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weasle
Supporter
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Posted: Fri Nov 17th, 2006 06:36 pm |
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| empty , rode escort for the traveling wall 2 yrs ago here in ohio. go if you can , its something that you will rember the rest of your life.thousands of people lining the rout , waving flags, and its damned hard to keep a dry eye at the cerimony when they set it up. there were almost 10k bikes ,in the escort ,streching 25 miles .
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empty
Supporter
| Joined: | Tue Jun 28th, 2005 |
| Location: | Plano, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1465 |
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Posted: Fri Nov 17th, 2006 04:09 pm |
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This is going to be fun for a change;
hide details
5:14 am (5 hours ago)
date
Nov 17, 2006 5:14 AM
subject
PGR NTX - VIETNAM MOVING WALL ESCORT SUNDAY,19th NOVEMBER2006
[size=COME HELP US ESCORT THE WALL FROM GARLAND TEXAS TO THE OKLAHOMA STATE LINE, ON SUNDAY 19 th NOVEMBER, 2]006
[size= ]
VIETNAM MOVING WALL[size=
]
GARLAND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER
600 W. AVENUE “A” DOWNTOWN
THE CITY OF GARLAND HAS REQUESTED A MOTORCYCLE ESCORT
FROM THE PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS, TO LEAD THE MOVING WALL.
FROM GARLAND TEXAS INTO OKLAHOMA
WE INVITE ALL GROUPS (ALR, VFW, HOG, CMA, ECT.) TO JOIN US.
[size=DATE OF ESCORT: ]SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 19, 2006
[size=STAGING TIMES: 1300 hrs TO 1400 hrs]
[size= ]
[size=PLACE: 600 W AVENUE "A" DOWNTOWN GARLAND TEXAS]
[size= ]
[size=DEPARTURE TIME: 1430 hrs]
COME HELP US ESCORT THE WALL INTO OKLAHOMA
E.R.(WINGMAN)STROUD,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward any questions about this mission to E.R. (Wingman) Stroud.
trikeriders@comcast.net
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Fri Aug 4th, 2006 11:24 am |
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| Haven't done a mission in awhile. Biggest thing here lately, are families plannin' the funerals mid-week. I really would like to go. Can't take the time off work...
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Sun Jul 16th, 2006 02:19 pm |
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Randy in Pensacola wrote:
Misson is complete. I gotta admit, I lost it when the family came and thanked us and when they played taps. I hate that song......... Hey Randy, I know what you mean. "Taps" kills me just about everytime I hear it. (Especially at a funeral)
The other thing that leaves me dazed is when the attending soldiers/sailors and officers come up and thank us for attending. Damn, it's least I can do. They lay their lives on the line. Me showin' up at a funeral is easy. Them goin' out, willin' to die is the hard part. I normally end up thanking them...
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Randy in Pensacola
Supporter
| Joined: | Wed Nov 3rd, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 840 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 16th, 2006 12:52 am |
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| Misson is complete. I gotta admit, I lost it when the family came and thanked us and when they played taps. I hate that song.........
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Randy in Pensacola
Supporter
| Joined: | Wed Nov 3rd, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 840 |
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Posted: Fri Jul 14th, 2006 12:18 pm |
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| Got funeral to go to Saturday. One of the Patriot Guard riders died and all the clubs are invited to the funeral.
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Fri Jul 14th, 2006 10:44 am |
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Abo wrote:
Hey man. I will wear red on fridays for One Nation. Marines wear Red stripe on Dress blue pants, called the BLOOD STRIPE. Ride Free. Abo Always wondered what the red on their dress blues represented...
I'm a former squid and the uniforms that they gave me didn't have much history behind 'em. They didn't give me the "Cracker-Jack" uniform, I was in during that time (75-79) when they wanted everyone to wear a double-breasted suit (Chief's/Officer's style)
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Babe
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 10:56 pm |
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empty wrote: Babe wrote: empty wrote: I need to go to the store, I don't own any clothes that have red on them. I got a bottle of ketchup....I can fix that for ya MT!  That's right, all I have to do is eat a hamburger, I get a yellow and red splotch on my belly every time. Built in shelf huh MT? I have one too...but its up higher than my belly....lol
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zippo
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 10:27 pm |
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empty wrote: I need to go to the store, I don't own any clothes that have red on them. Getcher OL to pop ya in the nose, you'll have red and she have fun!
