EFFINGHAM, Ill. (Tribune News Service) — A five-day bike ride through Central and Southern Illinois honoring fallen men and women of the U.S. military stopped in Effingham as families along for the ride shared memories of the loved ones they lost.

Gold Star Mission’s 510-mile Gold Star 500 riders and volunteers arrived at the National Guard armory in Effingham Friday evening, where they stayed for the night before getting up early the next morning and riding to the next stop in Strasburg. Gold Star Mission is a 501©3 nonprofit that works to keep the memories of fallen servicemen and women alive for their families and future generations.

One of the three Gold Star Mothers along for the ride to the armory in Effingham, Vonda Rodgers of Bloomington, said her son, Sgt. Josh Rodgers, died in 2017 while serving in the U.S. Army when he was just 22 years old.

Vonda Rodgers said her son was eager to serve his country, joining the U.S. Army to become an Army Ranger as soon as he could.

“Josh enlisted his senior year, so he went into the Army right out of high school,” she said. “He knew he wanted to go into the military, and he knew he wanted to go into Special Forces.”

According to his mother, Josh Rodgers was an “incredibly hard worker” and “very quiet.”

“So when he did say something, everybody listened because he didn’t waste any words,” Vonda Rodgers said.

She also said he was a “really good leader” who would never ask the men and women serving with him to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself.

This is the second year Vonda Rodgers has joined riders on the Gold Star 500, but she’s been involved with the Gold Star Mission since 2018.

In addition to honoring the fallen, she said the ride gives Gold Star mothers like herself and other family members and friends of any fallen servicemen or women an opportunity to share their stories and keep the memories of their loved ones alive.

She shared a sentiment that lies at the heart of the Gold Star Mission.

“A soldier dies twice, once when he takes his last breath and once when his name is no longer spoken, so one of our missions is to always remember, never forget,” Vonda Rodgers said. “We don’t just mourn the death, we honor the life.”

The Gold Star 500 includes stops in communities throughout the state where Vonda Rodgers has been working to spread the word about Gold Star Mission’s scholarship program.

“We have had incredible experiences at every stop,” she said. “We give out scholarships every year, and we give them out in the name of a fallen serviceman or woman.”

Vonda Rodgers said the Gold Star Mission, its volunteers and the Gold Star 500 riders are quite supportive to mothers like her who have experienced the tragic loss of a love one serving in the military.

“Death is dark, and it’s hard. And it’s scary. And I don’t think it’s meant to be journeyed alone,” Vonda Rodgers said. “We walk together. They’ve got my back.”

Another Gold Star Mother, Judy Hopper of Montrose, joined riders in this year’s Gold Star 500, helping in the rescue van, where a nurse was available for any riders in need of assistance.

Her son, Sgt. Nick Hopper, died in 2007 after being severely injured in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Marine Corp.

Joining Judy Hopper in honoring Nick Hopper in this year’s Gold Star 500 are Nick Hopper’s son, 18-year-old Andrew Hopper, and niece, 24-year-old Tajia Gonzalez, both of whom traveled all the way from Washington to take part in the ride.

“When Nick got hurt, her mom and her sister moved in with him,” Judy Hopper said, referring to Tajia Gonzalez. “They didn’t have a place to live. He was her mentor, her hero.”

Although she admits it’s often difficult for her and other Gold Star parents to reflect on memories of losing their children, she thinks it’s important for Gold Star families to share their stories, and believes that the Gold Star 500 is a great opportunity for that.

“This is huge,” Judy Hopper said. “It’s a healing process that we go through.”

Additionally, Judy Hopper said all the other volunteers and riders have always made sure that she and the other Gold Star mothers are taken care of.

“We feel like queens,” Judy Hopper said. “And we feel like they’re our sons. We take care of each other.”

In addition to the volunteers and riders in the Gold Star 500, supporters who could be found along the route, including Ron and Cathy Thompson of Paris, the stepfather and mother of rider and U.S. National Guardsman Keith Butler.

Ron and Cathy Thompson traveled to the armory from Paris, Illinois, Saturday to surprise their son who had no idea his parents would be there.

“We didn’t tell him we were gonna come,” Cathy Thompson said.

“He was in 1544th National Guard, there in Paris, and we lost five,” Ron Thompson said.

Cathy Thompson noted Keith has taken part in the Gold Star 500 for the past few years to honor and remember the fallen servicemen he knew.

“They were his friends,” Cathy Thompson said.

Coming from a very patriotic family, Ron and Cathy Thompson are thrilled to see their son do something that sheds a light on the lives of fallen servicemen and women, and considering the back injuries Keith sustained in Iraq, they were glad to see how well he was handling the long and difficult ride.

“It’s a physical challenge for him to do this also,” Cathy Thompson said. “I get emotional.”

While some riders and volunteers are somewhat new to the Gold Star 500, others have been taking part in the ride for years.

One rider who stopped at the armory in Effingham Friday afternoon, Army veteran Russ Kirkpatrick, has now taken part in the ride six times.

Kirkpatrick said a friend who served in the U.S. National Guard first told him about the Gold Star 500 while he still lived in Peoria. This is before he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, a couple years ago, which didn’t prevent him from making it to Illinois for the ride this year.

“I’m one of the ride captains,” Kirkpatrick said. “And I’ve done every mile of every day.”

He said one of the most important things about the ride is the fact that it allows him and other participants to share the stories of members of the military who died while serving in conflicts that many younger Americans simply aren’t familiar with.

“We exited Iraq in 2011,” Kirkpatrick said. “They were in kindergarten.

“Unless you have a direct family connection to someone that’s deployed, it’s probably not a headline. It’s probably not in your wheelhouse.”

As someone who’s talked to Gold Star families himself, Kirkpatrick said it’s important to remember the good things about loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military, not just their tragic final moments.

“We want to make sure we want to honor the lives of them,” he said.

Kirkpatrick also said he’s trying to take Gold Star Mission’s work across state lines and get something like the Gold Star 500 started in Texas.

Another Gold Star 500 rider, Keith Buescher of Springfield, is the son of a 97-year-old World War II veteran, one of the few still alive today.

“I’m a civilian, but I come from an Army family,” Buescher said. “And I feel quite honored to be part of it.”

It was Buescher’s first time taking part in the ride, and he said he was doing it, in part, to honor his brother, Kenneth Schweikert, who died from injuries he sustained while serving in Vietnam after returning home to the U.S.

“An acquaintance of mine told me about this, and I thought this was one of the best ways you could ride a bicycle, to basically honor the fallen and Gold Star families,” Buescher said. “It’s overwhelming on so many levels. It’s very emotional, and it’s so meaningful.”

After being welcomed at the armory, riders and volunteers made their way to Effingham Legion Post 120 Friday night for a dinner, during which they heard from Gold Star families.

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