PGR_NTX Patriot Guard SNOWBALL EXPRESS

Tue Nov 10 16:38:05 CST 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I know that many have been wondering about the progress with Snowball
Express and what's going on that will involve the Patriot Guard.  In a word
I can tell you this.PLENTY.  This is going to be by far the largest Patriot
Guard event(s) that has hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area EVER and all hands
are going to be needed to make it a success.

For those not familiar Snowball Express, it is a once a year event sponsored
primarily by American Airlines where children who have lost a military
parent since 9-11 are flown to a location in the U.S. and hosted to a week
of events and fun to show them how much they are loved and respected.  This
year, about 1300 kids, ages 5-18 and about 700 adults accompanying them will
be descending on Dallas for this event December 8-13, using 9 Dallas hotels,
and the Patriot Guard has been asked to escort them everywhere they go.  For
more information on the Snowball Express organization please visit
www.snowballexpress.org.

If you are interested in riding escorts, this is right up your alley.  There
is going to be plenty of riding to do.  There will be a couple of flag lines
in downtown Dallas at City Hall and between there and the Convention Center.
There will be literally something for EVERYONE to be involved with and
multiple opportunities on a daily basis.  We will also be invited to attend
at least one of the events with the participants.

Let me give you a couple of examples of what we can expect:

American Airlines is bringing in all of these folks on charter flights.  The
domestic flights arrive on December 9 at DFW airport.  Starting at 10:00AM,
a convoy of 3-4 busses will be leaving the airport every hour, on the hour
until the last one leaves at 6:00PM that evening.  We will need riders to
accompany each and every convoy out of the airport.  Each convoy will be
going to one of the hotels in Dallas.  We have been promised that Law
Enforcement will be going with each convoy as well.  Once a group of riders
gets to the hotel, we can leave them to unload, etc., and get back to the
airport to be ready for another convoy.  While you are riding and returning,
one or two other convoys will have already made their way out of the airport
and be making a trip like the one you just did.  This will go on all day
long!

Another example is the first of 3 escorts the next day.  We will stage at 9,
that's right NINE, different hotels - all at the same time - and escort a
total of about 43 busses to Southfork Ranch.  The busses are scheduled to
depart their respective hotels all at the same time, about 4 busses from
each hotel, and go to Southfork from downtown Dallas.  Again, Law
Enforcement has promised to be with each group.  Now this is just the FIRST
escort of the day.  Later we take the whole thing to Mesquite where the
Mesquite Rodeo is putting on a supper and full blown rodeo for them.  We all
are invited to attend the rodeo and enjoy the festivities.  After that - we
will be taking them back to the 9 hotels.

And that's just the FIRST DAY!!!

See - I told you this would be GREAT!  Lots of riding, showing lots of
respect and honor for kids and family members who so richly deserve it.  The
last 3 years this event has been held in California and the Patriot Guard
there has been a big part of the events there and now it's our turn and we
can show them how we do it Texas style.

We are putting together the nuts and bolts on how we're going to make this
happen but you can be fairly certain that it's not going to be like a
regular mission.  With us having to be so many places all at once, we are
devising a method of signing up so that we can be sure we have riders
everywhere.  It would be bad to have 15 riders at one hotel and no riders at
another.  We need to know our distribution is good and that everything is
covered.  We also need to have our flag bikes spread out among the locations
to make a great showing in that way.  Ride Captains - your expertise is
going to be needed in many ways and you will be called on a lot during these
times.  I know that the riders in Texas and North Texas are the finest human
beings on the planet but I will please remind everyone - when you sign up to
be somewhere, please BE THERE.  We are counting on you, and these kids are
counting on you.  We will be spread very thin.  Your smiling face WILL make
a great difference and it will be missed if it isn't there.  This is a happy
event and your being there makes everyone happy.

At the planning meeting I attended a video was shown of a part of last
year's event.  It was taken from the inside of one of the busses.  All of
the kids had out their cameras and cell phones are were taking pictures and
shouting and waving out of the windows.  I figured they were at Disneyland
or someplace like that.  The video then panned to outside of the bus window
to what the kids were looking at.  It was a group of Patriot Guard Riders
going by next to the bus honking their horns and waving.  They said that the
kids LOVED the motorcycles and the riders.  The video then moved on to other
events.

We can, and do, make an impact.  These are kids who have lost a parent in
the military since 9-11.  Some may have lost a parent very recently and are
coming on their first Christmas without them.  You may be the one who puts a
smile on that child's face because of seeing you riding along with his/her
bus.  Personally, I think the chance that might happen is worth the effort.

There will be lots more coming out about this very soon.  Please start
gearing up for this and making plans.  From the time those planes start
touching down until the time we get them back to the airport at the end of
their week there will be A LOT going on.  We have only touched the surface
here.  The safety and security of the kids is PARAMOUNT.  There are
volunteer opportunities available if anybody wants to participate and be
near the children.  Anyone who wants to do that MUST have a background check
conducted through Snowball Express.  No exceptions.  More on that later as
well.  Mike and I have had discussions on the regular ongoing missions, KIA
missions that might come up, etc.

This is going to be a great event and the PGR is going to have a big role in
it.  Snowball Express reached out to invite us last April and is very
excited we are on board.  We'll need all hands and we're hoping for
participants from E. TX and Central TX PGR - and any other PGR folks who
want to participate.  Please join in, and welcome!!

More information out soon.

Steve Lucas

Chief Ride Captain

North Texas PGR 

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