More than 5,000 motorcyclists from across the region came together Saturday for the Boston Wounded Vet Bike Run. The sea of motorcycles made its way from Boston Harley Davidson in Revere, Massachusetts, to Suffolk Downs.
Each year, several veterans are honored and the money raised is split between them to help make their lives easier.
"It's kind of to kind of give these wounded veterans the quality of life that they lost and sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan everything from heated driveways to motor vehicles," said the run's founder, Andre Biggio.
After accidentally dropping his bag on an IED while serving in Afghanistan, Army Sgt. Travis Mills is now a quadruple amputee. As an honoree, he plans to use his share of the money raised on the run to help fund the Travis Mills foundation. He started the charity in Maine to help other wounded veterans.
"I have a Veterans camp that I being people from all over the state that are wounded they bring their families and we do a day of kayaking, biking, boating, fishing," said Mills.
Gov. Charlie Baker says the foundation is just one example of the selflessness that the riders are paying tribute to.
"This gives a lot of people the opportunity to say thank you in a big way to people who have sacrificed themselves in a really big way on behalf of our country," said Baker.
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The group also gave a special honor to Boston Police Officer John Moynihan who is recovering after he was shot in the face during a traffic stop in Roxbury in March.
Before he was a police officer, Moynihan was an Army Ranger who served as a Platoon leader in the region of Iraq known as the "Triangle of Death."
Moynihan couldn't make it to the ceremony, but his colleagues accepted the recognition on his behalf.
