PGR_NTX Patriot Guard A Rider's Story

[Mission Information For North Texas PGR]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

We are going to stray for just a moment from our usual format and I'm going
to take a moment to share with you a story that a rider sent to me.  This
was sent unsolicited by a rider who wishes to remain anonymous.  We're not
turning the forum into Reader's Digest or anything like that but I'm sure
you're sick of reading what I have to say so I thought you might enjoy
hearing the perspective of another.  The writer speaks of the past month in
the North Texas PGR.  I think you might enjoy it and identify with it, so
here it is.  I haven't changed a word, a space, a comma or a paragraph.  It
is just as the writer put it down originally and straight from the heart.

 

Steve Lucas

Deputy State Captain

North Texas PGR

 

A month in the North Texas PGR

 

   Look, as I start this I think, wow I have never sit down to write
anything like this in my life. Don't quite understand the need to do it now,
but the need is there. I started to write about the Gainesville Mission but
it has been a month for me that I'll never forget. So I am going to go
through a few things that has happened this month and if it don't make you
want to be a Patriot Guard Rider or proud to be a Patriot Guard Rider
nothing will. But along with the good, no, the great came points where I
thought, I just don't understand. It wasn't all that bad but I think it's
what started me thinking about putting this into words. I'll explain that
later. A good place to start would be on Saturday 7 March. That was the
first mission that I ever rode on my bike with a big flag. Everyone's heard
the old saying what a difference a day makes, well in the PGR it should be
what a difference a big flag makes. The mission that day was services for
SFC Raymond  Munden who was killed in action in Iraq. For PGR members like
me it's hard to get out on missions as much as I would like but I do try to
make it to has many of the missions for soldiers killed in action as
possible. Well we met at the church in Mesquite and part of the mission was
the big flag bikes was going to go to the families home and escort them to
the church. We departed as normal, arrived at the families' home shortly
there after. What a mess we made of that little street in Mesquite, 25 to 30
big flag bikes. SFC Munden had a wife and four young children, and for me
children are the worst. It breaks my heart to know they just lost one of
their parents and their whole life was just changed forever. Well, he had 2
young sons, maybe 10 and 12 or so and they wanted to ride to the service on
a motorcycle. In no time a couple helmets were produced and they walked down
the line and got to choose which motorcycle they wanted to ride on and I was
lucky enough to ride the oldest son to his father's service. It doesn't
sound like much but think about this: that was probably the only bright spot
in the worst day of that young boy's life to that point. I was proud and
honored that he chose to ride with me and happy that I might have given him
a small break from the reality of that day.

   The next major event in the month of March was the 9th, when for the
first time I went to an airport to escort a fallen soldier to the funeral
home. We gathered at the Addison Police Station near the Addison Airport to
escort SSG Jeremy E. Bessa from the airport to the funeral home. Not knowing
what to expect the sight of the plane rolling under the giant flag between
the 2 Addison Fire Department ladder trucks and then the water spray over it
was amazing. Once the plane was in the hanger it took several minutes for
the door to open and lower this Green Beret's coffin to the hanger floor.
Once it was on the floor family members gathered at the coffin for some time
and I could hear some faint sniffles coming from the line of burly bikers I
was proudly standing with. It was a very touching event to say the least.
The escort that day and the very long escort for SSG Bessa the next day went
off perfectly. I guess that the vast majority of us being ex-military has a
great deal to do with how efficiently we seem to run.

