When four Americans were murdered in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, by an Islamic militant group, many people were outraged at what they perceived as a failure by President Barack Obama’s administration in general, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in particular, to provide adequate protection for Americans working in that hostile area.
The Sons of Liberty, a national motorcycle association, chose to channel their anger at what they saw as a lack of accountability into an annual motorcycle memorial ride.
Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, a Cherokee County commissioner and local ophthalmologist, took over the event in 2016 after the Sons of Liberty collapsed in 2013. Eichenbaum, or Dr. Dan as he is affectionately known about town, together with American Legion Post 23, organizes the annual event. This year marks the ninth anniversary that the bikers will ride in what is now called Benghazi-Twin Towers-Veterans Appreciation Day.
On Saturday, bikers will gather at Towns County Veterans Memorial Park off U.S. 76 in Young Harris, Ga., at 9 a.m., where they will hold a small memorial ceremony that will conclude with prayer. From there, the group will ride across the state line to the Hayesville town square for another short ceremony.
The motorcycle tribute ride, escorted by sheriff’s office personnel, will next gather at steps outside the Cherokee Country Courthouse in Murphy, then ride to the Union County Courthouse in Blairsville, Ga., where the event will be hosted by Bobby Brookshire. Their final destination is at the Towns County Courthouse in Hiawassee, Ga., where they will enjoy lunch and a closing ceremony.
The entire motorcade takes just under three hours.
At each of the four courthouses, chosen to represent the four lives lost in Benghazi, the bikers stand while “Taps” is played, then plant a memorial sign as a reminder to never forget the men who died nor the circumstances under which they died. Eichenbaum said these are two equally important tenants behind their ride.
“We want to memorialize, to never forget, those four men and their sacrifice in addition to raising awareness of the injustices surrounding their deaths,” he said. The theme of each year’s ride is “Men do not die until forgotten,” and Eichenbaum seems determined to never forget.
When asked if the scope of the ride would change if those who the riders feel are responsible for the four deaths were brought to justice, he answered thoughtfully, “We ride, in part, to remember the injustice behind these deaths, but if those responsible were indicted, arrested and tried, we would still ride to honor the men.”
He feels that if Americans “fail to protect those who work for us and those in other countries who help us” that is would be “a tragedy.” Eichenbaum has dedicated his life to both military and civic duties and doesn’t plan to stop serving anytime soon.
While he said his wife “of forever” doesn’t ride, he has big plans for his 1-year-old grandson, Atlas. Eichenbaum will “ride until he can’t,” so it’s possible he may one day lead the memorial ride not as Dr. Dan, but rather as “Papa.”