In Honor of Major Kevin M. Jenrette

Finally...here is the slideshow of pics from the day of Major Jenrette's service. Community support was HUGE. This next week, another Georgia National Guard Hero will be laid to rest in Calhoun, GA. I will be unable to attend due to work, but my prayers are with the family.

Saturday: A Day to Remember - WELCOME HOME

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: THE PICS IN THIS POST MAY NOT SHOW UP RIGHT DUE TO THEIR SIZE (AT LEAST, THEY DIDN'T ON MY SCEEN AT HOME...). IF YOU WANT TO SEE ALL THE PICS FROM OUR AWESOME DAY, JUST CLICK HERE FOR MY PHOTO ALBUM!

Saturday was an awesome, awesome day!!!! A local friend of mine (I'll call her Princess, it's part of her screen name on a local message board) invited me to go with her and her family to the Atlanta airport to pick up their son (we'll call him...John. Since that's his name & all, haha) who was FINALLY coming home from The Sandbox!!!!!! :-) Our family had adopted John while he was overseas... he was a recipient of at least one, if not two, of the holiday card drives y'all helped make such a success. :) Needless to say, I was deeply touched that Princess would invite me to be part of such a special family moment.... and darn right, I jumped at the chance to be there! ;-) Few things are cooler than meeting one of your very own adopted Heroes that you've written to and sent stuff to and worried over and prayed over and cried over and written to more (etc) for at least a year!!! :-) So, Princess and I were talking (via email), and we were both all excited about The Imminent HomeComing.... and I said, "Hmmm.... I wonder if we could sweet-talk some Patriot Guard Riders into showing up???" Princess absolutely LOVED that idea, and (of course) so did I!!! So I sent some emails, did some asking, and thank God, John's homecoming became an official PGR "mission!" Normally, our primary mission is honoring those who have fallen and shielding the families from Unwanted Guests (protesters) at their loved one's funeral. However, whenever possible, we also attend "welcome home" events and "send-off" (deployment) events and other activities honoring those who serve or who have served. This was one of those happy, feel-good missions that we all really needed! :) So, for the better part of a week, the PGR ride captains worked out the logistical details, while I helped Princess get stuff for the suprise welcome home party she was having... decorations and such. :)
Finally, the big day was here!!!! The family decorated their van:



And off we went to the airport. We got caught in horrible traffic and feared we'd be late. His plane was due to land at 2:00 p.m. We arrived at Hartsfield at about... 1:50 or so, haha! Just in time!!!! Once we found where we were supposed to be (if you've never been to the Atlanta airport...it's HUGE!!!!!!!!!), I ran over to check the arrivals:



And yep, his plane had landed!!!!! Yay!!! What followed were twenty of the LONGEST minutes of my entire life... and I'm sure it seemed even longer than an eternity to his family!!!!! Finally.... HE WAS HERE!!!! :)



Yes, I was snapping pics like crazy... I knew they were too busy hugging the stuffing out of him (as it should be!) to worry about capturing these irreplaceable Kodak Moments.... and I wanted it all preserved for them..... well, till it was MY turn to hug the stuffin' out of him, haha!

Anyway, the first of many surprises for him was me being there (I know - NOT much of a surprise at all, haha! Luckily for him, the surprises got MUCH cooler as the day went on!). While we walked from the baggage claim area to the parking deck, I hung back a discrete distance and make a quiet phone call to the PGR ride captain, who, together with another one of the ride captains, was waiting in the wings for us to emerge from the parking garage. Sure enough, as we rolled out of the garage, two patriot guards appeared before us... one on a red motorcycle, one on a green. I'm sure they didn't PLAN on being so seasonally appropriate, but hey, Princess & I thought it was pretty cool it worked out that way! ;)



John thought this was really neat, of course. :) I told him, "Now, you didn't think you could just COME HOME and not get SOME kind of welcome, did you?!" heh heh heh >:-) Well, he thought that was all there was - just those two...

UNTIL.... about 11 miles from our ultimate destination, we pulled into a BP gas station, where about 20 more Patriot Guards were waiting for us!!!! :) When we pulled in, they all started clapping and cheering and hootin' & hollerin' & in general, giving him a real Hero's welcome! :) The LOOK on his face was absolutely PRICELESS! check this picture out! :) Yep...every bit of the planning and plotting was SO worth it! :)



Ah, but the surprises weren't over just yet!!! There was more to come! We left the BP station, with about 4 PGRs in front of our vehicle, and 20 or so behind, with American Flags flying. At this point, John (probably) still thinks he's just going home...but nope... Princess had rented a church gym to have a family gathering/welcome home party for him!!!! When we got to the church, we all took lots of pics and spent time talking, etc... oh yeah, and taking lots of pics:







And one of my favorite favorites: Me, John, and Princess:



While all the picture takin' & socializin' was going on, a scrapbook of "Welcome Home!" messages was being passed around for people to sign. See, for the Honor Missions we do for fallen soldiers, we make "condolence books," where all the condolence messages posted on the Patriot Guard forum are put together into a book and signed by the PGRs in attendance at the services. I thought it would be a cool idea to do something like that for the welcome home event, too... so everyone posted a bunch of welcome home messages and I put them into a simple scrapbook for folks to sign. Later on, I gave it to him:



All in all, everything went great... he seemed really blown away by the welcome home and all the support!!! :) It just seemed to me that he was really loving every minute of it... and that made me pretty darn happy!

