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Patriot Guard Riders Honor Troops and Country

Free Republic Exclusive Fred Phelps, leader of the "God-hates-faXs" movement, is planning on crashing the funeral of one of our War Dead on July 4th. Why? To spread his message of anti-homosexual SPAM in the most inappropriate way imaginable. There's a time and a place for everything. He's a publicity whore, as far as I'm concerned. Here are snips from an earlier FR Report: "A SF SGT E-5, James Stewart, will be buried in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 4, 2005. It's wholly appropriate that he be buried on our nation's birthday, because Sergeant Stewart gave his life for our...

A glimpse inside the heart of scary-motorcycle-rider guy I am in the frozen food section of a grocery store, dazed in that Technicolor way that settles when we're faced with 14 kinds of margarine to choose from. I'm staring at the boxes when I catch sight of a man in a jacket. It is superb, covered with patches and insignias, drab and worn in all the right places. It is so perfectly aged, it looks like a something from the wardrobe department of a Hollywood movie. The man wearing it could also have stepped from a movie set -- he's...

CINCINNATI -- A two-day schedule of memorial services for a fallen Clermont County soldier will require military precision to successfully pull off. Sgt. Matt Maupin’s remains will arrive Saturday morning around 8 a.m. at the main runway at Lunken Airport, where his family will spend some private time together on the tarmac. A procession will bear his remains along state Route 32, which has already been decorated with yellow ribbons, through Newtown.

Having heard talk of "God hates Soldiers" protesting the funeral of hero, Matt Maupin, whose remains have been recently restored to his family, I went to the devil's den at Westboro's website and found confirmation. From Phelps' own website, which I won't link to, because I don't want to give him traffic, comes this gem: Great American Ball Park 100 Main This is for the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Keith M. Maupin. Thank God for another Dead Soldier! Whoohoo! That is some goodness right there! One item that I noticed only recently comes from Matt's family, and is information...

Bay Area Brothers Welcomed Home from Iraq Written by Melanie Morgan    Friday, 11 April 2008 This story makes my heart skip a beat. Two brothers, both Marines, serving their country in Iraq, came home safely to the San Francisco Bay Area last night. And they were greeted as heroes at the airport by the Patriot Guard Riders, EaglesUP West Coast coordinator Doug Lyvere, family and soon- to- be friends. KPIX News covered it here.250 people showed up! The Boy Scouts waited anxiously to say hello.I know that readers of this blog from the South, the Midwest and other parts...

Medals ceremony today for Hopkinton soldier killed in Vietnam An Iowa farm boy killed 41 years ago in Vietnam still speaks to those willing to listen. Cpl. Kenneth Jurgens, whose memory will be honored tonight by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, spoke to his own family on the day of his funeral, nine days after a sniper's bullet killed him, through a letter left unmailed on his bunk before his last mission. And the intact collection of all 27 letters Jurgens wrote to his parents during his 10-month Army career still provides penetrating insights into the mind-set of a duty-bound draftee...

This is the final Itinerary for the Patriot Guard Mission to honor SPC Keisha M. Morgan, USA, 25, Washington, DC, who gave all on February 22, 2008. It is a go, all contacts have been made. This is a two-part mission. Your ride captain is Kevin Rock, who can be reached at (410) 867-8882. Part I - Sunday, March 2, 2008: 1345 hrs Staging at the Centre at Forestville in front of JC Penny’s on the corner of MD-Rte-4 and Donnell Drive just inside the beltway. From the beltway I-95 take exit-11, MD-Rte-4-North/Washington. Take your second right - Donnell Drive....

The Patriot Guard Riders as a group will not be at Berkeley, The “PGR” is not a protest organization. I have a need to clarify the numerous incorrect references to The “PGR”. The “PGR” main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors. We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means. The...

Decades ago, they came home to a country that had lost faith in them and their mission. "We didn't lose the war in the jungles," Roy Burns said. "We lost it here on our streets." Now Vietnam veterans Burns and Bill Reynolds are making sure that the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan don't have the same experience they did when they came back to the United States. Reynolds and Burns hosted a "Support Our Troops Rally" Saturday to proclaim their support for the soldiers overseas and the mission in the Middle East. "You can't have one without the other,"...

