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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>Ladies and Gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>More and specific information has been received about Snowball
Express and the PGR participation and, as promised, we are going to keep you
updated the very best we can so that you can make plans to participate in this
great series of events. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU IS VERY MUCH NEEDED.
As you look over this information please keep something in mind. These
events are for the kids. Each of these kids has lost a military parent
since 9-11. You may very well have stood tall and silent at one or more
of the services as that parent was laid to rest. This event, for some, is
the only Christmas they are going to have. We do this for the kids, and
for their surviving parent. Nothing else matters in the planning and
execution of these events.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>What you will find below is a summary of what is going on
during each of the days that Snowball Express is in town and how the PGR fits
in. This is a summary or overview and is not intended to answer all of
your questions or to be all inclusive. The answers to some of your
questions aren’t yet known. We’re working on them.
Mike, Dewey, me, and the Ride Captains are going to be working very hard to
make this as fun and worry free as possible, but this is serious
business. Security measures will be high. Very high. We will
comply in all circumstances with any security measure requested of us.
Your Ride Captains will have complete authority wherever they are and DO have
the authority to dismiss any PGR person, or person from another group (or
individual) who is participating with us, from any venue at any time. If
a Ride Captain tells somebody to hit the trail, they hit the trail. Mike
has approved this and compliance is mandatory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Just in case there are any questions, let’s put them
to rest. Mike and Dewey are in complete charge of every aspect of these
events. My role in this is the liaison between Snowball Express and
PGR. The reason I am sending you these messages is that in that position,
it is simpler for me to send the information to you rather than for me to send
it to them and then have them send it to you. Our North Texas leadership
have been active participants every step of the way for months in this process
and continue to be.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Now…there is plenty for everyone to do and all hands
are going to be needed to give these kids and their family members the best
possible experience. Here’s what is on tap as of right now:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>December
9 - Massive amounts of kids and family members are coming in on charter
flights, a few on commercial flights, and another bunch are driving. We
are primarily concerned with the charter flights. We are committed to
escorting 2-4 busses from DFW airport to the hotels in Dallas, roughly every
hour. There will be a Ride Captain for every escort. The first
flight comes in at 11:00AM and they run roughly every hour after that, with the
last flight landing at 6:32PM. We will stage with the busses, inside the
airport. As Snowball Express needs busses at the terminal, they will call
up the number they need. That particular escort of bikes will go with
them. LEO is supposed to be with each group of busses and take them all
the way to the hotel(s). When we arrive at the first hotel we will go
back to the airport and stage again for the next group. With enough
riders available, we can just rotate until we are finished for the day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>December
10 – Three to four busses will begin loading at 8:15AM at each of 9
hotels in Dallas and be leaving shortly thereafter for Southfork Ranch.
We have LEO support. A Ride Captain will be in charge of each of these
rides. The Snowball Express participants will have a large number of
things to do there and there is a possibility of things for PGR to do there
also. Or, we are free to stand down for a while. Snowball Express
wants to start leaving Southfork at 3:45PM. We will, of course, stage
earlier than that. Destination – Mesquite Championship Rodeo.
We have LEO support for all of these movements. On arrival, all are going
to enjoy BBQ supper and a full rodeo. PGR is invited, including the
food. At 8:30PM they want to leave and head back to the hotels. We
may or may not be making that run with them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>December
11 – City Hall and Convention Center Day. We will leave the
hotels just like we did the day before, only we’re going to Dallas City
Hall. The mayor will speak, I understand Gen. Peter Pace will speak and a
few others. PGR will provide a flag line here, as big a one as we can
manage. When the speeches are over, the whole group, probably about 2000
people will walk over to the convention center. We will have the flag
line for them to walk through, and then the flag line will become the rear of
the walk, falling in at the back. Activities will be provided for the
kids/families all day long at the convention center. We may or may not be
able to go in and see some of it. Security concerns will dictate.
We are essentially done at that time. This day could end for us as early
as 11AM if we don’t go inside the Convention Center.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>December
12 – Big day. We will leave the hotels just like the 2 previous day
with the bus loading starting at 10:30AM. We will stage earlier, of
course. Destination – Cowboys Stadium. Once we get them there
we can stand down for a few hours. Then the FUN starts. At the end
of their day at Cowboys Stadium (about 4:00PM) they will all sit down for a
meal on the field, served family style. They will also be treated to a
concert by Gary Sinese and the Lt. Dan band. You remember Gary Sinese
played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump and has been in a number of movies, etc.
He is a huge supporter of our military and a huge supporter of Snowball Express,
having been with them every year. Problem – Gary has no opening
act. Solution – “The Patriot Guard is Always
There”. We have been asked to provide 300 to 500 motorcycles.
Picture this: The kids/family members sit down to eat – there is a
rumbling outside of the stadium. All of a sudden, riding onto the playing
field come 300 to 500 Patriot Guard motorcycles, flags flying.
