Today Mae Lyne and I put over 150 miles on our bikes. I had the privilege of being the ride captain for a Patriot Guard Riders "feel good" mission. Instead of the usual honor mission for soldier KIA or a deceased veteran, on this mission we welcomed home 150 soldiers of a National Guard Military Police Company. We gave these same soldiers a send off last July as they headed for a year in Afghanistan.
What a treat to see families greet their soldiers, to watch a soldier see his child for the first time.
Twenty-one PGR riders and two cagers, joined by twenty American Legion Riders, escorted five buses bearing the homeward bound soldiers across Brevard County to the National Guard Armory in Melbourne. Like most welcome home missions, this one had last minute changes - The arrival time moved up 1 hour and 15 minutes and the route changed this morning. This necessitated a last minute change in the staging area with PGR members already on the road. The PGR members responded and arrived at the new staging area in time for the escort.
The Brevard County Sheriffs Office deputies did a superb job with the escort and Cpl Ferrante was very cooperative in keeping us informed. A big PGR thank you to the Brevard County Sheriffs Office and to Cpl Ferrante for keeping us well informed.
The weather cooperated and the rains held off. We formed a flag line as the soldiers offloaded and stood formation. Following very brief welcoming remarks, soldiers and families reunited. And it was a wonderful scene. One soldier proposed to his girlfriend in front of the formation and she said yes! The flag line was dismissed and riders headed out feeling good and proud to have been a part of this mission.
Afterward, twelve of us went to lunch and just enjoyed good fellowship. We took a scenic ride on back country roads I had not been on since the early 60's - and they were paved this time. Mae Lyne and I got home before the rains just floating on sea of good feelings.
What a treat to see families greet their soldiers, to watch a soldier see his child for the first time.
Twenty-one PGR riders and two cagers, joined by twenty American Legion Riders, escorted five buses bearing the homeward bound soldiers across Brevard County to the National Guard Armory in Melbourne. Like most welcome home missions, this one had last minute changes - The arrival time moved up 1 hour and 15 minutes and the route changed this morning. This necessitated a last minute change in the staging area with PGR members already on the road. The PGR members responded and arrived at the new staging area in time for the escort.
The Brevard County Sheriffs Office deputies did a superb job with the escort and Cpl Ferrante was very cooperative in keeping us informed. A big PGR thank you to the Brevard County Sheriffs Office and to Cpl Ferrante for keeping us well informed.
The weather cooperated and the rains held off. We formed a flag line as the soldiers offloaded and stood formation. Following very brief welcoming remarks, soldiers and families reunited. And it was a wonderful scene. One soldier proposed to his girlfriend in front of the formation and she said yes! The flag line was dismissed and riders headed out feeling good and proud to have been a part of this mission.
Afterward, twelve of us went to lunch and just enjoyed good fellowship. We took a scenic ride on back country roads I had not been on since the early 60's - and they were paved this time. Mae Lyne and I got home before the rains just floating on sea of good feelings.