Before you blow your top about the holiday hassle at the airport, the long lines at the grocery store, all the hours you'll spend cooking and cleaning, the uninvited guests who are crashing hubby's football party, and the endless Christmas shopping list that awaits, just stop. Stop and think of the Johnson family. Army Spec. John Austin Johnson of El Paso, Texas, is recovering from massive head wounds sustained in an attack involving an improvised explosive device. Spec. Johnson is a member of Fort Bliss' 4-1 Cavalry. He had survived five previous bombing incidents. That is not all. Earlier this...

Riders recognize troops,familiesNo soldier, Marine, sailor or airman should leave home to serve his country or return home without at least having the chance to be honored by the Patriot Guard Riders, says a local officer of the national organization. "There have been a number of people who've contacted us after the fact to say a family member in the military had come home, and they didn't know how to get a hold of us," said Newburgh resident Rick Williams, of one of Southwest Indiana's four Patriot Guard ride captains. Riding motorcycles or driving cars, the Patriot Guard Riders show...

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., the father of a Westminster Marine who was killed in Iraq, today won his case in a Baltimore federal court against members of Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church who protested at his son's funeral last year. The jury of five women and four men awarded Snyder $2.9 million in compensatory damages. The amount of punitive damages to be awarded has not yet been decided. The jury deliberated for about two hours yesterday and much of today.

RADCLIFF — Members of gay-bashing Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., plan to picket the funeral Saturday of Pfc. Sammie Phillips. The group will protest before services begin at 2 p.m. at Stithton Baptist Church in Radcliff, according to a news release that also features biblical quotations and interpretations. The church advised Radcliff police of its plans. Organizers asked the department to designate an area for 10 church members to picket, police spokesman Bryce Shumate said. They will be restricted to an area across Dixie Boulevard and about 300 feet away from the church. The Patriot Guard Riders also will...

LOCUST FORK, Ala. (AP) - A Patriot Guard rider was killed this morning in a motorcycle crash while on his way to honor a Locust Fork soldier killed in Iraq. State Trooper Curtis Summerville says 57-year-old Paul S. Robbins of Prattville died at the scene when the motorcycle and truck collided. The driver of the truck was transported to the hospital with injuries. The 10:07 a.m. collision happened on Blount County 13 between Alabama 160 and Alabama 79, a few miles north of Locust Fork. Robbins was among other Patriot Guard riders on their way to a medal ceremony for...

CLAYTON, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A small group of protesters failed to disrupt funeral services held Friday for a South Jersey soldier who was killed in Iraq earlier this month. Veterans, Boy Scouts and area residents, many waving American flags, lined the street outside St. Catherine of Siena Church, where the funeral service was held for Pfc. David J. Bentz III. Bentz, 20, a 2004 graduate of Clayton High School, was killed June 20 when his Army vehicle was struck by enemy fire in Baghdad. Before Bentz was laid to rest in Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, military officials posthumously...

A motorcycle ride will be held this weekend to remember three Minnesota National Guard soldiers killed in Iraq and to raise money for a scholarship in their name. The second annual LTD Ride will be held Saturday. LTD stands for Jesse Lhotka of Appleton, Jason Timmerman of Tracy and David Day of St. Louis Park. The three were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq on Feb. 21, 2005. Organizers hope to raise $25,000 for a scholarship fund and $5,000 to send disabled veterans on a deer hunt at Camp Ripley.

A crowd of people put their hands over their hearts, saluted and thrust flags in the air as the slow procession of Cpl. Joseph Anzack Jr.'s white, silver-trimmed, horse-drawn hearse made its way through the streets of Torrance on Friday. Many stood outside their homes to honor a man who made the ultimate sacrifice in military duty, and to mourn with his family.. Cpl. Joseph Anzack Jr. Complete ArticleProcession slideshow

Quoted from a posting I found at DC Indy Media: "It would be a real shame if the expensive custom paint on one of these bikes ended up with, say, Inca's tag keyed into the gas tank and a lot of nice chrome accessories as well as the spark plug wires missing at 3 AM. Riding while drunk and literally "getting smashed" would be an even bigger shame!" http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/139196/index.phpEAGLES UP!

