Sites in California:
Did you know....you don't need to register to visit Tour of Honor memorials in your area? Between the archives and auxiliary rides, over 2,000 sites in TOH website databases are waiting for your discovery.
RIDE FAR. RIDE SAFE. RIDE TO REMEMBER.
Tour of Honor is a great reason to hit the open road, honor our nation's heroes, and contribute to a few good charities. The event is a season-long, self-directed ride to memorials and monuments around the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. Beginning April 1, visit as many sites as you want, with any route you choose.
2023 will have an all-new set of memorial sites to visit, with new roads and new experiences for any avid motorcyclist. NEW IN 2023: Working with the DOD, a special tribute will be made to honor all Vietnam War and Vietnam-era veterans and their families.
Trophies will be awarded to the first three riders to visit all of the memorials in a state (or region). Pins and Finishers certificates will be given to all who visit a minimum of seven state memorial sites. A "Jack Shoalmire Achievement Award" will be awarded to the person visiting the most memorial sites during 2023. Top 10 riders will receive flag #s 1 through 10 and free registrations for 2024.
According to rider preference, $30 from each paid registration will go to Fisher House Foundation, Gold Star Family Memorial Foundation, or Gary Sinise Foundation First Responders Outreach.
Quincy, California - The memorial is dedicated to all veterans, especially the ones from Plumas County who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose names are engraved on the tablets. The granite monument contains an honor roll on one side and tributes on the other.
Robert Zernich, local attorney and Vietnam Era veteran was the inspiration behind this memorial. In 2006, he single-handedly organized the community to get the memorial and its site approved. Local volunteers, including a stone engraving company, provided all the labor and equipment for the memorial, which took only four months from conception to dedication. Mr. Zernich maintains the memorial and every Memorial Day organizes a ceremony at the site, at which veterans and locals are invited to speak. He invites any TOH rider in the area on Memorial Day to participate.
About the Plumas County Veterans Memorial From Robert Zernich, June 2023
The tour of honor has been to the Memorial Day services several times. In 2006 myself and Rob Conover of Sandstorm Signs came up with the design for the Memorial and at a VFW meeting it was approved.
I agreed to do the memorial as long as no committees were involved to slow things down. I sent out requests for money all over the county and got great responses from many people. The idea was to privately fund it.
I collected approximately $17,000.00 which went for materials. Rob Conover donated many hours of his time and material to order and inscribe the stone. I went to the Board of Supervisors at a regular meeting and pointed to the corner where we wanted to place it and got full approval to install the Memorial. When the time came to build it on the corner, I asked Mike Beatty of Beatty construction and Tom Vaglivielo of Sierra Concrete to prepare the corner. The concrete for the base and sidewalks was donated by Gary Durr and the Quincy Elks Lodge donated the flagpole. We held a dedication ceremony in 2006 with many in attendance.
During the building I was helped by Stan Diamond who was the VFW post commander at the time who has since deceased from his action in Viet Nam. I have hosted a memorial service there every year since and will do so as long as I am able. There has been a lot of talk and rumors that the memorial will be moved if a new courthouse is built in the park but I have been assured by all in charge that will not happen. If a new courthouse is built in the park, the memorial will be incorporated in the design. Each year at the service I still get contributions from the public for flowers and other decorations. I invite comments and suggestions from the public for themes at the yearly ceremony. This year we honored our Viet Nam vets and next year we will honor the Korean vets. Over the years I have gotten many messages about how nice the memorial looks on the corner and several people I know visit it often to look at the names inscribed. Thank you for your interest in our memorial!
