Patriot Guard Riders

[trapper_492001]

Hi I was wondering if there was any other Patriot Guard Riders on this forum. It is another great bunch of people. You can check out our web site at www.patriotgaurd.org It is a wonderful feeling and humbling at the same time (sometimes tearful) to stand in honor of our fallen Heroes.
Trapper

[planedick]

Me too

I joined the Patriot Guard Riders last year, but haven't yet had to do duty.

[Hobbit]

Guard

I've been a member for several years and have done several rides. Last Veteran's Day their was a service held for Sgt Calloway here in Jacksonville, FL.
Jacksonville is a military town and that group from the midwest had announced that they would protest the service. Bad idea. Over 750 bikes showed up to support the Guard. I ended up parked between a group of sport bikes and a group from the Pagens.
There were over 1000 people there and almost as many American flags flying. It was a very moving experience.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

I've been riding with them for two years, but my job keeps me from riding as many missions as I would like. It has been very rewarding and very hard.

I rode a mission last summer in Northern Kentucky and I cried for at least two miles. We escorting a young Marine from the airport to the Funeral Home and the entire route was lined with people, saluting, holding signs of love and many of them openly sheeding tears. It hit me very hard.

The young men and women in the military ARE the nations best and brightest. I want them all to come home safe. That being said and at the risk of starting a fire on this thread, we have to stay and finish the job or other young men and women will be back there years from now to finish the job. (See Gulf War One...)

[vanhump]

tHE LINK LEADS TO A SITE SELLING MOTORCYCLE GEAR NOT PATRIOT RIDERS.............WHY

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Try this one

http://www.patriotguard.org/

[malber]

Originally posted by vanhump
tHE LINK LEADS TO A SITE SELLING MOTORCYCLE GEAR NOT PATRIOT RIDERS.............WHY

'twas a misspelling ("gaurd" instead of guard). Obviously a squatter has a redirect on the misspelled url.

[vanhump]

Thanks Gino

[Wildkat]

Thanks for the link

it's an extremely admirable thing... It's very unfortunate that there are people out there who look to make things so difficult for people who are grieving... I remember lines of people outside the post gates during Desert Storm shouting terrible things to the families of the soldiers overseas... like it was their fault the soldiers had to go...
It's very fortunate that there are people like the Patriot Guards out there who make things so much better for those who are grieving...

Gosh Gino...

That being said and at the risk of starting a fire on this thread

Why even risk it?

[ih656]

My cousin was a Patriot Guard. It meant a lot to him and now I know why. We lost him in a motorcycle accident earlier this summer.

The Patriot Guard attended the funeral. It was unbelievable. There had to be 200 hundred men, women and children standing in line (in the rain I might add...), holding American flags and not making a sound. They parked a bike at the front doors of the church and laid a vest on it as their memorial to a fallen rider. After the whole family was in the church, they filed in, silently and in single file, past my cousin's memorial where they individually paid there respects.

Because of the level of respect they showed for my cousin and our family, I will forever be grateful to this fine group of people.

From one rider to another...be safe.

[malber]

I just joined. But the site isn't very clear about finding events in my area.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Malber,

I agree that it can be hard to find the missions in your area. The site could have a little better organization, but remember that all these guys from the National Staff to the Web Masters to the local Ride Captains are volunteers and most have day jobs.

I just review the mission lists and take not of what I know to be geographically close. It is sobering to see the names...

It is also very moving to read what people write in the tributes. Big Bad Biker types can be so very sensitive....

[trapper_492001]

Malber

Make sure you email your locale Ride Captain with your email address so they can email you with alerts and short notcie missions or events. We had a busy summer here in Minnesota welcoming home our Natinal Guard units (Red Bulls). They came home over a 40 day time period and all over the State. Our ride captains did a wonder ful job putting all of these together and putting out the word. Sumetimes it was on short notice and still managed to have 20 or 30 bikes on hand.

Trapper

[Dark Horse]

Yup! Been a member of the Utah Chapter for a couple of years.

[scott0757]

Thanks for the inspiration. I just signed up.

I was surprised not to see much central/upstate NY activity, given Ft. Drum and the 10th Mtn. division that have been deployed to Afganastan and Iraq since the get go.

Any idea what the Riders do in the winter months? Just get there on whatever they can to pay respect, I suppose.

I plan to circulate this link to many of my rider friends.