, Welsh Cemetery\, Sharon Center\, Iowa\, to the grave of Beverly Jean Moses (1922 – 1944)\, Oakwood Cemetery\, Pleasant Hill\, Iowa. Even though it has been 80 years ago since they were laid to rest\, I want to honor these two women and continue the legacy of all the Women Airforce Service Pilots who served our country.” \n\n\n\nRitland said he plans to leave Welsh Cemetery on his bicycle\, Tuesday morning\, September 3rd\, 2024\, spend the night in Montezuma\, Iowa\, and arrive at the grave of Beverly Jean Moses by late afternoon\, the following day. \n\n\n\nAfter spending the night in Des Moines\, Ritland will continue his WASP Legacy Ride through southwest Iowa\, across the southeast corner of Nebraska\, southwest through Kansas and Oklahoma\, arriving at the National WASP World War II Museum at Avenger Field in Sweetwater\, Texas on Saturday\, September 28th. \n\n\n\nIn Oklahoma\, Ritland’s route will take him through the tiny town of Wakita\, Oklahoma\, where WASP Paula Loop is buried. Paula is one of the 38 women who died while serving with the WASP program in World War II. In July 1944 she was alone\, piloting a BT-13 enroute from Enid\, Oklahoma to Seattle when she crashed near Medford\, Oregon. (Side note: If you are a fan of the original “Twister” movie\, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt\, many of the scenes were filmed in Wakita. The Twister Museum is located in Wakita as well.) \n\n\n\nRitland plans to finish the ride in 26 days\, allowing for a rest day every five days. “Each morning\, I will do 19 push-ups and 19 more each evening as a symbolic salute to honor the 38 women who died serving our country. I hope to do the push-ups at a school\, city hall\, library\, or police station in the overnight towns and ask people to join me in the commemoration\,” said Ritland. \n\n\n\nOn his legacy journey Ritland says he will be funding the trip entirely on his own. He is not asking for any donations or sponsors. “While I bicycle from Iowa to Texas\, engaging with people about the Women Airforce Service Pilots along the way\, my only wish is that patriotic Americans will want to learn more about these amazing women by going to the WASP website at www.waspmuseum.org. Better yet\, take a road trip through west Texas and visit the museum. It is easy to reach\, just off of I-20\, west of Abilene\, Texas.” \n\n\n\nTo join Ritland on any part of his journey contact him at: \n\n\n\nLarry Ritland \n\n\n\n515 460 3661 \n\n\n\nlarry.ritland@gmail.com \n\n\n\nFACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/theoldcyclingveteran \n\n\n\nYou can follow Ritland on his WASP Legacy Ride by going to www.facebook.com/theoldcyclingveteran. Ritland has previously led historical rides on the Alaskan Highway\, coast to coast in 2019 to celebrate the American Legion’s 100th birthday\, a remembrance ride to salute the Buffalo Soldiers\, participated in a ride from Selma to Montgomery\, Alabama to remember the Civil Rights movement\, and most recently a 99-mile ride to pay tribute to the 99 sailors lost onboard the USS Scorpion in 1968.
URL:https://waspmuseum.org/event/wasp-legacy-ride-celebration/
LOCATION:Texas
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