By Tommy Chandler

Very few people in this country will ever experience a Memorial Day like the one I did this year. I knew that it was going to be big when we were in the initial planning stages of the trip, but it far exceeded any expectation I had.

As a Marine, Memorial Day is a sacred day; a day that all American citizens take to remember those that gave the Supreme Sacrifice for this Nation. I have three friends that I served with that have fallen in Iraq since 2003. Memorial Day is my day to spend time with my fellow veterans. But this year was a little different.

I was asked to go with Kevyn Major Howard, the founder of Fueled By The Fallen Memorial Race Cars, to Arlington National Cemetery. The race cars were also going to be in the Memorial Day Parade down Constitution Ave in downtown Washington DC. I couldn’t say ‘no’.

Once at Arlington, having never been there before, we faced the race cars at section 60. If you haven’t been there either, section 60 is where the Iraq and Afghanistan dead are buried. We all agreed that it was very fitting to have the cars facing them. After all, we were there to show them the unique way that we were honoring their sacrifice.

The first person I talked to, once the cars were in place, was a very pretty brunette. She was wearing a leather vest with military patches on it. She was standing next to the Army car which was the lead vehicle. I asked her if I could help her find a name on the car. She replied, “Yes, my son.”

It was one of those weekends where you can’t wait to go back to work to try to get over the emotions of the trip. There were a lot of Gold Star families at Arlington that weekend. Kevyn and I made it a point to talk to every single one of them. The moments we shared with them were moving beyond words.

Mr. John Metzler, the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, came out to meet us. We were there thanks to his invitation. He informed us that we were the first ‘motor-sports team’ to ever bring racing cars on to Arlington National Cemetery grounds. That’s right. American history had been made that weekend. And I was there to see it all first hand. That meant a lot to me, especially with three of my Marines that I served with named on those cars.

We spent two days displaying the Fueled By The Fallen Memorial Race Cars at Arlington. On Sunday evening, we packed up and prepared to move the race cars to 8th & I Marine Barracks to stage for the Memorial Day Parade the following morning.

The parade was the biggest that I have ever been in. The parade coordinators were anticipating 100,000 people or more. The parade route was ten plus blocks down Constitution Avenue, which runs along the National Mall in the heart of Washington DC. We had six drag racing cars with us for the parade, three ‘door slammer’ class cars, one ‘pro-street’ class car, and two nitro funny cars. All of the cars were towed behind golf carts.

Kevyn walked with the cars meeting and greeting people in the audience along the route. I was with a Fox Sports camera crew getting interviews with the Fueled By The Fallen team and audience members along the route.

Come parade time, disaster strikes! About fifteen minutes before we were to step off, we lost a tire on one of the golf carts. With the tire completely flat, and no time find a replacement, we decided to run it anyway. Fortunately, the driver of that golf cart was none other than Pat Shaeffer, a veteran female drag racer. We put a Marine on the opposite side as the flat and told Pat to drive it like she stole it. She did a fantastic job. The flat didn’t even come off the rim!

The response from the crowd along the route was incredible. It really warmed our heart to see Americans applauding the Memorial Race Cars. The applause wasn’t for us, but to those heroes named on the cars. That is why we do what we do. We want America to recognize the sacrifice of so few for so many.

Right as we finished the parade, it began to rain. We loaded up, congratulated everyone on the team, and went our separate ways. The trucks had to get on the road to start the long trek back to California. I sat at the pub that night with a giant smile on my face. The Marine in me lifted my pint to my friends and said, “Mission Accomplished”.

We couldn’t have set history without the tremendous help from those who believe in Fueled By The Fallen. William Chatfield, former Director of Selective Service and a brother Marine, John Metzler, Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, the United States Marine Corps at 8th & I Barracks, Jeff, Steve, and Joe of J & B Motorsports with their nitro funny cars, Ed Bessette, Site General Manager of Troops 2 Truckers for hauling the drag racing cars across America, and Jim Tyson, East Coast representative for Fueled By The Fallen, made this trip possible. Thank you for being a part of the Fueled By The Fallen. Semper Fi!