Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Chapter 1 NC

04/17/2026

Today Rolling Thunder NC1 had the honor to present a Missing Man Table Ceremony at the All American Tattoo Convention in Fayetteville, NC. We thank them for taking time to remember our Service Men and Women who are still missing today.

04/08/2026

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/raeford-nc/lawrence-wilson-12819449

Celebrate the life of Lawrence Wilson, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Crumpler Funeral Home.

11/19/2025

In HONOR - R.I.P. VIETNAM VETERAN ARTIE MULLER Founder of ROLLING THUNDER Organization & JOE H. BEAN - National President Rolling Thunder - Goldstar Mothers. IT'S AN HONOR to have been a member of Rolling Thunder - 32 years Artie kept the ROLLING THUNDER mission alive in Washington DC. Our last Rolling Thunder Run back in 2019. Artie a Vietnam Combat Veteran dedicated his life to the mission of Rolling Thunder Founded back in 1986 - 1987 the ride, with RAY MANZO, In 1987 Rolling Thunder made its first ride to the Vietnam War Memorial. Ray Manzo, a former United States Marine Corps Corporal U.S. Army Sergeant Major John Holland (Ret.), Marine First Sergeant Walt Sides (Ret.) and Sergeant Ted Sampley (Ret.) are the four men that are credited with starting Rolling Thunder before its incorporation in 1995. In 1987, Manzo visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., talked with fellow veterans, and first learned that American servicemen had been abandoned in Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. (excerpt history Wikapedia) This a motorcycle ride protest to the Vietnam Wall 2500 bikers, mostly Vietnam Veterans the roaring of motorcycles of the famed bombing mission in Vietnam "ROLLING THUNDER" to bring light and public awareness to those POW MIA Vietnam Veterans who Never Returned Home MIA or still possible POW prisoners. Artie & Joe may have passed on but the mission of ROLLING THUNDER and their work continues and their LEGACY will 'NEVER BE FORGOTTEN" An HONOR as we all know being part of this great mission for our nations POW MIA Veterans and families. Dearly missed and LOVED!

11/16/2025

11/06/2025

Here is the link for my granddaughter's t-shirts. There are more than t-shirts. So shop around!

https://cfpromo.chipply.com/huglikeeva2

Eva's store is back open,

Also here is the link. For Eva's Mom & Dad and about Eva

https://shookchildrencancer.org

Please share with anyone.
If you have any problems please reach out to me.

Thank you for your support
Steve Stutson
President RTSD1

11/05/2025

Due to the lapse of appropriations, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been forced to cancel its Joint Field Activities (JFA) in Vietnam and Laos that were planned for late October through early December. The JFA in Laos consisted of three recovery teams and one investigation team, while the JFA in Vietnam consisted of two recovery teams and one investigation team, all of which cannot be deployed. Not affected by the lapse of appropriations are the two Vietnamese recovery teams, both of which will start operations next week. DPAA military and contractor personnel continue to advance the noble mission of providing the fullest possible accounting for U.S. missing personnel to their families and the nation.

10/07/2025

Press Release | Sept. 30, 2025
USS California Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Bowden, E.)

WASHINGTON –

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, 29, of New Bern, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for on April 1, 2025.

Bowden's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Bowden was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of approximately 102 crew members, including Bowden.

From December 1941 to April 1942, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.

In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. In addition to the approximately 43 casualties from the USS California initially identified after the attack, the laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 39 men from the USS California at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. On April 26, 1949, a military board classified Bowden, as non-recoverable.

In 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed the 25 USS California Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.

To identify Bowden’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis and mitochondrial genome sequencing data.

Bowden’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Bowden will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on October 8, 2025.

09/29/2025

We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Andrew Kraus, son of MISSION BBQ Co-Founder Bill Kraus, who lost his life alongside three other service members during a flight training.

Mission BBQ, founded right here in Maryland, has always stood on the values of service, sacrifice, and community. They have been unwavering supporters of first responders, including our volunteer fire and EMS members, providing food, encouragement, and generosity during emergencies and times of need.

Today, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kraus family and the entire Mission BBQ family. We grieve with you as you endure this unimaginable loss.

⭐️ Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Cully, 35, from Sparta, Missouri;
⭐️Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Kraus, 39, from Sanibel, Florida;
⭐️Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25, from Tacoma, Washington; and
⭐️Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23, from Mount Vernon, Washington

09/12/2025

Press Release | Sept. 9, 2025
USS Glennon Sailor Accounted for from World War II (Burns, W.)

WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Carpenter’s Mate 2nd Class William R. Burns, 25, of Raleigh, North Carolina, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 30, 2025.
Burns's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, therefore, additional details on his identification can be shared.
On June 8, 1944, Burns was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon, which struck a mine off the coast of Quinnéville, France, forcing 16 sailors overboard. Ultimately, the majority of the crew had abandoned the vessel, but a few remained on board for salvage operations, including Burns. Two days later, on June 10, the Glennon was struck by multiple artillery barrages from German forces on shore, eventually causing the ship to sink late in the evening. Following the attack, 38 sailors had been wounded and 25 were missing, including Burns. Other than the rescued sailors thrown overboard from the initial mine strike, there is not report of any recovery of other missing sailors. Burns' remains were not accounted for, and he was deemed non-recoverable on April 14, 1949.
In 1957, pieces of the Glennon were hauled to shore by salvagers. A local resident was searching through the larger sections of wreckage and found human remains within the forward portion of the ship. The remains were turned over to American officials and processing determined the remains to be those of at least two individuals, subsequently designated X-9296 and X-9297. After unsuccessful efforts to identify the remains, they were interred on March 4, 1959, at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupré, Belgium.
In 2021, DPAA researchers began an effort to associate unresolved sailors from the Glennon based on historical documentation of the remains removed from the ship’s wreckage. By August 2022, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed unknown remains X-9296 and X-9297 from Ardennes American Cemetery for comparison with unaccounted-for sailors from Glennon.
To identify Burns’ remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial, Y-chromosome, and autosomal DNA analysis, as well as nuclear single nucleotide polymorphism testing.
Burns’ name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Burns will be buried in Chadbourn, North Carolina, on a date yet to be determined.