Mark Schlachtenhaufen
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND —
Motorcycles and vehicles of all types are welcome to participate in the Leavenworth 10 Freedom Ride, an event inspired by an Edmond soldier.
Organizers say the ride is not anti-military but to wholly support and work toward the release of The Leavenworth 10, a group of soldiers and Marines incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth for killing members of Al Qaeda or Iraqi insurgents.
Family members say their loved ones are serving harsh sentences while imprisoned enemy combatants are being released.
First Lt. Michael Behenna, of Edmond, is appealing his 15-year sentence for killing a purported known Al Qaeda operative. During the trial Behenna testified that he acted in self defense. Testimony from an expert witness who would have corroborated Behenna’s testimony was not allowed.
The two-day event will begin from 5-8 p.m. Friday with registration and packet pick up at the Riverfront Community Center, 123 S. Esplanade, Leavenworth, Kan.,
At 8 a.m. Saturday staging and late registration begin at Lansing High School, 300 Olive St., Lansing, Kan.
At 10 a.m. Saturday the ride will begin with riders leaving the high school in a procession traveling north through Leavenworth past the Leavenworth Base and Disciplinary Barracks where the Leavenworth 10 are being detained. Riders will not enter the base.
Riders will return to the 10th Avenue Park, 3501 New Lawrence Road, Leavenworth, where members of families of the Leavenworth 10 — and retired Lt. Col. Allen West, a decorated Iraq veteran and a congressional candidate in Florida, will speak. Live music and food also will be offered.
In the Oklahoma City metro area, riders will be staging on Friday morning at Harley World, at I-40 and Rockwell in Oklahoma City, and departing at 10 a.m. Riders also will be departing from Tulsa, Westcliffe, Colo., Rogers, Ark., Odessa, Mo., and Warrensburg, Mo.
For more information about the Leavenworth 10 Freedom Ride 2010, including route details and available lodging, visit www.l10freedomride.com.
