Millville POW Among Veterans on Combat Vets Benefit Ride

The Combats Vets 39-3 Benefit Ride traveled through northeast Iowa on Saturday. The ride started and ended in Elkport, with stops in Manchester, Farley and Guttenberg. 

Between five to seven hundred motorcycles were estimated to be on the ride, all gathering at Manchester’s Riverbend Pub & Grill for the first stop as they dedicated the “Rock of Honor”. A smaller number of motorcycles had made the trip on Friday as part of the pre-ride, with a local veteran and POW showing his support.

Dan Hefel of Millville says he was at Friday’s pre-ride for one reason.

Hefel knows firsthand the sacrifice of serving. He enlisted in the Army in 1968 and was sent to Vietnam in 1969, serving in the 101st Airborne. His life changed the following year when the helicopter he was riding in went down.

For more than three years, he was a Prisoner of War.

A few years after returning home, he became a member of the Midnight Riders Motorcycle Club, participating in rides like this one.

All proceeds from this weekend’s benefit ride are used to support northeast Iowa veterans and their families. 

photos courtesy of Sarah Meyer/KMCH and Combat Vets 39-3