Every Memorial Day a number of bikers from Merrill head to the Highground Veterans Memorial in Neillsville, but this year their rally started with a tribute to a fallen soldier, Private First Class Grant Dampier.

They presented his wife Heidi with a hand carved plaque honoring his service to our country.

PFC Dampier died earlier this month after being hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Heidi says she and their three little girls are grateful for all the support during this difficult time.

"Thank you, it means a lot," she told the crowd. "I'm very happy that I have such a great group of people."

One of the organizers of the rally said he wants Heidi to know that she and her family are in their thoughts and that grant will always be with them too.

"In her heart I hope she knows people still care for her even though he's gone, and that we will always remember him and her and her family," said Guy Hardel.

Heidi says her husband was a man who kept to himself and who didn't like a lot of hype. When I asked her what Grant would think about all of these efforts to honor him, she shared something that brought a smile.

"I think he'd think we were all crazy," Heidi laughed. "We've said that the whole time, he'd be telling us we're crazy!"

But that's not likely to stop people here from honoring their hometown hero or his precious family.