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thedrifter
07-28-05, 06:36 AM
Bike ride to benefit soon-to-be Marines
By Jennifer Roy / Daily News Staff
Thursday, July 28, 2005

WALTHAM -- Gail Tuccero may be the only one on her Harley Sunday morning, but the Waltham resident and mother of a Marine will not be alone.

Tuccero, the founder of NE Marine Moms and Dads, said she -- and hopefully hundreds of others -- will be riding for future Marines and their families.

Tuccero is hosting a motorcycle ride, called Freedom isn't Free, from Framingham to Waltham to raise money for the Marine Delayed Entry Program.

The program is for recruits who aren't old enough to join, haven't finished high school or for anyone who needs time to prepare before going to boot camp, Tuccero said.

Her 19-year-old son, Jonathan Hamelburg, joined the program six months ago. "It gets them ready physically, mentally and emotionally," Tuccero said. "It really helps their families."

Hamelburg recently graduated from air traffic control school in Florida and will leave tomorrow for his Marine base in North Carolina. He will likely be deployed overseas within the year, his mother said.

Hamelburg could not be reached for comment yesterday.
"It's emotional," said Tuccero, who also has a 24-year-old daughter. "You're proud and scared at the same time."

Tuccero said the Delayed Entry Program is a nice way to meet the parents of other future Marines. She said the families get together a few times a year for picnics, softball games and cross country ski outings.

She said the money the newly formed NE (New England) Marine Moms and Dads raises will fund such outings and also help Marines in eastern Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire pay for equipment and other things they need but can't afford.

"It's a life-changing experience," she said.

Tuccero said local recruiting offices get little money from the government and are not allowed to raise funds on their own.

"The money doesn't go very far," Tuccero said. "I noticed that recruiters were digging into their own pockets."
So, she decided to form NE Marine Moms and Dads and is hoping others will soon join.

"It's an outstanding, awesome organization that (Tuccero) came up with," Marines from Waltham's recruiting office said in a statement about the organization and motorcycle ride. "God bless her. She's an awesome lady and she's gone above and beyond."

The motorcycle ride, the first event for the new organization, will leave from Rte. 135 West in Framingham at 11 a.m. Sunday. Registration will be held at Paramount Harley-Davidson on Rte. 135 in Framingham from 9 to 11 a.m.

"I have no idea how many people will show up. I'm expecting at least 200 riders," Tuccero said.

The 42-mile route will take riders, complete with state police escort, through several MetroWest towns, including Ashland, Hopkinton, Westborough, Northborough, Marlborough, Hudson, Sudbury, Wayland and Weston, by way of routes 135, 85 and 117.

The ride will end on Rte. 20 in Waltham between 12:15 and 1 p.m. and a ceremony will be held on the common at 1 p.m.
Cost for the ride is $20 per motorcycle and $10 for each additional passenger.

Donations can be made on the Waltham Common Sunday and can also be sent to NE Marine Moms and Dads, c/o Gail Tuccero, 176 Prospect Hill Road, Waltham, MA 02451.

For more information, call Tuccero at 857-205-0280.

Ellie

radio relay
07-28-05, 08:27 AM
Well I'm glad to see parents who support their kids' who want to try to become Marines, but just want to remind them that people on the delayed entry program are not "future Marines"!

Their kids are still "future recruits".