Published: July 19, 2008 05:03 pm         

Standing for the fallen

Honoring the memories of veterans, local Patriot Riders want to increase their numbers

They don’t make speeches. They don’t seek praise or notoriety. They are not a club or a gang or a society.

The Patriot Guard Riders are just people who say they want to support fallen veterans and their families.

The Patriot Guard often travel by motorcycle, but they are not a motorcycle club.

“Some of us ride motorcycles. It doesn’t matter what size or type of bike. You don’t even have to own a motorcycle. You could ride a skateboard if you wanted to. The only thing that matters is our mission: To honor these fallen soldiers.”

They can often be found at the funerals of American veterans, but they always remain in the background, standing quietly, forming a circle or a semi-circle near the grave site.

“All we are there for is to honor the (fallen) veteran for the service he gave to his country,” said Patriot Guard Rider Gene Faulk.

Faulk said the Patriot Guard grew out of an effort to protect the families of United States soldiers from hecklers and protesters who began appearing at some military funerals.

“A group of veterans got together to form a group to shield the families from these hecklers,” he noted.

According to the Patriot Guard Web site, the group started in early August 2005 with the American Legion Riders Chapter 136 from Kansas.

When the group heard that protesters planned to appear at the funeral of Sgt. John Doles in Chelsea, Okla., they established their mission statement which included securing permission from Doles’ family and contacting local law enforcement and other motorcycle groups in Oklahoma.

The group agreed that their ultimate goal was to get veterans and motorcycle organizations involved in every state. They believe their presence stemmed the protesters’ attempts to heckle Doles’ family.

Following the incident involving Sgt. Doles, the Patriot Guard name was established and was announced in October 2005.

Faulk said the guard doesn’t really have chapters, but that the organization is “close to a half million strong” and includes riders and members from other countries.

Faulk is a veteran from the Vietnam era and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He said he’d like to see others join the Patriot Guard.

The Guard plans to hold a meet and greet event beginning around 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at VFW No. 1922 on North Highway 77 in Gainesville.

Faulk said it is important to note that the Guard only performs its ceremonial services for families who request the PGR.

“When a soldier comes home for burial, from Iraq for example, we will meet them at the airport and escort (the casket) to the funeral home. A lot of us stay until the service is over and escort the soldier to the graveside or to wherever their final resting place is,” he said. “We let the family know we are there for support. If they say, ‘Family only’ we honor their request.”

The group recently went to the Flag Day service at Fairview Cemetery. The event was a multipurpose ceremony to honor all veterans including former Gainesville resident, Leonard Clyde Smith, who died after a conflict with a foreign faction in the Philippines.

In addition to the Flag Day observance, a group of boy scouts led by Eagle Scout candidate Benjamin Zimmerer were there to place bronze plaques on the graves of Cooke County veterans.

A group of Patriot Guard riders brought American flags to the cemetery and displayed the flags on their bikes — something Faulk said is always done with “honor and dignity.”

He said his group attended the event to honor the memory of Smith who is believed to be the first soldier to die at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists.

Faulk said the guard’s mission is simple.

“Our motto is ‘Standing for those who stood for us,’” he said.



On the Web:

For information on the mission of the Patriot Guard Riders see (www.patriotguard.org).