PGR_NTX Patriot Guard Confirmed Mission - 2-149th General Support Aviation Battalion - September 13, 2009

[Mission Information For North Texas PGR]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Most of you are familiar with the men and women of the 2-149th General
Support Aviation Battalion, stationed at the armory in Grand Prairie.  When
they went off to war the North Texas PGR was there and rode with them to Ft.
Sill.  On September 18, 2008 on a flight from Kuwait to Balad, Iraq, Red
River 44 went down and 7 brave men from that unit lost their lives in
defense of our country.  One of our own went to Dover aboard the C-130 and
brought all of those men back home.  Three of those men were from North
Texas and the North Texas PGR was present each time that plane touched down
in North Texas to help bring each hero back to Texas soil and the PGR was
present at the invitation of each of the families for the services for these
men.  A few weeks ago, when the 2-149th came home after their service in the
sand the North Texas PGR met them along the way on two separate occasions
and escorted the unit as they returned to their loved ones.  You might say
that we have grown somewhat close with these men and women and they have
called on us again to perform a duty that no group in the world other than
the PGR does.  They have asked us to conduct an honor mission for those
Killed in Action from the 2-149th.

 

Additional remains were discovered from the crash of Red River 44.  

 

On September 13, 2009 those remains will be interred at DFW National
Cemetery at a gravesite in front of a marker bearing the names of all 7 men
lost in that crash.  The Patriot Guard Riders have been given the great
honor of being invited to participate in this ceremony.

 

Our good friend Captain Stillinger has been working with the Grand Prairie
Police Department for escort duty and the general outline for the day is as
follows:

 

We will assemble at the armory at approximately 7:00AM.  Coffee and a
continental-type breakfast will be available.  The formal procession,
including the hearse and 7 limousines and other vehicles will form up at
8:00AM.  At 8:30AM the procession, including the PGR, will depart for DFW
National Cemetery.  At 9:30AM the service will start at the cemetery.  The
service will be held at the grave site itself, not at a shelter.  Following
the service we and the Grand Prairie Police Department will escort the
procession back to the armory.  At 11:00AM a memorial service will begin in
the hanger at the armory.  That service will include a brief walk to the
site of the Red River memorial park for the park's dedication.  As part of
the fund raising for the park, the North Texas PGR donated funds for a bench
within the park.

 

At some point to be decided later, we will also be setting up a flag line.
The likely locations will be either at the cemetery, the hanger, or maybe
even both.

 

This makes for a long morning, it is true.  There is a lot involved in this
mission.  Also true.  Many of us have been involved in a KIA mission before
and we know that there is much to be done in a KIA mission because much has
been sacrificed and there is much honor and respect to be shown.  On this
day there will be 7 KIA missions at once.  It is more than a memorial
service and a park dedication.  Remains will be interred.  Reporting back to
their home base again will be CPT Robert Vallejo, CW3 Brady Rudolf, CW2
Corry Edwards, SGM Julio Ordonez, CPL Michael Thompson, SSG Luke Mason and
SGT Dan Eshbaugh.

 

As usual, additional details will be forthcoming as they are known.  A final
itinerary will be posted.  Please mark your calendars for this important
date.

 

Thank you all for what you do every day on behalf of all of our military,
first responders and their families.

 

Steve Lucas

Deputy State Captain

North Texas PGR

 

 
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