Our Mission

The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc., is to publicize the POW-MIA issue; to educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future Veterans from being left behind should they become prisoners of war-missing in action.   We are also committed to helping American Veterans from all wars.

Who We Are
Rolling Thunder NC-5 is based out of Jacksonville, NC and has members from Jacksonville and it's surrounding communities.  Some of us are veterans, however many are not.  Some of us ride motorcycles, but it's not a requirement.  Who we are, is a group of concerned citizens who believe that it's time for our POW's and MIA's to come home.  We are committed to publicize POW/MIA awareness and are well known for the annual demonstration ride which took place every Memorial Day weekend in Washington D.C. Future Protest rides will be held regionally.

We hold monthly business meetings and we host and participate in many community events including Jacksonville's Veterans Day Parade, POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony, and many motorcycle rides every year.

If your interested in joining our chapter, attend our next monthly membership meeting which is listed on our calendar and home page. Bring your children as we also welcome Junior members! You can also find out more about our chapter by reaching out to us by using the contact us form to the right.

    Contact Us

Our History
In the fall of 1987, in a little diner in Somerville, New Jersey, two Vietnam veterans met to discuss their personal concerns about the Prisoners of War (POW)/Missing in Action (MIA) during the Vietnam War. Having honorably served their country and having taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies…” and to “bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent neglect of attention given to those who did not make it out with their lives or their freedom. These veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of Americans living in dismal captivity. Intelligence reports of these signings were generally ignored by the government and mainstream press. The first Ride for Freedom was held in Washington, D.C. in 1988. Rolling Thunder®, Inc. has now taken the event Nationwide.

“When one American is not worth the effort to be found, we as a nation have lost.”