Keeping motorcycle safety on track

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MCs in the News

Green Knights roll out awareness message

By Kimberly L. Wright
Dispatch staff writer

The death of a Maxwell Air Force Base officer in a minivan-motorcycle crash in Prattville last October left a long shadow at the Green Knights Motorcycle Club’s rally for safety awareness May 14.

Greg Webster, a coworker and friend of the late Lt. Col. Alan Marshall, assured those assembled that, although Colonel Marshall died while commuting to work on a motorcycle, he was a rider that did not take shortcuts in safety.

“He’s the reason I had a motorcycle,” he said.

Though some have discouraged Mr. Webster from riding after Colonel Marshall’s death, he still rides, though with an even greater emphasis on safety since the loss of his friend. “He was a dear friend of mine,” said Mr. Webster, who works for Air University Plans and Resources. “I dearly miss him. That’s why every time I get on my bike, I think of him.”

The Green Knights rally, which was open to all base identification card holders, began with a group ride from Hopper’s Lodge to the motorcycle safety course behind the Officer Training School running track, where the bulk of events occurred, including a slow ride competition, a small safety course and a short riding safety demonstration.

Col. Chris Sharpe, 42nd Air Base Wing vice commander, encouraged more experienced riders to serve as wingmen for those with fewer miles under their wheels.

“Airmen love motorcycles because they are inexpensive and fun, but they don’t always have the maturity they need to make the right decisions,” he said.

Along with fellowship and ridership, rally-goers took the opportunity to see first-hand why alcohol and wheels don’t mix via sensory-impairment goggles.

“The goggle race is nothing but a good time to see what it is like to drive while tipsy,” said Doug Brown, the local Green Knights vice president and base firefighter. “It’s definitely an eye-opening experience.”

Green Knights member Doug McCarty said the club also serves as a communication vehicle between fellow riders for sharing tips and alerting others of potentially hazardous conditions that may spring up during the commute to Maxwell or Gunter. For instance, he warned his fellow riders to drive carefully in the construction zone right before the Maxwell Boulevard gate and watch for debris like bricks and sand that wash into the road from time to time.

“You never know what’s going to show up on that street,” he said.

Mark Garner, immediate past wing traffic safety officer, said in the course of his duties, “I see the beginners … to investigating fatalities. Our goal is to give people the basic skills of riding.”

He encouraged the riding public to take advantage of the motorcycle safety courses available for riders of all experience levels. He also noted that regulations at the DOD, Air Force and base level will become more stringent. For instance, the Air Force is implementing a sports bike course, which he hopes will quickly be brought to Maxwell’s ridership. He also noted that Jim West is the new wing safety officer effective April 12, and all base traffic safety issues should be referred to him.

Capt. Anthony Branick, who has driven a motorcycle for 10 years, attended the event in the interest of being a good wingman. “I’ve been riding for a while, and I hate to see Airmen die, so I came out here to learn and help other airmen do the same,” he said. He urged motorcyclists and motorists alike to keep a sharp safety attitude. “Be cognizant of what is around you,” he noted.

The Green Knights Motorcycle Club is a national military motorcycle club formed in 1999 at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., to organize base motorcyclists for activities and to bring safety awareness to Department of Defense motorcyclists and to individuals who do not ride.

Dominick Gezzi, outgoing president of the local Green Knights chapter, noted that the club works hand in hand with the Wing Safety Office to foster an environment of “safety with riders associated with Maxwell-Gunter and mentorship of young riders to hopefully keep them safe.”

For more information on the local chapter of the Green Knights, contact Doug Brown, local chapter vice president, at 953-5870 or via e-mail at douglas.brown@maxwell.af.mil This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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