WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – The flame of a torch lit last month in Oregon for Army Pfc. Rueben “Boy” Lopez flickered in the breeze as it made its way into Williams last Friday, accompanied by about two dozen motorcycle riders from throughout the west.
The Williams Fire Department greeted the flame with a hoisted American Flag, as the annual Tribute to Fallen Soldiers Memorial Torch Motorcycle Ride reached near the end of its 4,000-mile trip across six western states, stopping along the way to honor 48 fallen heroes in their hometowns.
Lopez was Colusa County’s second casualty of the Afghanistan War. He was 27 years old when he was killed on Aug. 11, 2011, in the Kandahar Province in Southern Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his transportation vehicle.
Lopez, who graduated from Williams High School, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y. The attack that killed him also killed four other U.S. soldiers.
The tribute motorcycle ride began in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 9, following a ceremony that Lopez’s mother, Gloria Estrada, attended, said Warren Williamson, ride organizer and executive director for the nonprofit group.
“When we lit the flame, it was our promise to Gloria and the other Gold Star families that were with us that morning that we would guard and honor and protect the memorial flame for what it represents,” said. “It represents Boy and all the other service members that we have honored on this trip. We take that seriously.”
Lopez’s mother and three sisters, Monica, Renee, and Kelly, as well as other family and community members were already gathered in the Town Square when the flame arrived, towed by an RV with the names of all the servicemen and women honored this year.
“To us, the flame is an eternal flame,” Williamson said.
The ceremony in Williams began with the bikers gathering by the lit torch for a solemn salute to the fallen heroes, before Williamson read Lopez’s biography and presented Lopez’s family with a memorial plaque, a photograph on canvas of the family in happier times, and special patches given to all Gold Star families to honor the life, spirit, service, and sacrifice of the fallen.
The group, picking up motorcycle riders as they went, traveled through Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California, keeping the flame lit 24 hours per day for the entire length of the 22-day journey.
Bernie Hilaman, whose son, Army Specialist Kevin Hilaman, was also killed in Afghanistan, joined in the last leg of the race to Williams from Citrus Heights, Hilaman’s hometown, where his son was honored in a similar ceremony the day before.
Hilaman, who had embraced Estrada during the ceremony, said it was an honor to be a part of a journey to pay tribute to another Gold Star family as his own family was honored.
Kevin Hilaman was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks, in Hawaii. He was killed by small arms fire the day before his 29th birthday in eastern Kunar, on the Pakistani border, on June 26, 2011. He had served two tours of duty in Iraq before he was killed in action in Afghanistan.
Williamson said the purpose of the motorcycle ride and the eternal flame is to make sure none of the fallen soldiers and their stories are ever forgotten.
“This is why we do what we do,” Williamson said. “Every family is different. Every story is different. It’s never the same…We have to make sure we always remember them and honor their sacrifice.”
Lopez’s sister, Renee, said in his last letter, Boy had said he was proud of what he did, but that he also asked his family to live for good and not for bad.
“My family has always tried to honor those words,” said Renee, adding that her brother would be proud of the riders who were living for good and for doing what they do to honor the fallen in their home communities.
The Sept. 29 ceremony in Williams was well attended. Williams Jr/Sr High School California Cadet Corps 330th battalion participated in the ceremony, including senior Dylan Chapa, who will enter the U.S. Navy after graduation in 2024.
After it left Williams, the Memorial Torch Motorcycle Ride concluded on Sept. 30, in Eugene, with a ceremony and the ringing of the memorial bell 48 times as each of the fallen soldiers’ names, including Lopez’s, were read.
At American Legion Post 83, returning riders were met with a hoisted American Flag, as dozens of people greeted their return to see the extinguishing of the 2023 Fallen Soldiers Memorial flame. H