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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>Ladies and Gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>Please share this with those who rode today who are not on our
mailing list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who were able to
ride in today’s Medal of Honor escort from DFW Airport to Gainesville.
Thank you for your attendance, your patience, your camaraderie, your good
humor, your obvious preparation and your skills. All of this went into
making this a wonderful expression of our respect and honor for these fine
patriots and heroes. I was able to speak to a number of the recipients
after the arrival at the hotel and they were grinning from ear to ear about the
escort and couldn’t have been more gracious and more full of thanks to
all of the riders and cagers who participated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>I have a personal message from 99 year young Medal of Honor
recipient John Finn, who received his Medal of Honor for his actions at Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941. Mr. Finn asked me to pass along his “personal
thank you to each and every motorcyclist who participated in today’s ride”
and to tell everyone that he, too, is a biker from way back. He wanted me
to tell you that he still has his own bike that he got in the 1930s when he was
in China. Mr. Finn was very impressed with the turn out and would not
leave the lobby until he could tell someone responsible for the escort to thank
everyone personally for him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>There are just too many people who were involved in this to thank
individually here, I would surely leave some out, but I would like to thank
Ride Captain Dewey Dyer for his hard work in making this happen, as well as all
the other Ride Captains who worked very hard today to make all the pieces of
this big puzzle fit together. I would also like to acknowledge Deputy
Constable Douglas King of Denton County Precinct 4, who gathered up all of the
law enforcement officers who assisted us today and who made it possible for us
to get to Gainesville safely and without incident. Next time you want to
curse one in your rear view mirror, think about the time and expertise they
volunteered for you and the recipients today. They are good folks working
hard.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>Again, my hat is off to all of you for a very successful
mission. I told the Gainesville organizers that we wanted to make a
memory for the recipients. Something they could take home with them in
their minds as a moment they would remember. I was assured that we made a
very good memory for them today. There were a number of what I think I
will call “God Bless America” moments along the roadways today as
we made our way along. Moments when Americans stood along the side of the
highway with their flags to say thank you to the recipients, and they even had
a wave or two left over for us as we went by. I don’t know how they
found out what was happening. But we all saw them. A family here, a
couple there. A man standing in his driveway on the other side of the
service road by himself saluting these heroes. If that doesn’t move
you…check your pulse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>God bless America and God bless each of you for what you did today.
You are each Patriots. Stand tall and be proud. I hope to see you
at the parade and book signing on Saturday. The forecast is for good
weather. Ride safely, everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>Steve Lucas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>Deputy State Captain<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'>North Texas Patriot Guard Riders<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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