The names may sound a little intimidating:
”
Bodysnatcher,
”
”
Maddog,
”
”
Bear,
”
and
”
Ugly Troll,
”
but the bikers who go by these names are writing a new chapter
in the story of U.S. Veterans.
The names may sound a little intimidating: “Bodysnatcher,” “Maddog,” “Bear,” and “Ugly Troll,” but the bikers who go by these names are writing a new chapter in the story of U.S. Veterans.
It all started back in early August of 2005 with the American Legion Riders chapter 136 from Kansas. They were appalled to hear that a fallen hero’s memory was being tarnished by religious extremists who were protesting at military funerals.
Pastor Fred Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, have made it their mission to stage these protests. Believing that soldiers being killed in Iraq is God’s way of punishing America for tolerating homosexuality, Phelps and his church have been disrupting funerals throughout Kansas, beginning as a regional phenomenon, then going nationwide, and now spreading to both coasts and the nation’s capital.
The American Legion Riders (ALR) decided to do something about it. At the ALR 136 August meeting, Director Chuck “Pappy” Barshney appointed members, Terry “Darkhorse” Houck, Cregg “Bronco 6” Hansen, Steve “McDaddy” McDonald, and Bill “Wild Bill” Logan to form a committee to strategize and form a battle plan to combat Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church.
Other volunteer bikers joined the ALR to form the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR). They began showing up to form a human buffer zone between the Phelps’ protesters and mourning family members. They rode in with American flags waving, signaling to those present that they were there to protect family members as they mourned their loss.
They began forming a ring around the church where a funeral was taking place, blocking signs from view that read, “God hates your tears,” “God is America’s Terror,” and “Thank God for 9/11.” When necessary, the riders revved their engines to drown out the shouts of “Thank God for dead soldiers!”
The growth of the volunteer organization has been phenomenal. The PGR Web site received almost 566,000 hits in its first two weeks. Patriots from all over America and several foreign countries responded. E-mails began pouring in from people wanting to support and join the newly formed PGR. Since October of 2005, the organization has grown to tens of thousands with chapters in all 50 states.
Who rides? More than 75 biker groups across the country have joined the Patriot Guard, from Bikers Making a Difference, Rolling Thunder, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Iron Indian Riders Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Patriot Riders Motorcycle Club, Operation Wounded Warriors, and the Warthogs Motorcycle Club, just to name a few.
Many of the riders are Vietnam Veterans.
Dave, in general discussion on the PGR Web site says, “Here is how the PGR works. We come from any and all backgrounds, we have many opinions, we ride or drive all types of vehicles (except for airplanes, those are not allowed on missions), we all have very different backgrounds, but in this regard we all fall under the same umbrella. We care about our country, we care about those who protect it, and we care about those who make it a better place. Not only when they are around but when they are gone as well.”
On June 20, Congress officially recognized the PGR with a resolution expressing “its deepest appreciation to the Patriot Guard Riders who “shield mourning family members and friends of the deceased from protesters who interrupt, or threaten to interrupt, the dignity of a funeral; and in so doing and standing tall in the face of ugliness, help to preserve the memory and dignity of the Nation’s fallen heroes.”
“We’re finally being thanked,” Bill says, a Vietnam Vet from Gilroy who rides with the Patriot Guard whenever he can get time off from work. Tears well up in the big man’s eyes as he adds, “We’re finally getting the welcome home we never got when we came back from Vietnam.”
For more information about upcoming PGR planned missions, to contact state captains, or to read stories of recently completed missions, go to www.patriotguard.org/