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empty
Supporter
| Joined: | Tue Jun 28th, 2005 |
| Location: | Plano, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1465 |
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 10:26 pm |
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Babe wrote: empty wrote: I need to go to the store, I don't own any clothes that have red on them. I got a bottle of ketchup....I can fix that for ya MT! That's right, all I have to do is eat a hamburger, I get a yellow and red splotch on my belly every time.
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Abo
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 09:48 pm |
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| Hey man. I will wear red on fridays for One Nation. Marines wear Red stripe on Dress blue pants, called the BLOOD STRIPE. Ride Free. Abo
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Babe
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 07:42 pm |
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empty wrote: I need to go to the store, I don't own any clothes that have red on them. I got a bottle of ketchup....I can fix that for ya MT!
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empty
Supporter
| Joined: | Tue Jun 28th, 2005 |
| Location: | Plano, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1465 |
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 06:30 pm |
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| I need to go to the store, I don't own any clothes that have red on them.
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Babe
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 06:12 pm |
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| I really like that idea Dave....am passing it along. Thanks!
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jeffy ole boy
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 06:09 pm |
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| Sounds good! The least we can do.. will pass it on.
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 05:35 pm |
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Got this over on the Patriot Guard site and thought I'd share...
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing RED every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.
Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday-and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.
The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers.
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.
THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD.
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jeffy ole boy
Supporter
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Posted: Sun Jul 2nd, 2006 04:06 pm |
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| Hey Dave and everyone who might find it interesting. I just learned there is a veteran that got killed recently in the War in Iraq he was a local here and interesting enough 150 Patriot riders from all over are coming in for his funeral here in Madison on July 7. He name was Donnie Hoskins.. Feel bad for he and his family. Nice of the Patriot riders though to show respects..... Gotta run off to the river here... Have a good day!
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Sun May 28th, 2006 12:51 pm |
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In one of the local papers this morning...
A wall of honor
Patriot Guard Riders show their respect for war dead
By Karen Robes, Staff writer
LAKEWOOD — Joe Whalen's motorcycle rumbled down the road as he made his way from Camp Pendleton to Lakewood.
On a Saturday morning filled with overcast skies, the Irvine resident was leaving one funeral to attend another.
His thoughts lingered on the soldier he just left, a person he never met.
The soldier was only 21 with two children, he wondered. What were they going to do?
His already heavy heart was now making room for the local boy killed by a roadside bomb.
He, too, was 21 and a stranger to Whalen.
"Whether you believe in the war or not doesn't matter," he said. "To lose somebody in a war is pretty sad. They're trying to bury their kid."
The roads are often fraught with sadness for Patriot Guard Riders like Whalen. Moved by a sense of honor and patriotism, these plainclothes citizens head to the services of soldiers they barely know.
They are among the more than 3,000 members who joined nationwide, many from Los Angeles and Orange counties. To them, every funeral becomes a Memorial Day commemoration, an act too often repeated by the dozens for those who return home from the war in coffins.
Outrage over protesters at a soldier's funeral in Kansas prompted a group of bikers to form the Patriot Guard Riders in October. Protesters claimed that military deaths were a form of divine punishment for the nation's tolerance of gays and lesbians. At services, families were being harassed with jeers and signs screaming "Thank God for dead soldiers," "Semper Fag," and "Thank God for IEDs."
Patriot Guard Riders park their motorcycles at the corner of Del Amo and Paramount boulevards where they gathered before attending the funeral for Bellflower-born Army Pfc. Raymond Lamar Henry. The group, consisting of 3,000 members nationwide, sees every funeral as a Memorial Day commemoration.
"I read about the protesters and I thought, 'How could they do such a horrible thing?"' said Bonnie Heidler, a PGR member who grew up in Lakewood.
