For years Phillip had talked of getting a classic Chevy truck. Prior to his deployment to Afghanistan he vowed to find and restore one when he returned home. Phillip was not able to fulfill that dream, however in the days following Phillip’s passing the decision was made to fulfill that dream for him by restoring a 1951 Chevy pickup in his, and all fallen heroes honor.

The project began with a 1951 Chevrolet 3100 pickup with 28,000 original miles.

It was as rust free as could be expected for a 60 year old truck. It included the original “Stovebolt” 216, 6 cylinder engine in running condition.

The plan was to do a complete ground-up restoration keeping the truck in near original condition.

Completed in May of 2012, The "Fallen Hero's Dream Ride" has an airbrushed "Fallen Heroes" theme created by artist Hairy Didit.

It serves as a rolling memorial to Phillip and all twenty-five 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment Marines that gave their lives in Afghanistan. The memorial is displayed at events to educate and raise awareness for those that "Gave All" serving in our military.

Appearance Requests

Thank you for your interest in having Fallen Hero's Dream Ride participate in your upcoming event. The Fallen Hero’s Dream Ride memorial was created to educate and build awareness of the sacrifices our fallen military men & women have made. Our Memorial tribute was formed after the death of LCpl Phillip Vinnedge who was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. Phillip was a member of the Weapons Company of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and was killed in action on October 13th, 2010.

All funds that are raised displaying our moving memorial go directly to supporting our Dream Riders events and memorial maintenance. Fallen Hero’s Dream Ride is a 501c3 charity that was established in April of 2012. We are an all-volunteer organization. Our purpose is to offer “Dream Riders” events for the children and siblings of our fallen that have lost a family member while serving in our military.

We receive many requests to display our moving Memorial. American Legions, VFWs, and Military organizations take precedence over all other requests.  The following are a few of our guidelines.

Donation: If your event is a fundraiser, we ask that Fallen Hero's Dream Ride/Dream Riders be one of the beneficiaries. These donations go directly to our Dream Riders events and memorial maintenance.

Travel: There may be a nominal donation required for gas and if an overnight stay is required that lodging be provided.

Sharing our story: We request that we be given stage or microphone time at your event to tell our story.

Parades: Currently we are only participating in parades that specifically support our military.

Commercial Use: Fallen Hero's Dream Ride is not used for promotion of any commercial business.

Weather: Fallen Hero’s Dream Ride is a memorial tribute susceptible to weather damage and therefore will not be displayed during inclement weather.

Location: We ask that a prominent location be provided at the event with enough space for the entire display to be setup.  This includes stanchions and ropes around the memorial.

If your event meets the above requirements we would love to hear from you by email or phone.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

636-344-0352