“The Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club (GKMMC) was conceived by Adam “Ferris” Buehler at McGuire Air Force Base (now JBMDL) 1999., and the club was created to educate military riders and build a base motorcycle community. The idea was to bring together military personnel who are bikers, and soon its branches spread across America and the world,” begins the story of Davor Fak, the founder and president of the first Croatian chapter of the Green Knights. To establish the Croatian Green Knights, this passionate motorcycle enthusiast first contacted the founders and international president of the Green Knights in New Jersey, then corresponded and made arrangements with their chapter in Dublin for some time, and only then, after obtaining all the necessary consents and permits, in December 2013, the Croatian Green Knights – MMC Green Knights Croatia I CH 121 – were founded.
The same strict rules apply to all chapters and all members of the Green Knight clubs, wherever they are located, from America to Turkey, Ireland, or Italy: chapters are founded by active military personnel, retired active military personnel are equal members, and motorcycle chapters are obliged, in addition to socializing and gathering members, to participate in a certain number of humanitarian actions.
Those who wish to become members of this motorcycle club will have to meet several criteria: they must be active military personnel or retired military personnel, they need to have a motorcycle with an engine displacement greater than 250 cubic centimeters, and after applying for membership, they will undergo a kind of one-year probationary period or internship. The president of the Green Knights is militarily firm on this: “We are a military motorcycle club, we take care of order and discipline, we know what rules are and what ranks are for, so there can be no drunkenness, reckless driving, or disobedience with us. Those who want to join the Green Knights will go through a one-year period in which we monitor their behavior, how they manage and fit in, what they are like on and off the road. After one year, if we make a unanimous decision, the candidate becomes our equal member and gains the right to wear the Green Knights emblem.”
“The statute prescribes strict rules of conduct for members, who are expected to uphold the reputation [of the club/organization] and are sanctioned for any misconduct. ‘We represent the Croatian Armed Forces while riding our motorcycles just as we represent them through our service and the uniform we wear. We have combined enthusiasm for motorcycling with dedication to service. We must be mindful of the reputation of the Croatian Armed Forces by adhering to regulations and rules while riding, because we wear official insignia on our protective gear.’
Part of the military discipline is also reflected in respecting the ranks that exist within the motorcycle club. For example, the sergeant in the club is in charge of maintaining order or preventing incidents; the road captain takes care of driving safety and maintaining order and peace on the road, and everyone, together with the president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary, also does whatever else is needed to ensure that everything functions in the best possible order.
They admit that it can sometimes be difficult to balance a military career, family obligations, and the time they want to dedicate to motorcycles and socializing, but with a little planning and a lot of goodwill, it all eventually comes into balance.
“Green is the official color of the Club, and the patch features the official emblem, the member’s Club status, and the international emblem with the number of armed forces gathered in the Club – 121.
We are and will always remain a neutral club that will bring together the military motorcycle community at events, mentorships, rides, and charity events.”