LONG BEACH - Friends, family and fellow servicemen remembered Staff Sgt. Joshua Whitaker on Tuesday as a great American hero. "Josh wanted to be the best of the best," said long-time friend Matt Miller at Whitaker's funeral, held at Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach. Whitaker, a decorated Green Beret and former Millikan High School student, died from enemy small-arms fire during a firefight on May 15 near Qalat, Afghanistan, the Army said. He was 23 years old. ....."Seven days ago we were ambushed (in Afghanistan)," he said. "Josh died defending myself and the other two members (of the unit)....

LONG BEACH - More than 200 friends and family packed into Vision Misionera, a small Spanish church on Elm Avenue, for a funeral service to honor Spc. Astor Sunsin-Pi eda Saturday morning. The 20-year-old combat engineer was killed May 2 when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Monday, March 19, 2007 Leftists Supporting the Troops Discovered by a reader at Indymedia, this was the scene yesterday in Portland, Oregon, as “anti-war” demonstrators burned not only a US flag, but a US soldier in effigy. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24853_Leftists_Supporting_the_Troops&only

This is an AAR from the General Discussion Forum on AR15.com with some great pics. Just click on the links and you'll see them. "I was proud to attend today's "Gathering of Eagles" (GOE) counter-protest to the large anti-war march to the Pentagon and was pleased find the attendance by many loyal veterans and Americans. Those carrying American flags and backing our men and women in uniform arrived and participated in very large numbers. I was impressed and pleased. The dingbats were also in very large numbers and behaved shamefully. They didn't do so without direct, loud and clear commentary...

Post pics,news,speeches on the Gathering of Eagles - These Colors Don't Run, Pro Troop Rally

March 17 Weekend Weather Forecast as of Sunday, March 11Friday, cloudy, in mid 50s daytime, Friday night into Saturday, upper 30s. Saturday, cloudy, low 40s daytime, Sat. night into Sunday, upper 20s. Rain is forecast Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rain forecast movement is towards Tuesday, not towards the weekend, so just expect cooler weather. Hopefully it will get a little warmer.

            FIRST SET OF CARAVAN PICTURES ARE IN! THURSDAY, MARCH 8TH San Francisco, California Lafayette, California Vacaville, California Sacramento, California Stockton, California Fresno, California Bakersfield, California FRIDAY, MARCH 9TH Bakersfield, California Los Angeles, California Palm Springs, California Palm Desert, California SATURDAY, MARCH 10TH Blythe, California Phoenix, Arizona

Wagoner - Funeral services for an area Marine brought protests from a controversial Kansas church. It happened in Wagoner, where Lance Corporal Geoffrey Fisher was remembered by family, friends and even strangers. Law enforcement hoped for the best and prepared for the worst when they heard protestors would show up. They came, but were silenced by the sounds of hundreds of motorcyclists. It was a carefully planned farewell for Lance Corporal Geoffrey Fisher. Bikers like Terry Latta with the Patriot Guard Riders led the white hearse. "Mainly the reason we're here is to support the family and pay our respects...

The communist, pro-terrorist group International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) seems to realize they are facing a hot LZ on March 17. ANSWER has made significant changes in their plans since their initial announcement that they would hold their ‘antiwar’ rally at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Last week they changed the location of their rally from Constitution Gardens (East side of the Vietnam Memorial) to a park one block west of Memorial on Henry Bacon Drive. Yesterday, ANSWER announced they are only going to use the Henry Bacon Drive park as a meeting point for their...

Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 7:08 AM Subject: Just 5 Days Until Launch of Caravan! Pro-Troop supporters... so little time remains, and so much work needs to be done, before we launch the historic "THESE COLORS DON'T RUN" national patriotic, pro-troop caravan.  We've collected over 500 American Flags so far - and the caravan hasn't even begun.  Here's a picture of just some of the flags we've already received:[Note:  These flags have been put on tables or on displayboxes and racks.  None of them are touching the ground!]We need everyone's help - every single person reading this can pitch in.We've...

