On the recordSeptember 18, 2018
Mr. President, on the 11th of November 2018, the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. America entered the Great War 2 years, 8 months, and 9 days after it started, but with our allies and through great sacrifice, defeated the Central Powers. In honor of the Great War centennial, two men have served as thankful ambassadors from our oldest ally: France. Mr. Christophe de Goulaine and Mr. Pierre Lauvergeat have undertaken a historic effort named Operation Twin Links. In tribute to American World War I veterans and their families, the two men traveled almost 5,000 miles of American countryside on a fully restored 1918 Harley Davidson 1000 18-J motorcycle. This is the very model our servicemembers rode throughout the Western Front. It is also the same model that Corporal Roy Holtz of Chippewa Falls, WI, rode into Germany on November 12, 1918, in the famous photograph titled, ``The first Yank and Harley to enter Germany.'' The motorcycle is named Bony, after the French commune which is home to Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, the final resting place for 1,844 American soldiers. Operation Twin Link's historic journey of remembrance and thanks began at Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville, FL, which shares a special linkage as twin city to Nantes, France. From there, Bony traveled to the Harley Davidson Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, then to Las Vegas, NV.…





