Patriot Guard Riders

Today, the Coyote and I provided Patriot Guard Rider funeral procession escort and flag line support for three deceased homeless veterans.

This is the announcement that we received earlier:

"Marc Reichert, Funeral Director has requested the PGR provide honors and escort to SVNC for 3 Vietnam Veterans  Mr. Raymond Morgan, US Marine Corps 1966-1967, Mr. Floyd Preston Jr. US Air Force 1963-1967 and Mr. Timothy Harding US Army 1967- 1969. Services will be Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:00 PM (noon) at Reichert Funeral Chapel, 7320 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights, CA. Private burial will follow at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.

They are  being buried under the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veteran Program.  The PGR are honored to stand for these veterans."

The funeral included active duty Air Force and Marine Honor Guards inside the funeral home, a group of seven prior Marines for a 21-gun salute, a bag piper, 20 or more civilians and American Legion veterans and a dozen or so of us from the Patriot Guard Riders. It was an impressive gathering considering the three veterans passed away with no homes or known families.

The procession included three hearses and about 8 of us on motorcycles.

The event was somber and respectful - something I don't often see these days but I am sure one that is repeated often throughout our nation.

I was glad to be a part of it and felt somewhat closer than I might have otherwise as Mr. Preston served his Air Force tour during exactly the same years I served between the ages of 17-21.  I  kept thinking we very well could have crossed paths along the way...

The scene at the National Cemetery was very nice.  It is about ten years old and the grounds are well maintained.  Our nation is doing a fine job of seeing that our deceased veterans are well taken care of.

The Coyote (his Dad was a retired Army senior enlisted man) and I then returned the 40-odd miles to the Sacramento area on a hot Sacramento afternoon.  He and I have ridden thousands of miles together on our Hogs over the past 18 or so years.  I have written about him in books and blogs often...probably not done yet.