Okay, so my room is booked at the Quality Inn Iwo Jima. I think this thread could serve as a way for everybody to link up at their respective hotels, and make it to where we're needed as a group, safely. I'm sure there will be plenty of first-timers going to D.C., it's also my first. Let's use this as a resource to pool everybody's knowledge together so we can travel efficiently. I don't run a ping list nor do I know how to do so, but let's try to spread something like this throughout our little coalition so everybody...

March On the Pentagon March 17, 2007 Washington, D.C. On March 17, 2007 a group of anti-war protestors are planning to march to the Pentagon from Washington, D.C. The March 17th anti-war demonstration will assemble at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Constitution Gardens) at 12 noon in Washington, D.C. and march to the Pentagon. In order to ensure that the Wall and other Memorials in the general area are not defaced, like what happened at the anti-war demonstration at the U.S. Capitol on January 27th. I am requesting that as many Rolling Thunder, Inc. chapters, members and supporters that can make...

The people of the United States want an end to the war in Iraq. The elections in November were a clear repudiation of the Bush administration's war of aggression. The new Congress, however, has no intention of ending the war. Bush and the Pentagon generals are determined to prolong the war. Tens of thousands of more troops will be sent to Iraq. We are building a massive antiwar movement on the national and local level. Only the action of the people will stop the war. We are returning to the Pentagon because the Iraq war has resulted in more than...

The purpose of this thread will be to pool our resources and ideas to counter the attempted take-over of our nation’s capital and foreign policy. It is not the place to voice your disgust with those that feel it is necessary to present a street presence to counter the dregs of society seeking to undermine and destroy our country and our leadership. If that is your purpose, please move along. On January 27, 2007, Thunder90 posted a thread to advise us of the next convergence on our nations capital by the anti-American hate-mongers. This gives us SEVEN WEEKS to organize...

The Gathering of Eagles: A public service announcement By Michelle Malkin   ·   February 28, 2007 10:19 AM Click here for video of Michelle's public service announcement From my column today: How many times have you sat in front of the TV over the last four years, watching anti-war activists march on Washington, chase the ROTC off your local college campus, vandalize war memorials, insult the troops and wreak havoc under the surrender banner? How many times have you thought to yourself: What can I do? Here is the answer: Get off the sofa and join the Gathering of Eagles on...

Decades ago, we expected total victory against the Germans and the Japanese. We demanded it, for we knew what anything less would bring to our homeland--and yes, it was our homeland, regardless of our place of birth. We were united, together in the absolute, unshakeable belief that freedom was worth blood, even our own lives. Many years later, the American Left called for the defeat and humiliation of our military, even going so far as to support the barbaric hordes of Islam in their quest to destroy America. The college-age hippies of 1969 were now parents and grandparents, with families...

WBC is going to protest the funeral of Tech. Sgt. Scott E. Duffman at 9:15 PM on Friday March 2nd at Arlington National Cemetary. They are going to display their usual hateful signs and their anti-American antics. These creeps are attacking those who gave their lives defending us all, and their families who are suffering from the loss of a loved one.

From Code Pink's calendar for March 17th: Saturday, March 17: 11:00 am - Join CODEPINK for a Women's Convergence for the March on the Pentagon Join tens of thousands of people from around the country to march from the Mall to the Pentagon in a mass demonstration to demand: U.S. Out of Iraq Now! 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 anti-war march to the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. Location: SW corner of 17th and Constitution NW, next to WWII Memorial and the Pond. We will join the March on the Pentagon Rally at 21st and Constitution...

Ohio and Indiana caravan itinerary March 16th. Below is the itinerary for the Ohio and Indiana Eagles caravan on the 16th. There is a group from Indy that will be meeting us just east of Columbus at Buckeye Lake, details to follow. If there are any southern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia or western Maryland Eagles who will be driving to DC and want some company you can join up at any of the stops. Lead vehicle will be a black Toyota Tundra flying an American and POW/MIA flags. Rest stop at marker 34, Lebanon OH, I-71 Arrive 6:30; Depart 6:50...

Dr. Laura Urges Listeners to Support Caravan & Rally   Subject: Participate in "These Colors Don't Run" National Caravan Date: 2007-02-26 To the American People The following message is from Marine Mom, Deborah Johns. Her son, SGT William Johns of the U.S. Marines, is currently serving his 3rd tour of duty in Iraq. I am sick and tired. Sick and tired of how some in this country are turning their backs on our troops at a time when they need our support the most! This is why I am taking action to speak up, and in particular, why I am...

