Friday, April 07, 2006

Patriot Guard Riders

Do you care about what happens to our fallen military persons' families?

Do you ever wish there was something you could do for these families to show your support and respect?

If you answered "Yes" to these questions, read on. If you answered "No", you probably need to pick another site to read!

Have you heard about the Patriot Guard Riders? If not, you may be missing out on something absolutely incredible. A lot of people have heard on the news about the groups of protestors that have shown up at fallen soldiers' funerals, especially Fred Phelps and his "church" holding up hate signs and anti-war signs and chanting such hideous statements as "Soldiers are Fags/God hates fags" and disgracing the American flag, etc. Now I am not going to get into the political run-around of arguing against their right to protest, but I am one of many people who are appalled at their behavior, and who feels deeply empathetic for the families and loved ones of soldiers who are trying to get through a very difficult time. In my opinion, the last thing on Earth that they need is for a bunch of protestors showing up and upsetting them and causing interruptions at funerals and harrassing the surviving loved ones of our nation's heroes.

The Patriot Guard Riders are not a protest or counter-protest group. They are a diverse group of people whose mission statement is this:

"The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is. You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means."

(Taken from their website at http://www.patriotguard.org/)

Take a moment and check out their website!

5 comments:

Dan said...

I've seen these people!! THEY'RE AWESOME! There was a fallen soldier funeral from our area just about a month ago. I couldn't believe protestors showed up - but the Patriot Guard guys were there and it was astounding. There's no words to express the depth of the grief in this situation. These folks have a compassionate mission that speaks volumes to families.

misty harley said...

We didn't have protestors at one of our soldiers funerals, but the riders were there anyway to pay their respects. I didn't even know there was protestors that acted on such a sick and twisted level.

I firmly believe in Karma and it will come back to haunt them.

Sandra said...

Just found your blog. I love the Patriot Guard Riders. Laurie over at Stranded in Suburbia (www.lilacpixels.com/strandedinsuburbia/) rode with them to the funeral of a fallen soldier a few weeks ago. Being a military wife too, I am soooo thrilled to see so much support for the troops, if only people would understand how much they appreciate it and NEED it!!!

Thank you for supporting the troops!!!
God Bless :)

Courtney said...

What a great person you must be to honor our troops in this way. My soon to be husband (yay in 2 weeks) is currently deployed serving in OIF & this has been such a hard time in our lives. Not to mention our 3 kids. So to see support like this I am truly touched. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. What a wonderful person you are!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hello,
I appreciate you comment on my blog, but I didn't see your e-mail. I'd be honored if you re-printed my essay here, and would appreciate the link/credit.
Thank you for supporting the troops and taking the time to create this blog. It means a lot.

Lieutenant K
www.wordsmithatwar.blog-city.com