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Welcome to
Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Indiana Chapter #1
Linda J. Smith-Cope Scholarship
Linda
Joette Smith-Cope was the sister of SFC Ronald E. Smith, who served in
Vietnam and become missing and unaccounted for on November 28, 1970
while on a mission near the tri-border area of Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia. Linda was passionate and dedicated her entire life to finding
out the details surrounding the mission, and the whereabouts of her
beloved brother. Unfortunately,
Linda suddenly passed away in June 2019 due to medical complications.
This scholarship is to honor Linda’s spirit, and not only to remember
her brother Ronald E. Smith, but all those that have yet to come home
to family and friends from all past wars. A
$1,000 scholarship is to be awarded to a Covington or Fountain
Central High School graduating senior seeking a higher education
at an accredited College, University, or Trade School. The
student applying for the scholarship was required to independently
write as essay on a Prisoner of War (POW)/Missing in Action (MIA)
themed topic of their choosing. This year recipient of the Linda J. Smith-Cope scholarship is Makali Akers. Makali is a graduate of Fountain Central High School and will continue her education at Purdue University.
Rolling Thunder®,
Inc. Indiana Chapter #1
Scholarship
Program
The lives of
Military individuals and families are forever changed as
a result of their service to country. It is in
this spirit of military fellowship that Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter #1
offers this
scholarship to one student per academic year. A $1,000 scholarship is
to be awarded to a graduating senior seeking a higher education at an
accredited College, University, or Trade School. To be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant
must be a current resident of Indiana, and must have a verifiable familial relationship
to a former Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA). The student applying for
the scholarship is required to independently write as essay on a POW/MIA themed
topic of their choosing. This year’s recipient of the Rolling
Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 Scholarship is Marissa Pogue. Marissa is the Great Granddaughter
of former WWII POW 2Lt. Jack M. Humbrecht. 2Lt Humbrecht served in the Army Air
Corps as a B17 Bomber Pilot. 2LT Humbrecht was shot down and captured by the
Germans. He served 8 months as a POW before being liberated. Marissa is a graduate of Center
Grove High School and will continue her education at Indiana Wesleyan
University (IWU).
To learn more about the Chapter
Scholarships,
scroll down the Chapter INFO column to SCHOLARSHIPS and select the
scholarship that you are interested in. The deadline for submitting 2026
applications is April 30, 2026.
POW*MIA Chair of Honor Program
Lucas Oil Stadium
Dedicated November 2, 2014
Rolling Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 has dedicated several POW*MIA Chairs of Honor throughout the State of Indiana. The
placement of these special chairs are in honor of those who answered the call
to duty and have yet to return to family and home, who are listed among the
Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA).
These
special Chairs of Honor are physical symbols of the 80,000 American Service
Members who are listed as Unaccounted-For Nationwide since WWII. Indiana alone
has 104 MIAs from WWI, 1,498 from WWII, 169 from the Korean War, and 51 from the Vietnam War.
These
Chairs of Honor are reserved as a seat of honor that THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN”.
To view the POW*MIA Chairs of Honor that Rolling Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 has installed, click on the following link: POW*MIA Chairs of Honor
Rolling Thunder® Mission Statement
“The
major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to
publicize POW-MIA issues. To educate the public that many American
Prisoners of War were left behind after all past wars and to help
correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind
should they become Prisoners of War-Missing In Action. We are also
committed to helping American veterans from all wars.”
 Chapter Calendar of EventsMessage
from the President
Thank
you for taking the time to visit our web site. The above mission
statement tells you what Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Indiana Chapter #1 is
all about. Rolling Thunder®, Inc. Indiana Chapter #1 is a
group of
American Citizens - Veterans and non-Veterans - that have a strong
belief that there are still several unresolved Prisoner of War (POW)
and Missing In Action (MIA) cases from all past wars that need to be
fully investigated, especially Vietnam.
Some people are under the impression that Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is a
Motorcycle Club. Rolling
Thunder®, Inc. is not a motorcycle club,
but a group of Veterans and non-Veterans that help bring awareness to
the public that we still have War-Fighters that have not come home and
they must NOT be
Forgotten.
Some of us ride Motorcycles because they make noise and get people’s
attention. Once we get their attention, we can tell them about our
POW/MIA mission and what the Chapter is doing to help our Indiana
War-Fighters and Veterans.
Rolling Thunder®, Inc. has two
Chapters within Indiana. These two Chapters are involved in bringing
awareness to the public about POWs, MIAs, and helping our Indiana
Veterans in need.
Rolling Thunder® Indiana uses several
tools to help bring awareness to the public. Some of these tools
include, the Missing Man Table ceremony, the Roll Call ceremony, the
Indiana POW/MIA License Plate, POW/MIA Flag Raising Ceremonies, and the
POW*MIA Chair of Honor displays.
Rolling Thunder® Indiana
Chapter 1 has installed POW*MIA Chairs of Honor in multiple venues
throughout Indiana. The purpose of these special Chairs of Honor is remind the public that
not all of our War-Fighters have come home and they MUST NOT be FORGOTTEN.
They also send a message to the love ones of our POWs and MIAs that
their love one will not be forgotten. We hope to install many more of
these special Chairs of Honor throughout Indiana. Listed above are the
POW*MIA Chairs of Honor that the Chapter has dedicated to date. If you would like to have a POW*MIA Chair of Honor in your venue, please contact me at the below email address.
The
Indiana POW/MIA License Plate is another important tool that Rolling
Thunder® Indiana has to help bring awareness to the public about our
POWs and MIAs. 100% of the proceeds collected from the sale of the
POW/MIA License Plate is deposited into the Indiana Military Family
Relief Fund (MFRF), which is used to provide our Indiana War-Fighters,
Veterans, and their families a helping hand when needed. The Indiana
POW/MIA License Plate is available through the Bureau of Motor Vehicle
(BMV). Please ask for the POW/MIA License Plate the next time you visit
the BMV.
The Chapter is very active with our POW/MIA mission
and I hope that you will consider attending one of our Chapter meetings
to see what we are all about. Please take a few minutes and scroll down
the menu bar to the left of the webpage for more information
on
our Chapter. Our Chapter Calendar of Events is located under the Chapter Activities
menu, or you can click on the below Link.
Sponsorship Program
Rolling Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 is
a nonprofit organization and relies on donations from Sponsors and
Individuals to have the necessary funds to carry on with our POW/MIA
mission and special projects like the POW*MIA Chairs of Honor.
If
you feel that our mission is important, and needs to carry on, please
consider being a sponsor or make an in-kind donation. Please click on
the below URL to get the details on our sponsorship program.
Rolling Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 Sponsorship Program
Chapter Calendar of Events
Rolling
Thunder® Indiana Chapter #1 is a very active Chapter has a lot of events
throughout the year. These events are open to the public and everyone is
welcome to attend our events.
Please click on the
below link to review our upcoming events.
Again, thank you for visiting our web site and I hope to see you at our
next Chapter meeting.
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