   Now, on to some fun stuff, Gainesville! This was also a first for me, I
have never done anything fun with the PGR before either. I guess I would
classify fun with the PGR as any mission we are not dealing in some way,
shape, or form with burying a soldier or ex-soldier or anyone. What we do
most of the time is not fun but we all see it has absolutely necessary or we
wouldn't be out there. I have met some of the greatest people I have ever
known here in the North Texas PGR but I would much rather see you at a Toy
Run, a Poker Run, Wal-Mart or Wendy's, anywhere other than standing the flag
line outside a service for another soldier. So I was looking forward to
escorting the Metal of Honor recipients from DFW Airport to Gainesville on
April 1st. I have told the next part of this story to several folks and one
of them suggested I write it down and I guess that's where this all started,
not sure. It was a great day, the sun was out the wind was blowing like
crazy and the flags were standing straight and we had 200 plus bikes waiting
to escort these heroes to Gainesville. What a great day! I was the 3rd bike
from the front in the right column and as we headed out 114, I watched as
the police moved traffic from our way. We hadn't gone but 5 miles or so when
I noticed to the right side they had closed an on ramp so we could pass. In
maybe the 6th car back, a nice car for sure, I saw a gentleman step out
talking on his cell phone has he did. Nice tie, nice shirt, you could see he
was doing pretty well for himself at whatever his chosen profession was. To
my astonishment the next thing he done was flip the entire escort the big
bird, and I'm sure he wasn't telling us we were number one. I didn't like it
and I guess he was just lucky there wasn't someone like me in the 7th car or
he would have heard an earful at the least. So we continued out 114 and hit
35 north for the long haul to Gainesville. Just north of Denton again to the
right side of the road I saw a man in the middle of nowhere with only his
backpack and very dirty and scruffy cloths. He stood, removed his hat and
showed respect to the escort and heroes as we passed. Either one of these
displays by folks we passed wouldn't have been burned into my memory if they
hadn't been so close together and so completely opposite of what I would
have expected. Here we had a business man, looked successful, nice car,
chances are a nice house, pretty wife, cute kids, great job, got it all. All
this country has to offer he has and he has to get out his car and flip us
off because we held him up for 5 minutes. Then in the middle of nowhere a
man that has nothing other than what he's carrying on his back stands and
shows the proper respect as we pass, I was amazed and dumbfounded. I will
continue to carry this story and tell this story now every chance I get. We
did finish the escort to the absolute amazement of the 9 Metal of Honor
recipients. Every indication was they were completely blown away by our show
of honor and respect we gave them. Unfortunately, for all of us we found out
the next day that would be the final mission for one of our own. Gary Maddux
was killed around 8:30PM on his way home from the mission when a truck
pulled out in front of him and he hit it and died at the scene. I rode in
the row directly behind and opposite from Gary on his last mission, he will
be missed. 

  I said Gainesville was the fun stuff and the mission to get our heroes
there was only the beginning. Saturday the 4th was the day of the parade,
never ridden in a parade before so this was another first. Leaving the house
well before sun up was the start of a very long day as I'm sure it was for
many of us there. But that was a day like no other and I'll never forget it.
I rode in the parade, it was wonderful. Riding 4 wide down that main street
was about as cool as it gets. If that didn't get your blood moving having
all those people yelling and waving  you need to get checked out, to see if
your still alive. Shortly after the end of the parade we had the chance to
see and talk, ever so briefly, with the Metal of Honor recipients. Everyone
either bought a book or brought something for them to sign. The one single
thing that hit me was that these heroes, these gentlemen, these Metal of
Honor recipients were thanking me and all us Patriot Guard Riders for being
there and doing what we do. Think of that for just a minute, here's a man
wearing the Metal of Honor signing or book or whatever you brought and when
he's done he shakes your hand and thanks you for doing what you do. But, you
think, he's received the Metal of Honor I should, we all should be thanking
him and we did. Anyone that was there that day should have been completely
blown away by those men. They are heroes, they are gentlemen, and it was
wonderful meeting them. What a great day it was!

   Well I started this story sort of on 7 March with the services for SFC
Munden and I'll bring it to a close on 7 April with the Patriot Guard Riders
of North Texas honoring one of our own, Gary Maddux. It was cold just
getting to the church in Greenville. Everyone that arrived was cold, you
could tell. Hell, I felt bad for some because I traveled less than 20 miles
and I got cold and the gentleman standing next to me at the church told
George he came from 150 miles away. Wow, that had to have been a long cold
ride. This was one of the more complicated staging processes at the church
because of the limited parking space. Poor Dewey, it was move the bikes
here, move the bikes there. But it's just like everything in the PGR you
just do what you got to do to make things right. The service was fairly
short at the church and we were off on the ride from Greenville to DFW
National Cemetery. Man that was a long ride at 45MPH. As I told you earlier
I rode close to Gary on his last mission and to my surprise as we was going
down to the cemetery I was again riding beside and behind the same two guys
I did on that mission. We spoke when we stopped at the cemetery and they too
had realized we were in the same spot as we were on Gary's last mission and
we all thought that we should have left Gary's spot open, sort of like a
missing man formation. That would have been fitting. Then we departed the
welcome center and moved down to the pavilion and everyone moved into
position and they were ready to take Gary out of the hearse. And I'm sure
this was a first for most of us, they couldn't get the back door to open.
During the time several folks were fumbling with the door and this and that
I looked over at Wild Bill and whispered, I guess Gary really doesn't want
to leave the Patriot Guard. He quietly agreed and smiled. I wonder how many
others were thinking that very same thing about then? God bless Gary and his
family!

   That's it, from the 7th to the 7th. Like I said I have never written
anything like this before, maybe never will again. It was an extraordinary
month for me. I met 11 extraordinary heroes, witnessed extraordinary acts,
good and bad, in 1 short month. I'll close this by saying that I am proud
and honored to ride with each and every PGR member here in north Texas, what
a great bunch of folks! We do what we do because it's the right thing to do!
Maybe we ought to get a north Texas PGR patch that says that. God bless you
all and please ride safe!

 
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