That’s right – riding – right on the field. We will
circle the field, park the bikes and stay for the concert (about 90
minutes). When the concert is over, we mount up, fire up the bikes, and
ride out again in procession. The kids are then taken to the busses and
escorted back to the hotels. The events of Snowball Express are then over
for this year. The first thing they see is us taking them to the
hotels. The last thing they see is us leaving the stadium and taking them
to the hotels. One requirement – we all MUST use kickstand
pads. Not coke cans or a substitute – actual kickstand pads.
No exceptions. Jerry’s house, Jerry’s rules. Is this
cool or what? There will be 300 people going to a Mav’s game from
the stadium. I don’t know if we’ll be escorting them yet or
not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>Call
your friends, folks. We need 300 to 500 riders for this one.
Imagine the looks on the kids’ faces. Imagine the looks on OUR
faces!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>December
13 – Back to the airport day. Just like the first day only
backwards. The first busses start loading at the hotels at 5AM for 8:00AM
flights. It appears as though the last flight leaves at 3:30PM, so that
escort will probably leave the hotel(s) at about 12:30PM. We still have
LEO help and the Cowboys are in town that day (so traffic may be a bit “different”).
We have received a request for volunteers to assist the families at the
airport. This will consist of helping the families with their luggage and
generally helping them get where they need to go. The flights are
charters and American Airlines is reserving entire gates for them, but you can
imagine that they will still need help. We will comply with this request,
of course.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>We have
also been given the go ahead to have greeters at the hotels as the busses
arrive on the 9<sup>th</sup> when we are bringing them from the airport.
Cagers and others not participating in the escorts themselves can be at the
hotels and welcome these good folks to Dallas, smile, shake hands and help out
in any way they might need.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'>There
will be a Ride Captain or other person clearly designated as being in charge at
every location.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Missions during the Snowball Express time period –
Semper Gumby. Mike and Dewey will be making decisions on those. KIA
and active duty deaths will never, ever be turned down. Never. We
may be seeking assistance from E. TX and Centex for all of this as necessary
but we’ll be making provisions for those situations.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>You can see that it is obvious we will need to know that we
have all physical areas and time periods covered. Unlike a normal
mission, we can’t just wait and see who shows up and wing it from
there. That won’t work. For each day there will be one or
more very brief survey questionnaires we will use as sign-up sheets for the
various events. They will come out in mission e-mails and links to them
will be on our North Texas web site. Pages with information on Snowball
Express are already being developed on the web site. Using these surveys
is how you will sign up for the missions and how we will know that we have
everything covered. If we’re heavy in one place and light in
another, we can adjust to cover. One good thing about these is that you
CAN go back in and alter your answers. For example, if you thought you
were going to be available between 8:00AM and Noon on one day and then later
find out that you are actually available from 1:00PM to 6:00PM, you can go in
and change what you put in earlier. At some point, though, probably 24-36
hours before the event itself we will lock the responses and you’ll be
responsible for being where you said you’ll be. We’ll be
expecting your smiling face on site and ready to go. We have run a test
on this system and it works pretty well. Average time to fill these
things out was about 5 minutes…10 minutes if you type slowly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>This message is not intended to be all inclusive of each and
every detail of what’s going on. Universally, I have been told by
the organizers that these kids LOVE the motorcycles. Median age range
that they’re planning these events for is 8-13 years, male and female.
I believe the youngest are 5 and the oldest are 17 or 18. For many of
them, this IS their Christmas. All of it. Each of these kids has
lost a military parent since 9/11 and for some, without Snowball Express there
would be no Christmas at all. Christmas decorations on your bikes or on
your persons are appropriate. I am told from other PGR folks around the
country – who will be at the various airports helping the families and
seeing them off on their way here – that the kids aren’t
particularly shy about asking for the Santa hats that many of the riders are
wearing. They give them to the kids, of course. If you’re
wearing a Santa hat, or have a pocket full of candy canes, or something like
that – I think you’ll likely be pretty popular. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>There are more details. There is more about security
and credentialing and background checks and loads of other stuff. There
always is. And some of what is above will likely change. Yes, we
know how we’re going to get in and out of the airport and the terminals
without paying the toll, etc. This e-mail is long enough already<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>One of our riders, maybe you, may make the difference in
Christmas for one of these kids. Your smile, your motorcycle, something
– may make the difference. The sacrifice that each of these kids,
and their particular mom or dad, has made is more than almost all of us will
ever know. And look how young they are to have made it. And they
will live without that parent for the rest of their lives. Some of them
will live without that parent for 90 years or more. Can you spare a day
or two? Can you spare a smile or two? This is for the kids.
Some of these parents and kids you’ve seen before. You’ve
taken them to funeral homes, churches and cemeteries. Your PGR brothers
and sisters have done the same thing all over the country. How about we
take them someplace once again? Someplace happy this time.
Let’s put some smiles on their faces and love them and let them know that
The Patriot Guard is Always There.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Thanks everyone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Steve Lucas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Chief Ride Captain<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>North Texas PGR<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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