CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is revving up his motorcycle and joining a ride to honor fallen veterans on this Halloween.
Manchin served as the Special Guest Road Captain for the 9th Annual Ride for Fallen Service Heroes on Thursday.
The ride began at the West Virginia Gold Star Monument at the state capitol and was going to end at the Veterans Memorial Arch in Huntington.
A ceremony was held at the monument on the capitol lawn before the riders got on the road where Manchin and other dignitaries spoke, giving praise and honor to not only veterans, but the Gold Star Mothers and Families who have lost their loved ones to a worthy cause.
Joe Manchin
Manchin told the media Thursday that he doesn’t feel this ride should stop for anything because it’s so important, despite the approaching major General Election coming up next Tuesday.
“Being an election year, everyone was busy and this and that and someone said we might not do this and I said, ‘we got to do it, we got to do something,’ because the Gold Star Families live everyday without a loved one that lost their life serving their country,” Manchin said.
A West Virginia Gold Star Mother, Shirley White lost two of her sons serving in the military post 9/11.
Her first son, Staff Sergeant Robert White fought in Afghanistan. She said he was securing Afghan peoples’ voting rights when he was killed on patrol.
Then, White said her second son, Corporal Andrew White had just returned home from Iraq when he died from health complications.
She said despite feeling their loss everyday, functions like Thursday’s ride remind her that their deaths were for an honorable cause and it keeps their legacies alive.
“As part of the West Virginia Gold Star Mothers and the American Gold Star Mothers, one of our priorities is we don’t want our children forgotten, so as many opportunities as we can, we say their names, we want them remembered,” White said.
She said West Virginia Gold Star Mothers chartered in 2012 and have been on a mission to honor their lost veterans through various ways ever since.
White said it’s important to have a strong support system after losing children, and events like this really emphasize the sense of connection and comradery she feels as a Gold Star Mother.
“When we mothers get together, it might be three or four, or it might be 12 or 14, but we understand each other and we can feel comfortable with each other, so it’s really beneficial, it’s mentally beneficial for us,” said White.
Many of the riders participating Thursday are veterans themselves. Tim Warner, a former U.S. Marine Corps troop who served for five years is one of them. 
Since returning home in 1992, Warner told MetroNews that he tries to support fellow veterans and Gold Star Families every chance he can get.
He said a lot of people don’t realize just how much Gold Star Mothers in particular do for veterans who are suffering post-service, as well as their families.
“If they have problems paying an electric bill for instance, or something like that, the Gold Star Mothers really step up,” he said. “They’ve lost a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice, and they have to live with that, but this is their way of giving back.”
While Warner supports veterans in every way he can, Thursday’s event marked his first time taking part in this particular ride.
He said rides like this not only honor veterans, but they help bring awareness to just how much mental and psychological support veterans truly need.
“Anytime we can bring that to the forefront of the story, it’s very important, because we have to reach out to each other and we have to be our brother’s keeper,” he said.
Warner said an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide per-day.
He said events like this help bring to light the darkness veterans often go through when they return home.
“The war is not over when you leave a battlefield, you leave a battlefield, you come home, and you’ve seen stuff you never forget, so stuff like this is very important,” said Warner.
Manchin said due to an injury he endured while playing ball at WVU, he wasn’t able to go into the military. He said not serving his country in this way is something he feels he truly missed out on in his life, but he said being able to honor veterans any chance he can get is something he will always be proud to do.
“Everybody who hasn’t served, there’s a way to serve by honoring people who have, and this is my way of saying thank you for what you’ve done for me and my family, and I think a lot of people feel the same way, I hope they do anyway,” Manchin said.
Manchin said as long as he can hold his motorcycle up he plans to ride for veterans and continue to hold this event.
The proceeds from the Ride for Fallen Service Heroes goes toward supporting Gold Star Mothers and Families.
While traveling from Charleston to the veterans’ arch in Huntington Thursday, the riders had planned to make a quick pitstop at Cabell Midland High School.