Tags: PGR, Veterans

This coming Saturday morning, December 12th, several thousand people won’t be home in the warm, cuddled up in their beds all comfy and toasty.

Instead, they’ll have made their way early that morning to Arlington National Cemetery, as well as other locations spread out across the United States, Iraq, and other foreign locations.

This will see the final phase of the annual Wreaths Across America project to completion for the 18th year.

The trucks, carrying over 150,000 donated wreaths, are in transit as I write this entry, escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, and many others – organizations and individuals.  Read more... (257 words, 4 images, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

Tags: Arlington National Cemetery, PGR, Veterans, Wreaths Across America

There’s nothing quite like a Powwow to help bring you back on track inside your own head – Especially when you go to two of them in the space of three days, both social ones.

The second one, George Mason University’s Veteran’s Day powwow, is going to be one of the “memorable” ones.

After two years of effort and work, and with the help of 10+ pounds of steel, I finally got to dance standing up (Well, dancing if you use a rather loose interpretation of “dancing”).  Read more... (491 words, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

Tags: powwow

With gratitude to all the stick jockeys who fly into all kinds of hell to keep the faith – everyone goes come.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sphere: Related Content

 Read more... (166 words, 1 image, estimated 40 secs reading time)

It is said that the measure of a man is not so much by his deeds in life, but by how he is seen after he dies.

If that is true, Petty Officer Harris must have been a man I should regret never having met.

The Washington Post ran a story, back on September 3rd 2008, in which PO Harris’ mother described him as a “Renaissance Man”.  I never knew him, but if the ~400 people in attendance at his funeral today at Arlington National Cemetery are anything to go by, he was that and more.  Read more... (809 words, estimated 3:14 mins reading time)

Tags: PGR

It’s been a while since I was able to go on a PGR Mission, but thankfully circumstances have conspired to make them possible again.

Today, with the family’s permission, we were able to escort them to Arlington National Cemetery to lay to rest Specialist Michael Gonzalez.

Specialist Gonzalez hailed from Spotswood, New Jersey, and was assigned to the 340th Military Police Company in Baghdad. On August 28th 2008, he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

The first parts of the mission were carried out by PGR members in New Jersey itself. Four of them also escorted Specialist Gonzalez, his family and friends, to ANC today, driving all the way down.  Read more... (244 words, estimated 59 secs reading time)

Tags: ANC, Arlington National Cemetery, Patriot Guard Riders, PGR

I’m not sure which is the more enraging right now.

That a hotel seems to have a company policy to refuse accommodation for any service member in the UK.

Or that the (parent?) company has the gall to call itself “American Amusements” with such a policy in place.

What

The

Fuck?

Such a policy sure as hell isn’t “American” (unless you count certain unmentionable crazies who qualify as “American” solely on the fact it’s their citizenship, not their philosophy).

From “American Amusement”’s website:

American Amusements Ltd is one of the UK’s fastest growing and most successful Leisure Company’s.  Read more... (1111 words, estimated 4:27 mins reading time)

I was answering an email from the mother of the singer/songwriter for Hailing Star, when it occurred to me that people in the UK might not know what PGR does.

So it was off to YouTube to find some videos.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a Private or a General – if the family asks, as many of us as are able will turn up to show respect and our thanks.

YouTube direct - They Ride In Respect

YouTube direct - 

YouTube direct - 

You can find more here.  Read more... (265 words, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

Tags: Hailing Star, Patriot Guard, PGR

[Edit: August 24th @ 0923] The site seems to be back up, my guess is DNS decided to bork for a while.

---

I noticed Operation Braveheart’s website is down. I’m not sure why, but if it’s a technical problem and anyone reading this (Hailing Star band members?) has a way of contacting Mr Godfrey, I’d appreciate it if they could pass this on to him and let him know that I’d be honoured to offer hosting for his site.

He can email me at moonwolf@moonwolfs-lair.com

Sphere: Related Content

Tags: Hailing Star, Operation Braveheart

Almost everything coming out of the UK about veterans of late has been bad – the state of equipment for the British armed forces, the attitudes of the civilians.

Especially the attitudes of the civilians.

So it hit me right in the gut to read on the BBC’s news site about Hailing Star.

They’re a teenage metal band in Devon, from the same town as a hero who fell in 2007, Rifleman Daniel Coffey, 2nd Btn The Rifles.

This group of teenagers (their lead singer is only 15) have written a song, “Lost Heroes” in memory of Rifleman Coffey, and other heroes who have fallen.  Read more... (451 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Tags: Daniel Coffey, David Godfrey, DDLI, Hailing Star, Lost Heroes, Operation Braveheart, Patriot Guard Riders, The Rifles