Have had a rough couple of weeks at work, so I was really looking forward to doing the Halloween run in Waynesville on saturday. But early this week I received a email for a Patriot Guard ride on saturday. This was for a soldier that had died in the line of duty in Iraq. To top it off those nasty jerks from WBC planned on being there to protest. There wasn't any question, I was doing the PGR mission.
I wasn't sure what to expect, it was only my 2nd PGR mission, and Lamar is a small town (population 4400). Honestly thought it would be a few hundred residents and 50 or so PGR riders. I couldn't have been more wrong. There were over 400 bikers. Not just PGR riders either, all kinds of groups showed up. We had to pack them in the lot like sardines!
It wasn't just bikers either, there had to be over a thousand people lining the streets. American flags covered the place.
I didn't see the idiot protesters. Before they had a chance to setup, our group had a flag line in place, with our backs to them. We simply stood there blocking them from view. I was very proud of the response from non-riders as well, there was a group singing to drown out the WBC ever time they started in. I never heard anyone say anything negative to the jerks. Pretty soon they gave up and left.
here's a couple of links with more pictures and such
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x2073117343/Crowds-line-Lamar-streets-for-fallen-soldier
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2617919/posts?page=1
On the way out of town, got split up from my group. Didn't think much about it just started for home. Not far out of town saw one of our group pulled off the road, so stopped to see if I could help. He had a ton of smoke coming out of the engine. We didn't have much choice but to leave it on the side of the road at that point. I was going to give him a ride home so he could get a truck and trailer. At that point someone else pulled over in a cage to offer help.
When this guy heard we were going to leave the bike on the side of the road he suggested taking it to his son's house a few miles away. We started that way, but that poor trike was spewing smoke so badly we had to stop. Now this guy suggests we get his son's truck and trailer. At his son's house, he explains about the broken down bike, and they don't think twice about stopping a family function (they were BBQ'ing and such), unloading their trailer, and hooking up the truck. As we are hooking up the truck, the brother of the guy who stopped to help us says to hook the trailer up to his truck. He lives in Arkansas, he pulled the broken trike back, right to the rider's home.
While it's hard to say it's a good day when you attend a funeral for a brother soldier, seeing the way all those people came to together to honor him really blew me away. Then to see a complete stranger not only help a stranded biker, but go way above and beyond to make sure the biker was taken care of. I can honestly say it was a good day.
I wasn't sure what to expect, it was only my 2nd PGR mission, and Lamar is a small town (population 4400). Honestly thought it would be a few hundred residents and 50 or so PGR riders. I couldn't have been more wrong. There were over 400 bikers. Not just PGR riders either, all kinds of groups showed up. We had to pack them in the lot like sardines!
It wasn't just bikers either, there had to be over a thousand people lining the streets. American flags covered the place.
I didn't see the idiot protesters. Before they had a chance to setup, our group had a flag line in place, with our backs to them. We simply stood there blocking them from view. I was very proud of the response from non-riders as well, there was a group singing to drown out the WBC ever time they started in. I never heard anyone say anything negative to the jerks. Pretty soon they gave up and left.
here's a couple of links with more pictures and such
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x2073117343/Crowds-line-Lamar-streets-for-fallen-soldier
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2617919/posts?page=1
On the way out of town, got split up from my group. Didn't think much about it just started for home. Not far out of town saw one of our group pulled off the road, so stopped to see if I could help. He had a ton of smoke coming out of the engine. We didn't have much choice but to leave it on the side of the road at that point. I was going to give him a ride home so he could get a truck and trailer. At that point someone else pulled over in a cage to offer help.
When this guy heard we were going to leave the bike on the side of the road he suggested taking it to his son's house a few miles away. We started that way, but that poor trike was spewing smoke so badly we had to stop. Now this guy suggests we get his son's truck and trailer. At his son's house, he explains about the broken down bike, and they don't think twice about stopping a family function (they were BBQ'ing and such), unloading their trailer, and hooking up the truck. As we are hooking up the truck, the brother of the guy who stopped to help us says to hook the trailer up to his truck. He lives in Arkansas, he pulled the broken trike back, right to the rider's home.
While it's hard to say it's a good day when you attend a funeral for a brother soldier, seeing the way all those people came to together to honor him really blew me away. Then to see a complete stranger not only help a stranded biker, but go way above and beyond to make sure the biker was taken care of. I can honestly say it was a good day.
