Combat Veterans Group Key Player in Memorial Day March

Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 34-3, formed only a couple of years ago, has quickly become a key player in area veterans matters.

“We do a lot of different things,” says chapter commander Cliff Goble of Murrells Inlet. “We’re always busy.”

The chapter’s motto is “Vets Helping Vets.”

The group gained recognition when it approached the city of Myrtle Beach with possible options for settling concerns of many military veterans about the Memorial Day weekend parade. In the past, the parade has been on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day but this year was on May 16, Armed Forces Day.

After concerns were expressed, “We got a small group together,” Goble says, to address the question, “Is this something that the veterans community wants to change?”

In short, they asked for a meeting, impressed Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen with their approach, and the city added to Military Appreciation Days events a veterans march on Ocean Boulevard starting at 9 a.m. Monday, Memorial Day. Veterans who wish to march will gather at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans ballpark at 8 a.m. and be transported to Ocean Boulevard.

On Monday, members of Chapter 34-3 will perform its Battlefield Cross ceremony at the conclusion of the march and again at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Murrells Inlet. The chapter developed the ceremony during which a rifle with bayonet is placed in the ground, and helmet, dog tags and combat boots are added while a speaker explains the significance of the items.

“I’ve watched them do it; it’s really impressive,” says Kris Tourtellotte, director of the Veterans Welcome Home & Resource Center in Little River.

The “Fallen Soldier Battle Cross” may have originated during the Civil War. It was after that conflict that graves of Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated with flowers. Memorial Day was commonly called Decoration Day. Chapter 34-3 plans to dedicate on Monday a bronze battlefield cross at Warbird Park. Goble says about $500 more is needed, to go with the $3,875 already raised, to cover all of the cost of the statue and installation.

Goble was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds in 2010 on his third tour of duty in Iraq. He was medically discharged from the Army “just shy of 10 years” of service. Originally from Central Illinois, Goble first was a member of CVMA in Washington state. He moved to the area two years ago.

Nationally, CVMA started in 2001 and now has chapters in all 50 states. Chapter 34-3 is from South Carolina, the 34th state to form a CVMA chapter. The area chapter is the third in the state. The 33 members served in U.S. wars from Vietnam to the present, including Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. Members served in all branches of the military and ride a variety of motorcycles.

Goble and other members are helping Tourtellotte today (Wednesday) with a donated portable ramp that will be stored at the Welcome Home & Resource Center.

“They’re always helping,” Paula Tourtellotte says, with projects such as the ramp and raising money.

The Little River center is listed as a main project of Chapter 34-3. Kris and Paula Tourtellotte reaffirm that “Vets Helping Vets” is much more than a motto.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Combat Veterans Group Key Player in Memorial Day March."