Patriot Guard Riders park their motorcycles at the corner of Del Amo and Paramount boulevards where they gathered before attending the funeral for Bellflower-born Army Pfc. Raymond Lamar Henry. The group, consisting of 3,000 members nationwide, sees every funeral as a Memorial Day commemoration. (Stephen Carr / Press-Telegram )
"That family is grieving and here they are showing up. … Let that family bury their dead."
Funeral protests became so widespread that lawmakers took notice. The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have recently passed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, which would outlaw demonstrations within 150 feet of a road, pathway or other route in or out of national cemeteries and one hour before and after a funeral. Violators could face fines and/or jail time. Lawmakers hope the president will soon sign it into law.
Until then, the Patriot Guard Riders said they plan to be the peaceful wall between the protesters and soldiers' families.
"It's nullifying the protesters' attempts of getting media attention and riling up the families," said Danny Flucke, a Yorba Linda resident who joined the PGR in October.
As the ride captain handling the Southern California contingent, Flucke coordinates dozens of riders, alerts law enforcement and relevant agencies of the motorcade and gets the families' permission to attend the services.
The riders' role is different at every funeral. Sometimes they are the human barrier against protesters, other times the family's honor guard. They often lead a family procession to the cemetery or help ease traffic in and out of a church.
This was Flucke's eighth funeral, or what riders call "missions." He pointed to the small jacket pocket filled with bullet casings from the gun salutes of past missions.
"It makes it personal for me," he said. "I kind of feel like we're riding for them because they can't ride anymore. You always wonder on your way over here. Oh, you know, what was he like…"
Flucke choked back tears.
At Forest Lawn in Long Beach, members of the Patriot Guard Riders attend the funeral services for Bellflower-born Army Pfc. Raymond L. Henry, 21, who was killed April 26 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The Patriot Guard Riders are a volunteer group of mostly bikers who attend funerals in support of fallen American soldiers. The group also attends in case protesters appear at the service. (Stephen Carr / Press-Telegram )
"Whenever I can, I try to go out and honor these heroes and try to do my part," he said.
At Forest Lawn in Long Beach, members of the Patriot Guard Riders attend the funeral services for Bellflower-born Army Pfc. Raymond L. Henry, 21, who was killed April 26 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The Patriot Guard Riders are a volunteer group of mostly bikers who attend funerals in support of fallen American soldiers. The group also attends in case protesters appear at the service.
A way to bond
The group of leather jacket-clad motorcycle riders gathered at the Carl's Jr. parking lot at Paramount and Del Amo boulevards. American flags and black POW flags fluttered from the backs of more than a dozen gleaming Harleys and Indians parked in a row in front of the eatery.
Cigars hung low from some bikers' mouths. Others wore leather chaps over their blue jeans and kerchiefs on their heads. Some donned Civil War uniforms or strapped black bands around their arms.
Many of the riders are veterans, or the sons, daughters and grandchildren of veterans. They hold down full-time jobs. They have families. They travel alone locally and in packs out of state. Some attend services once a month, others every week.
"The call goes out that we need people and I'm there," said Chris Duehring of Costa Mesa. "I've got a family of five kids and I've got a busy Saturday as you can imagine with sports, etc. But my family knows that this is the way I can say thanks, so they support me on this."
Their own sacrifice
A Los Angeles video and film editor by trade, Robert Malachowski Jr. ended an 80-hour work week at 2:30 a.m. that morning. After a few hours of sleep, he polished his motorcycle, got his American flag and came down to Lakewood.
"It's that important," he said. "There's just a common understanding between all of us that this is that important that we're willing to take our time to do this."
At about 1 p.m., Flucke called the riders for a meeting. He wanted a show of hands, and about half raised them high. For them, this funeral was their first mission.
Flucke walked first-timers through the protocol, which included how to ride together and how to properly carry the American flag.
"Do not let it fall to the ground," he said. "The military will be seeing how we treat the flag."
When dissenters come, Flucke told them, they're to yell "Protesters at 12 o'clock" and link arms.
"Wherever they move, you're going to move," Flucke said, demonstrating with two other members. "We don't want to give them the satisfaction."
