The 10th annual Gene and Bam-Bam Memorial Ride will be held on Saturday, starting at New River Harley Davidson and tracing a route around the county’s volunteer fire departments.
The ride will honor fallen first responders Verona Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Collin Gene Thomas and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steve “Bam-Bam” Boehem who lost their lives 11 years ago in a routine traffic stop on U.S. 17, according to Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jack Cavanagh III.
Thomas and Boehem, according to Cavanagh, were assisting a disabled driver in the midst of dense smoke created by a controlled burn being performed by Camp Lejeune near the Verona area. A patrol was set up to warn drivers entering the area, but an 18-wheeler failed to heed the warnings when entering the dense smoke and struck Thomas and Boehem.
“The first year we did (the memorial ride) was the year after their deaths,” Cavanagh said. “We as a group ... we have been doing this together (since).”