PROFILES

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DECEMBER 2004 PROFILE

Much has been written about Willie Forkner and the Boozefighters

I first met `WINO’ in Los Angles April 1995. In spite of his elder age and diminished health it became obvious from the beginning that I was dealing with a SPIRITED ADVENTURER, A DARE DEVIL, and a man that would SEIZE THE DAY…EVERY DAY ! What surprised and impressed me the most was his friendliness and love of life. There was no doubt that “HAVING FUN” was what he was all about.

I guess I was expecting the founder of one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in America to give an air of toughness. I figured that one of “THE ORIGINAL WILD ONES” would sound a bit GRUFF. You know like many bad to the bone bikers do when they’re trying to impress you by conjuring up this low from the gut heavy rolling gravelly sound. At least I thought such an authentic original AMERICAN BIKER from the 1940’s would be some what snobbish.

To the contrary he was a happy go lucky humorist. With his constant HO HO HO laughter he could have easily dubbed for SANTA CLAUSE…ugh…at a liquor store.

Wino answered my endless list of questions about history and how it really was back then with honesty. And he added (with a chuckle) that he honestly couldn’t remember every thing so occasionally he had to embellish the facts a bit. But that every thing he tells me was essentially correct…as best he remembered.

With all the old stories he and his side kicks (J.D. Cameron & Johnny Roccio) told during my seven hour visit that day I was struck by another unusual fact. None of those OLD TIMERS ever bad-mouthed anyone. And Wino made an odd request of me and my notes. “Please do not repeat my foul language in what you write about me. A lot of those magazine people quoted every explicit word I said. I know I talk like a G_____ D___ salty sailor, but J____ C_____ you’d think they’d clean it up a bit before publishing the C___ … the S___ O___ B_____’s.” I assured him (as requested) I wouldn’t write any thing that would embarrass his or my grand kids.

Kids I want you to know - `WINO’ was one…ugh…heck of a great man.

Check some of these links out.

http://www.bfmc6.com/history.htm

http://www.boozefighters19.com/History/history.htm

http://web.ripnet.com/~grizzly/

http://www.boozefighters.org/Boozefighters49Home.htm

http://combatvettx.org/_wsn/page2.html

http://www.boozefighterfrontier.com/About_Us.html

http://www.bfmc69.com/BFMC69/History.html