This Gathering of Eagles will come to be known as the "Woodstock" of Patriotism. Dear America: I have seen Vietnam Veterans and their family's gather at Rolling Thunder by the Hundreds of thousands, At Melbourne, Florida for the kickoff of the year's Vietnam Veteran reunions. At a thousand small towns in between both coasts for a day of festivities and unabashed patriotism ... At Kokomo Indiana for the last, all Veteran's reunion of the year. I have ridden coast to coast and found literally thousands of Vet groups all working independently of each other, but all working towards a common...

World War I veteran Howard Verne Ramsey, believed to be the oldest surviving combat veteran in the United States, has died in Oregon at the age of 108. Ramsey died in his sleep Thursday at an assisted living facility in Portland, the Portland Oregonian reported Saturday. Ramsey, one of the few soldiers who knew how to drive a car when he joined the Army, spent most of his time in France using that skill. As a corporal, he served as a chauffeur for officers and for military funerals and transported supplies to the front lines.

Sunday, February 25, 2007 What If A Gathering of Eagles Fails? Magnum P.I. Answered 'What If!'

At a minumim, I will be running a van (bus if need be) from the Philadelphia area to the Gathering of Eagles this coming March 17th in Washington DC. Those who want to go, Freep Mail (i.e., "Private Message") with your availability and contact information or email me at raouldeming@hotmail.com. Plan on a 6:30 AM departure and a 10:00 PM return.

*** Arizona FReepers *** Please help get the word out in the Phoenix and Tucson areas by contacting local talk show hosts, TV stations, the local VFW and American Legion, college Republicans and clubs, friends, family and anyone else or group who may be interested in showing up at a rally. *** "Move America Forward invites you to join us as we launch a national caravan from California (leaving on Thursday, March 8, 2007) to Washington, D.C. where we will join "The Gathering of Eagles" for a giant pro-troop rally on Saturday March 17, 2007." http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php Saturday March 10th ====================...

A GATHERING OF EAGLES CARAVAN TO WASHINGTON, D.C. FROM 3/8-17 --- www.janereinheimer.com The theme is: These Colors Don't Run It all started when word got out that Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda and Ramsey Clark were going to lead a huge anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. -- disgracing the war memorials as they marched toward the Pentagon. Along the way, a patriot named Melanie Morgan (www.melaniemorganrocks.com) got on board with a campaign rally of her own which she calls "Move America Forward." Morgan is author of a book called American Mourning. She is also a talk show host on KSFO in...

Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, has produced a promotional video for Move America Forward's "THESE COLORS DON'T RUN" national caravan that will head across the nation - and then join forces with the "Gathering of Eagles" event in Washington, D.C. You can watch the video here: CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

Click the pic..

Veterans plan to protect the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington during an anti-war protest next month. They fear demonstrators may deface the memorial, even though organizers say they have absolutely no intention of doing that. Two veterans groups say they're concerned because some anti-war protesters spray-painted graffiti on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in January. The black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial bear the names of all those who were killed during the Vietnam conflict. The head of the veterans group known as rolling thunder says his members plan to protect the memorial and, quote, "support our...

WASHINGTON -- Iraq war protesters are planning to converge on Washington next month and several organizations, including the POW-MIA group Rolling Thunder, are banding together to protect sacred ground for Vietnam War veterans. The rally March 17 against the war, organizers say, is to get under way in a grassy park near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as the wall. Two veterans' groups said Wednesday they fear protesters may deface the memorial, a claim dismissed by the demonstrating groups. "We're going there to protect our memorial and show support for our troops," said Artie Muller, founder and executive director of...

About 30 members of the Legion started organizing for the trip shortly after they got wind of a large anti-war demonstration planned for March 17. It wasn't the anti-war message that got their backs up so much as it was the location that activists picked to start a march to the Pentagon - the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - and what happened during an anti-war rally held Jan. 27. On that day, a small group of over-exuberant protesters spray-painted slogans on the Capitol steps. The veterans fear a repeat performance that could damage the memorial, something they say they will not...