Motorcyclists Roll to Soldiers' Funerals

[skyrider*4*ever]

Motorcyclists Roll to Soldiers' Funerals
By RYAN LENZ

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Feb. 21) - Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.

The rest of the story, in post 2, so ya don't have to scroll by a long post!

[wiersma98]

{{{{{moto}}}}}
That's REALLY nice to hear---THANKS!!!! :-x





From skyrider's #2 post:
"...and they are more than 5,000 strong..."

Au contriere, my friend. We now number more than 70,000 strong!!!! :-D ****************
Terri

[motophotos]

79,900 SOMETHING LAST NITE. WoW.
Gonna reach 80,000 members this week. IF it hasn't already...

[trident_t150]

All the Blvd posters should read this article...

http://tinyurl.com/se89p

and then scroll to the bottom and see who the writer is.

WAY TO GO, Terri

[mountain_motorsports]

Cool...B-)

[trident_t150]

Little Wiersma !

[esa47m]

:-x Twelve Feathers

[wiersma98]

THANKS, tri!!!!! :-D:-D:-D:-x

Little Chick was thrilled to see her pic here, too!!


(I was SO proud of that kid!!!) ****************
Terri

[trident_t150]

This is what a PGR mission looks like at 0 degrees in Mn:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZuGzRm0as2LCeA

This was a mission for an 87 year old WWII gentlemen who never missed a VFW Honor Guard in 54 years....

[trident_t150]

from the PGR web site


In Honor of All of You

Listen for the rumble, listen for the roar
They ride for all that's good and true, cross-country shore to shore
Through the rain, the cold, the heat, it matters not how hard
They ride for honor, for respect; they are the Patriot Guard.

Years ago a war was fought, the vets were scorned and honored not
Now a new fight rages on and once again the land is fraught
With those who would deride and taunt those soldiers noble and true.
They mock the cause, they mock our land, they mock the red, white and blue

Riders heard, said "Never again. We'll stand and silence this sound
Of those who bring disrespect to solemn, sacred, blood-stained ground"
They gathered flags and on bikes they rode to quell the evil chant
In honor could the families grieve; rumbling engines drowned the rant.

Listen for the rumble, listen for the roar
They ride for all that's good and true, cross-country shore to shore
Through the rain, the cold, the heat, it matters not how hard
They ride for honor, for respect; they are the Patriot Guard.

In every state across the land one can hear of this brave group
Some are past soldiers, others not, but they are a blood sworn troop.
To honor, respect those who serve with an honor mission ride
No fame desired, they lay low, the Soldiers their one source of pride.

Listen for the rumble, listen for the roar
They ride for all that's good and true, cross country shore to shore
Through the rain, the cold, the heat, it matters not how hard
They ride for honor, for respect; they are the Patriot Guard.

On bikes, in cars and trucks full bore they come with one cause in mind
To honor a soldier for service true, and in that call they find
Freedom's light is shining still oer all this vast America land.
God bless you all as you serve so well......The Patriot Guard band.

[trident_t150]

Well, it was bound to happen, someone wrote a song.

http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=211992

"Strangers on Steel Horses"

[mainedrummer]

Legislators weigh ban on protests at funerals
By ANN S. KIM, Staff Writer
AUGUSTA - Maine will debate whether to join a growing number of states that are barring protests at funerals in response to a Kansas church's anti-gay demonstrations at services for military personnel killed in Iraq.
The proposed law, sponsored by Sen. David Hastings III, R-Fryeburg, would make it a crime to demonstrate, leaflet or protest a funeral within 1,000 feet of the event. At least 30 other states have similar laws, a handful of which have been challenged by free-speech advocates, who say they violate the First Amendment.
The Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church preaches that God is killing U.S. troops as punishment for the country's tolerance of homosexuality. The group, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, has demonstrated at the funerals of military personnel with signs reading "Thank God for IEDs" and "Your Sons Are in Hell."
Last March, the church threatened to demonstrate at the funeral of Army Sgt. Corey Dan, 22, of Norway, but church members never showed up.
Hastings said the church's threatened protest at Dan's funeral was the impetus for the proposed ban, which, if passed by the Legislature, would be in effect for the period beginning two hours before a service and ending an hour afterward. He said the measure would apply at all funerals, not just those for military personnel.
"There will be plenty of time for the politics to play out without intruding into the funeral itself," Hastings said. "I'm looking at this as human decency that does not unreasonably infringe on anybody's freedom of speech."
That's exactly, however, what it would do, said Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. "Speech that is cruel and upsetting is still protected by the First Amendment," she said.
"By leaving the state on precarious legal footing, this bill is encouraging Phelps to sue and have the state fund his horrible operation."
The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill Monday. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Room 436 of the State House.
Sharon Bouchard, Dan's grandmother, said part of the reason her grandson joined the military was to protect rights such as free speech. But she believes the restrictions are reasonable. In their grief, her family had to worry about disruptions outside the service and possible clashes between the church and people who turned out to protest them.
"This was just an added concern that no one, especially his mom and dad, did not need to deal with at that time," said Bouchard, who lives in South Paris.
Lorna Harris of Patten agrees. The Kansas church also said it would protest at the service for her son, 21-year-old Army Spc. Dustin Harris, after he was killed in Iraq in April. Once again, though, the church members never materialized for the funeral.
"I think there should be a law. Those groups shouldn't be allowed anywhere near," she said.
Church spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said such laws don't stop members from demonstrating. Participants don't stand that close to funerals and the time restrictions don't matter as long as they abide by the distance limitations, she said.
"What does this do besides demonstrate that a doomed America is ready to give away its First Amendment rights?" Phelps-Roper said.
Many of the laws in other states, like the proposal in Maine, treat funeral protests as a form of disorderly conduct, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Some of those efforts have faced challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged a Kentucky law that banned protests within 300 feet of funerals and won a preliminary injunction that keeps the state from enforcing it, said Charlie Mitchell, the organization's state legislative director. Lawsuits are pending in several other states, including Missouri and Ohio.
The law runs into problems because it discriminates based on viewpoint, Mitchell said. He questioned whether authorities would enforce the ban if the message weren't controversial.
Another problem is that the 1,000-foot restriction reaches into public forums such as streets and sidewalks, he said.
But the bill does have the support of the Maine State Police. Maj. Tim Doyle said it would create a buffer zone between mourners and demonstrators and delineate for law enforcement where protesters could be.
"We see that as balancing a person's constitutional right to protest, or free speech, with the right of a person to bury a loved one in peace," he said.
Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, said that as long as First Amendment issues aren't a problem, the bill seems appropriate.
He noted that there are restrictions for public safety reasons on demonstrations during events such as presidential visits or parades.
"I think it could be a safety issue," said Diamond, co-chairman of the committee that will hear the bill. "Emotions run high at funerals."

