(ABC 6 News)- About 300 motorcyclists participated in an honor ride to recognize veterans fallen in the line of duty on Thursday.

It starting at the football field parking lot of Rochester Community and Technical College and ending at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Preston, Minnesota.

The riders made a small contingent of the estimated 5,000 members of the Combat Veteran’s Motorcycle Association that have come to Rochester for the organization’s national convention.

“We’re a nationwide deal,” said member Ben Sackett from Big Lake, Minnesota. “Holding our convention here in Rochester allows us to honor the local veterans that have been buried here.”

For some of the riders, the event takes on a more personal note.

“We’ve all got our people,” said member Scotty McKinnon from Chaska, Minnesota. “We do our best to try to always speak their name and remember them.”

The event also featured a wreath-laying ceremony and guest speaker at the cemetery, Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard.

“To be at our state cemetery here in Preston is just an incredible honor with these people,” said Jensen. “So just to be a small part of that means the world to me.”

Jensen also mentioned the importance of events like these to the veterans who participate, and what people should know when interacting with veterans.

“Most of our veterans are very proud of their service but they might be very quiet about it,” he said. “What I would just says is, if you know a veteran just reach out to them, thank them for their service, and then make sure that they understand that they’re not alone.”

The convention will occur through June 22, so Rochester residents can continue to expect increased numbers of motorcycles on the roads. The Minnesota Department of Transportation asks drivers to be extra cautious of motorcyclists and to share the road.