At the 2002 Memorial Day Rolling Thunder event, Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers “popped up a salute” to thank the thousands of veterans riding motorbikes.
Since then, “The Saluting Marine” has become a big attraction at the annual march in Washington, DC, holding an exhausting hours-long salute to dead warriors.
Chambers’ dedication to the service moves many to tears, hugs, and salutes. One female soldier stopped her blue Sportster next to The Saluting Marine in 2012 and touched millions worldwide.
Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers pounded his heels, lined his fist with his pant seam, and snapped his right palm into a hard salute that matched his brow.
He stood for close to five hours thanking hundreds of veterans on motorbikes outside the Pentagon during the Memorial Day Rolling Thunder march.
At the 2002 parade, Chambers “popped” into the road to welcome veterans, earning the nickname The Saluting Marine. “I jumped out there during the parade and saluted. Then I wondered, “Can I finish?” Will I look stupid if I fall out? Chambers said it was his first time saluting for hours at the ceremony.
The 1994 Marine veteran says, “I just got caught up in the moment.”
Rolling Thunder, founded in 1988 to raise awareness of POWs and MIA, draws thousands of veteran bikers from throughout the US. Unfortunately, it stopped in 2019, but Chambers’ honor and dedication to veterans made a lasting impression.
He stayed put despite the heat or a back injury until it was over. He held his salute with a fractured wrist one year, refusing to cast it until he finished his duty.
Some distressed veterans offered Chambers Aspirin and water.
“I do this for the pain,” he said. It’s about agony. Since many of these guys still hurt, I’ve done my job if I can ease their misery for a time.
Hundreds of tearful veterans stop along the parade path, some kneeling and others hugging or saluting him in thanks for his dedication.
Chambers always said, “No, it was my pleasure. Thank you.”
A boy kneeled in front of Chambers on the median one year.
The saluting soldier wrote on Facebook, “Prayers are private he displayed the courage to walk out in front of millions to practice his own faith I had to reinforce his courage and kneel down with him.”
In 2012, an anonymous female soldier stopped her baby blue Harley Davidson Sportster and approached the battlefield cross monument of combat boots, rifles, and helmets.
She laid a red rose by the memorial after saluting Chambers and the slain troops, prompting paradegoers to shout.
After 6.2 million views on YouTube, the footage touched individuals who praised her patriotism.
“That woman made me so proud to be an American because I lost two brothers to the war,” writes one online user. Another says, “She made me cry, I’m so proud to be American. Bless America and our fallen warriors.
A retired military sharpshooter says, “It was pretty damned heart-warming to see that woman get off her bike to return salute. I salute all of you who have honorably served, and much more so to know that people watching were in admiration. To those who haven’t served but appreciate us who have, know that we stand in front of you to defend what’s dear.”
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