[renfieldca]

No, they weren't soldiers, just innocent college kids and this just isn't right-

CBS- Westboro bungs to be at VA Tech funerals-
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/18/national/main2699800.shtml?source=RSS&attr=_2699800

_________________________
I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before we met.

[mainedrummer]

I can't believe those people. I just can't believe them saying what they say . . . It is frustrating enough dealing with all those kids losing their lives but to read that they brought it on themselves. I just can't believe it. Inside I'm just raging at the injustice of what they're saying - and doing it in the name of God - they're as sick as the guy who pulled the trigger . . .
:_|

[trident_t150]

I just spent one of the most worthwhile days of my life on Saturday. Friday night, I rode to my folks' place, about halfway to Mpls, then got up at 5:00am, left at 6:00am, and rode the rest of the way to the missions. I pulled into a McDonalds at the edge of the freeways, and drove right smack into a staging area for the funeral mission that I was headed for, north of Mpls, at Anoka, so the last 30 miles I had company. Those guys down there are organized! As we rode north, several overpasses had riders waiting, who then came down the ramps and blended right into our group. By the time we got to the final staging area, we were linking up with 150+ more riders. We mounted our flags, and rode a few more blocks to the church, where we honored one of our own, Mike Hanson. Mike was not a veteran, and like me and others, are given the opportunity to serve now with the PGR. His family was absolutely overwhelmed when nearly 200 bikes rolled into the parking lot of the church. His mother told me that they had hoped that maybe ten or so would come.....

When it started to rain heavily, the family came outside, and invited us all into the narthex of the church, where we again set up the flag lines on two levels.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLJq0ZMmLDlA

The picture 18a has a young man just home from Iraq, who had been wounded, and then went back to the sandbox. He is now a member of the PGR, and this was his first mission, standing now for one of us.

As soon as the family was seated, bagpipe music was played, while we all went out to the bikes, started them all, and with all the doors to the church held open, we gave Mike a thunderous biker sendoff to open his funeral service.

We then went to the Anoka American Legion for dinner, where we were treated like royalty, with several old vets taking the mic and telling us how much they appreciate what we do.

This link has pictures of the Tribute Big Dog that one of our riders has. This is the bike that went down on our rallye ride last summer, and the owner spent some big bucks on this paint job while repariing his bike. This is the bike that was parked in front of the entrance to the church, with a PGR vest on a stand, in memory of Mike.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLJq0ZMmLDtg

We then set up staging for the afternoon Welcome Home mission.

Strangers on Steel Horses

[trident_t150]

After our sad mission in the morning, we then had a "happy mission" in the afternoon--the arrival home of one of the most courageous young men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Sgt. Neil Duncan lost both legs in a IED blast a year ago November. He was fitted with his first pair of limbs in March of '06, and was skiing by the end of April. He went on to compete and finish in the New York City marathon, riding a specially adapted bicycle, rather than a wheelchair. After more than a year total recovery in Walter Reed, where he visited and encouraged daily all the other wounded soldiers, he finally came home to a thunderous crowd of PGR, well-wishers, dignitaries, and veterans.

The mission took place at the Osseo/Maple Grove American Legion Post 172. Sgt. Duncan was picked up by a PGR member at a location three minutes away, and rode through our flag line into the parking lot of the Legion, where he was immediately surrounded by over 200 flags. He then stood in the entrance and shook everyone's hands as we entered and signed the guest book. He wears two different types of artificial limbs, as one leg was amputed above the knee, and the other, below.

The program consisted of several short speeches by Legion/VFW commanders, city mayors, State Rep Ramstad, Governor Palenty of Minnesota, and others. Our former state captain, Jim Bono, in the middle of the governor's speech, walked front and center with two beers, and gave one to Sgt. Duncan, and offered the other one to the governor (who laughingly declined !) One of the most moving presentations was when Sgt. Duncan was invited to join the only organization whose purpose is to not grow in membership, The Order of the Purple Heart.

After all the speeches, Sgt Duncan gave a very matter-of-fact talk, thanking all for what they do to support the soldiers. While still at the podium, the PGR ride captain took the mic, and informed him that there was one more suprise that wasn't on the program. His ex high school music teacher then led several members of the high school band into the building, and we all arose and joined them in singing while they played the national anthem. The ride captain then announced, to the cheers of the crowd, that the band members had all volunteered to do this, even though yesterday was the day of their prom!

Here's my pictures of that mission:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLJq0ZMmLEKA
You can tell by the flags how windy it was yesterday. I put on about 375 miles total, all in strong winds, and came home totally wiped! But what a day!

Click on the video link at this site, to see Sgt Duncan's bionic legs!

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_107224955.html

Strangers on Steel Horses