If emotions seize you, find a member to help calm down, he said. Do not engage the protesters.
"This is not about us," he said. "This is about honoring the soldier."
If a family member approaches, the response is simple: "It's our honor to be here."
With that, they set out in pairs and made the procession down Del Amo Boulevard to Forest Lawn in Long Beach, where the family of Pfc. Raymond Lamar Henry awaited.
John Wheeler tailed the roaring motorcade in his Camaro. He joked about buying a motorcycle after seeing the soaring gas prices. The Long Beach resident had just returned from his first deployment overseas with the Army National Guard. He said he is likely to return within a year.
"I just want to help out the families," he said of joining. "I know I've got a lot of friends that I lost in Iraq."
Where they're needed
A family member approached Flucke shortly after they arrived. The riders are invited to come inside, she said.
But none chose to enter.
"Our job here is to respect and honor our fallen hero and the family and let them have a memorial in peace," said Kathy Hurwitz, a Santa Ana rider. "I think being out here is probably where we're more needed."
While the funeral took place, the riders stood in the courtyard, where military honors would be presented.
Someone procured a copy of Henry's service program and passed it around to the rest of the riders eager to know the soldier they were honoring. They saw family photographs and a mother's words to her son: "The thought of living my life without you is unbearable. You have provided 21 years of happiness. I will always remember your big smile and pleasant demeanor. God blessed me with the best when he gave me you. I wouldn't ask for anything more from God, but more time with you."
"It's so sad," Heidler said. "You hear it on the news that we lost five Americans killed somewhere in Iraq. And it bothers you, of course, but it's a number. You see five Americans and that's all you see. But this, I see he's a local boy from Anaheim. He's 21. How would that affect me if I lost my 21-year-old son? He's a baby. It's so sad, it's just … . God, how could parents go through that?"
Two riders stood at the mortuary gates like watchdogs. They waited for the protesters, but none showed in Long Beach. It's a relief, the riders said. They were told a group of protesters would show up at one of the handful of funerals taking place in California that day.
"I've been on two missions so far and there haven't been any at either one," said Patrick McDowell, a PGR rider from Inglewood. "But I still came away with an amazingly great feeling of giving to that family."
As mourners spilled into the courtyard, the riders slowly formed a half circle around the courtyard fountain, where Henry's coffin stood. They took off their hats and placed their hands over hearts.
The Patriot Guard Riders make their way to the grave site for Army Sgt. Kyle Arnold Colnot in Arcadia on May 6. Colnot was killed April 22 in Iraq when an IED detonated near his Hummer.
The Patriot Guard Riders make their way to the grave site for Army Sgt. Kyle Arnold Colnot in Arcadia on May 6. Colnot was killed April 22 in Iraq when an IED detonated near his Hummer. ( Keith Birmingham / Staff photographer )
Sad sounds broke the silence in the courtyard. Flags snapped in the breeze as a horn played taps. Gunshots saluting Henry pierced the sky. A uniformed man handed Henry's mother the flag from her son's coffin. Some of the riders flinched as she cradled the flag in her hands and cried.
After the services ended, the riders fell into line and quietly marched out of the courtyard and back to their bikes. Some were already preparing for the next mission.
"If you ask any of these people, I know what they would like to say," Duehring said. "We look forward to our very last mission, when the last one comes home. But until that time, we will be here standing guard to protect these good families."
http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_3873267
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marc
Supporter
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Posted: Sun May 7th, 2006 06:24 pm |
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| There was about a 5 minute segment on them this morning...Everyone interviewed seems ok with what they are doing...
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Dave
Supporter
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Posted: Sun May 7th, 2006 11:16 am |
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More than 300 people attended the service, including more than 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, flag-waving Vietnam vets who travel around California on motorcycles attending the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pasadena Star News - http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3794833
San Gabrial Vally Tribune - http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_3795125
Whittier Daily News - http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_3794529
I really wanted to make this with one. (He was a local) I didn't. Had a flat front tire.
Unfortunately, I've sorta had the "King Feces" touch lately. (Everything I touch turns to shit)
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