John McCain to appear at Buffalo Chip

Campground officials say he'll attend veterans tribute

By Journal staff | Friday, April 25, 2008

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Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will attend the annual Tribute to American Veterans and Active Duty Servicemen at the Buffalo Chip Campground this summer, according to a news release from the Buffalo Chip Campground.

By the time the senator is set to roll into the Chip on Monday, Aug. 4 -- the official first day of the Sturgis motorcycle rally - he likely will have wrapped up his party's nomination in this fall's presidential race.

Staffers reached Friday at McCain campaign headquarters couldn't confirm the senator's schedule. South Dakota's top Republican officials said they weren't aware of the announcement, either, but welcomed the news.

Gov. Mike Rounds, an active motorcycle rider himself, said he would be at the rally and hoped to be able to meet McCain, depending on their schedules.

"I'm happy to hear Sen. McCain is coming to South Dakota," Rounds said in an e-mail. "I'm not aware of his schedule right now, but I am planning to take part in the Mayor's Ride on that same day."

A staffer for Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is a friend and active supporter of McCain's presidential campaign, said in an e-mail that Thune's schedule during the rally was unclear at this point. But McCain will be a very welcome to the rally and to South Dakota, Thune communications director Kyle Downey said.

"Sen. McCain is always welcome in South Dakota, home to many military families and veterans," Downey said. "Senator Thune looks forward to having Sen. McCain in the state."

Campground officials made the announcement Friday afternoon.

"We are honored that a patriot of Sen. McCain's stature would take time during his presidential campaign to help us honor veterans and active duty military personnel," Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff said in a news release.

A former prisoner of war in Vietnam whose military honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross, McCain is an ideal guest for the event, according to Woodruff.

"Senator McCain's life has been a stalwart and courageous fight for the very freedoms that hundreds of thousands of bikers come to Sturgis each year to celebrate. He is an awe-inspiring patriot, and we are privileged to have him join the Buffalo Chip's annual tribute," Woodruff said in the prepared release. "We can think of no better example of the courage, sacrifice, integrity and sense of duty embodied by the people who protect our freedom daily."

Past Buffalo Chip tributes have included the Patriot Guard Riders, the U.S. Army Golden Knights, B-1B Lancer bomber fly-bys and numerous color guards and flag-folding ceremonies.