At Athletic Club Boise, the Community Impact STAR — Service, Teamwork, Accountability, and Responsibility — is symbolized by a single purple chair inside our stadium.
The chair reflects both the eye of the falcon in our crest and the Idaho star garnet. More importantly, it represents the people and organizations who strengthen our community in lasting ways, those who show up for others, create opportunity, and help shape a stronger future for Idaho.
During our upcoming home match on Thursday, July 2, vs. One Knoxville SC, Athletic Club Boise will recognize Bruce Wong, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and founder of Idaho Patriot Thunder, as our latest Community Impact STAR honoree.
A LIFE OF SERVICE
Bruce Wong has spent a lifetime serving others.
Over a 29-year career in the United States Air Force, Wong held leadership positions across the country, commanded flight operations, served at the Pentagon, and ultimately retired as a Colonel after serving at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Even after retiring from military service, Wong continued leading in Idaho as president of the Ada County Highway District, while remaining committed to giving back to the community he calls home.
“Having seen the need across the country…I felt it was somewhat of a calling to again continue to give back,” Wong says.
That desire to serve would become the foundation for one of Idaho’s most impactful military charities.
SUPPORTING THOSE WHO SERVE
In 2010, Wong approached High Desert Harley-Davidson with an idea: create an event dedicated to supporting military families.
That idea became Idaho Patriot Thunder.
Sixteen years later, the annual motorcycle ride has grown into the Northwest’s largest military family charity ride, attracting riders from across the country and raising funds for Operation Warmheart at Mountain Home Air Force Base and the Idaho Guard and Reserve Family Support Fund. Every dollar raised goes directly to those organizations to support military families facing unexpected hardships.
For Wong, the mission has always been personal.
“I know personally the struggles that our military families go through,” he says. “I understand personally the challenges that the spouse has when the active duty or guards person is deployed away from home.”
Those experiences have shaped Idaho Patriot Thunder from the very beginning. Every ride, every volunteer, and every dollar raised is centered on one goal: making sure military families know their sacrifices are seen, appreciated, and supported.
A COMMUNITY THAT REMEMBERS
What began with roughly 200 motorcycles has grown into an annual tradition involving more than 1,200 riders, law enforcement agencies, local businesses, volunteers, and supporters from across Idaho and beyond.
For Wong, Idaho Patriot Thunder is about more than the ride itself. It’s an opportunity for an entire community to pause and thank the families who quietly carry the weight of military service.
Every act of support serves as a reminder that military families deserve care, not only during moments of recognition, but throughout the challenges they carry behind the scenes.
RECOGNITION, IN CONTEXT
On Thursday night, Bruce Wong will take his place in Athletic Club Boise’s Purple Seat as the club’s newest Community Impact STAR honoree.
For Wong, the recognition isn’t about individual achievement.
“I look at this not as an individual thing,” he says. “I’m just this little piece of that…representing not only former and current military families…but an entire organization and group of people that think it’s important to say thank you.”
The recognition honors a leader who has dedicated his life to serving others, first in uniform, and now by ensuring military families across Idaho receive the support, appreciation, and gratitude they deserve.
To learn more about Idaho Patriot Thunder or support Idaho’s military families, visit: https://highdeserthd.com/idaho-patriot-thunder