Patriot riders

[fsstnotch]

My Father in Law is a member of the patriot riders, one of his friends/co riders sent me this today and I just had to share it.

Below is an exact copy from his email:

On July 16th, 2009, three soldiers from Minnesota were killed in a missle attack in Iraq.
Sherri and I are members of the Minnesota Patriot Guard. In addition to Honoring fallen Heroes, we also participate in missions that include, but is not limited to, The Sending Off Ceremony's when Military units are sent into harms way, The Welcoming Home of Our Troops, and funerals for any Vet. Any funeral we attend, is purely by request of the family of the Fallen.

During these Missions, we are not to approach the family or guests. We do not speak to them unless they approach us. It is also our policy to not take any photographs of the family, the coffin, or guests.

This Mission was pretty special. I would like to share the experience with you along with some pictures. It is absolutely the largest event we have had the Honor of attending. And it was, by far, the most gut-wrenching. At least for me.

SPC James David Wertish
January 18, 1989 - July 16th, 2009
Olivia, Mn

The funeral service took place in Bird Island, Mn. A small town approx. 7 miles east of James' hometown of Olivia, Mn. Judging from the amount of visitors to the service, the church HAD to be filled to capacity. We staged our bikes across the street at the Elementary School. The count was 202.


This is the best I could do to get ALL the bikes in one shot. Not even close.



All day, people were placing flags here.


We found some shade and conducted our briefing. The ride Captain read a poem. Subject: "Why We Do This." He also led us in a prayer. A Member
then played the National Anthem on the harmonica.
(One funny note: In his closing, the Ride Capt. reminded us that we are not to take any pictures of the casket, family or guests. "Any questions?" He asks.
A female member asks: "What about bathrooms?" His response? "You can take all the pictures of those you want." At that moment, it was just what we needed.)


We line the street. Both sides. Also, place one at each corner of the hearse. The service begins and family members start to arrive.


Govenor Pawlenty arrives via Blackhawk helicopter.


A Commanding General and a Command SGT Major arrives via Chinnook helicopter. (Their names escape me.)


The Chinnook offloads somewhere behind the church and leaves.


The doors are closed and the service begins.


While we waited for the service to conclude, and for the casket to be brought out, neighbors were walking around with a cooler full of bottled water, handing them out to all of us.


The only sound you heard was the wind rustling the trees.


The casket has been brought out, the door of the hearse has been shut. It is now time to lead the procession on to the Cemetary in Oliva. 7 Miles away.
Note: Every funeral I've ever been to, the family heads for their cars. Not this time. Up near the church, you can see family and friends file out of the church and stand to watch us as we line up. As far as I could tell, not one person went to their car. There must have been 500+ people standing there. If you notice, there are people on the roof to the left also. Lining up 200 bikes takes awhile, not to mention the thunder we created. It was then that it started to hit me. I started to "well-up" and the lump in my throat was there the entire ride


We have left the church and started out through the town of Bird Island. Along the route, residents are coming out of their homes, people stop what they are doing. They stand along the street, paying respect to a Fallen Hero. These workers stop what they're doing and place their hardhats over their heart. It was extremely difficult to ride the bike with my eyes full of tears. If you notice, in the mirror, you can see Sherri taking the pictures, with the 3' x 5' Flag mounted on the back of our bike.


More residents of Bird Island along our route.


If this didn't get to you, nothing will. It was really tough for me. It is right now just writing this e-mail.


We are outside of town now at a speed of 25 mph. All along the way, people stop their cars, some get out. The front of the procession is barely visible, and it's impossible to see the rear in my mirror. I am not able to see just to the end of the Patriot Guard bikes, let alone the end of the entire procession.


Residents stopped with their flag.


Coming into Olivia, we see more people paying their respects. It's not getting any easier.


All those cars on the left are occupied.



More people.


Last couple blocks in town before we turn for the cemetary. More people lined up. By the way, this was a Monday. Talking to the ride leader, he told me that on Sunday, when they escorted SPC Wertish from St. Paul to Olivia, (close to 80 miles), the streets of Bird Island and Olivia were lined shoulder to shoulder with residents holding flags. Most were in tears.



Approaching the cemetary.


Comrades of SPC Wertish.



You can get, somewhat, of a sense of the amount of Patriot Gurd bikes in this picture as we round the corner. There are just as many behind us.


No pictures of the coffin or family. This is the best I could do. The coffin is to my left Patriot Guard Members surround the entire area. Also in attendance: The lone buglar for the playing of Taps, the Army Rifle Squad for the 21 gun salute, and the lone bag-piper dressed in his kilt for the playing of Amazing Grace.

Normally, at the conclusion of the service, the Patriot Guard stays in place until every last visitor has left and is completely out of site. Today, however, at the request of the family, we walked back to our bikes, well off to the distance, and fired them up. The family wanted us to, in unison, give one crack of the throttle. Which, of course we did. We then reformed the flagline at our bikes, and remained until all guests were gone. All that remained were the Patriot Guard, silence, and SPC Wertish.


Some family members approached as we held the line.



After the service, the family did something completely out of the ordinary. They had a luncheon at the Ballroom in town. They INSISTED that the Patriot Guard attend, and would feel insulted if we didn't. So we did. But we told them that we want to make sure that all family and guests were served and seated before us.

Upon arriving at the luncheon, we saw that a few family members were standing near the front door with flags. THEY had set up a flagline for US.


A good friend of mine closes all of his e-mails with a quote:

"People rest peaceably in their beds every night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

It has become my favorite quote and I don't think he minds that I steal it from time to time. I am a Vet and my wife Sherri is the spouse of a Vet. We hope to never have to do this again, but we know that we will. And we will do it proudly, every time. The effect it has on the families of our Heroes is immeasurable and because of that, it is our HONOR to be given the opportunity to show our appreciation for what every service member sacrifices
for us and our freedom.

It's great to see so many people come together to pay their respects to these guys! I hope you all have a great day!

[Ron61]

That is great and so are the pictures. To bad our so called leader isn't a patriot.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Awesome. The patriot guard was on hand to welcome some guardsmen home in Wylie (just 3 miles from me). http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=45716@ktvt.dayport.com

[SP01715]

Good to see patriots doing the right thing for a fallen soldier. RIP Brother...

[Fordzilla]

SPC Wertish, Rest In Peace......................Salute