I told him that 30 years from now, he'll be telling his grandkids about his return from the war, how he was welcomed home.... which will be a far, far different story than many of the Patriot Guard Riders had to share with THEIR grandkids, when they came home from Another War in a jungle far away...when they came back to either silence or insults or indifference or out-right hatred. NEVER AGAIN. EVER!

Judging by the almost constant, ear-to-ear grin on his face the whole day, I'd have to say....
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!! Thank you, PGR!!! :)

My List of Things to Do.

48 bottles of water in refrigerator, chilling out: check

24 bottles of gatorade, same: check

PGR T-shirt, various memorial dogtags, jeans, leather vest and boots laid out ready to go: check

Cooler by front door for ease of loading: check

Flag in front yard at half-mast: check

3x5 flag in my car: check

Box of tissues in car... dang... need to get that done.

will check in tomorrow when I can. Tomorrow early/mid afternoon, our Local Hero's plane will land at a local airport near where I used to work. PGR is escorting him to the funeral home (which is only about 30 mins from where I live).

After we've taken him to the funeral home and are done for the day, I'll come back home... to my two older kids' birthday party, which will already be in progress most likely by the time I get back. Hopefully, I won't be but a minute or two late. Depends on how things go.

but yeah. From one extreme to the other -- honoring a fallen hero. Celebrating your kids' birthdays. All in the same day.

Yep... must go find that Kleenex now.

Later, y'all.

UPDATE re: Spc Cristian Rojas-Gallego

The funeral for our fallen hero has not happened yet... arrangements are still up in the air. May happen this weekend, if all goes well.... stay tuned.

My prayers are continuing for this dear family. ((((hugs))))

A Must-Hear Radio Broadcast

On the way to the bus stop this morning, I was scanning through the radio stations, like I always do. I stumbled across a broadcast of “Focus on the Family” on one of the Christian stations I listen to sometimes. It grabbed my attention right away --- the title of the broadcast is “A Tribute To Men of Honor, Part 2” – and the show consisted of a discussion with widows who have lost their husbands in the war. The part I heard of the broadcast was very moving --- and I really lost it when the women started talking about the Patriot Guard Riders and how much it meant to them to have PGR at their husbands’ funerals. A couple of the women said that the protestors did show up at their husbands’ funerals, but that 1) when they saw the HUGE number of PGRs and law enforcement officers present, they changed their mind and did not protest, and/or 2) the family NEVER EVEN SAW the protestors. They talked about the PGR for a little while…then I had to go because I was nearly late for my bus. It was incredibly moving… good think I’m used to driving and crying at the same time. I didn’t get to hear the whole broadcast in the car, but found it online once I got to work, and just finished listening to it. They cover a range of topics, including their churches' reactions and support (or lack thereof in one case -- too sad), and why they believe, even now, that we are doing the right thing over there. You can listen to the broadcast HERE. (Part One can be found HERE.)

Rest in Peace, Sr. Airman Jason D. Nathan

Video of news story can be found HERE. (He was promoted from Airman First Class to Senior Airman following his death... he was about to be promoted, before he was killed by an IED in Iraq).

Another news story:

'He's got eternal life'
By Amy Leigh
Womack

Airman Jason Nathan was remembered as a devout Christian, a patriot and a hero Saturday as friends and family gathered at the Wilson Convention Center to pay tribute to the Central High School graduate killed in Iraq on June 23.

Before the service, about 70 Patriot Guard Riders lined the walkway leading to the building, each dressed in their riding gear and holding a full-sized American flag.

"Being out here to honor his service is the least we can do," said Georgia Ride Captain Todd Walker. "He was an all-American kid who
gave his life for his country."

READ THE REST HERE.

Remember him - and all the others - this 4th of July, and say a prayer for ALL our military & veterans.

And without further ado....

The above pic is a picture of the patch the Ga. PGR made up special for our Hero, Capt. Crosby... unfortunately, I never did get to get it sewn on to my vest yet. Drat. That will be high on my list of things to do as soon as I return.... :)

And so, without further ado, I herewith turn over this blog to my dear friend, LL, who will be blog-sitting for me until my return. I'll try to pop in if I can... if not... I'll try to keep LL updated via phone, so she can keep y'all posted. It's gonna be an awesome week....

Luv ya, LL - thanks for blog-sitting!!!!!!!

Y'all be good... see ya shortly!

ROAD TRIP to Honor a True Hero: CAPT. HERBERT C. CROSBY

In just under one week, hubby and I are going to be embarking on a great adventure with the Patriot Guard Riders for a very worthy and noble cause: honoring one of our nations formerly Missing In Action heroes from Vietnam.

Need to step back in time for a moment….. On 10 January, 1970 (three years and one month exactly before I was even born), Capt. Herbert C. Crosby, of Donalsonville, Georgia, was flying somewhere in the jungles of VietNam. Somewhere along the way, he crashed and was never heard from again. Until November of 2006, he was officially listed as Missing in Action… Almost 37 years, his family did not know his fate 'for sure.' His remains were located and thanks to DNA, positively identified and returned to the family in November. They are going to have him buried in Arlington.. and since "Herby" (as his family calls him) and his family are Georgia natives…they specifically requested that the Georgia Patriot Guard Riders be present at his interment at Arlington. So… several of us are going up there to do just that. We will leave GA on Tuesday, and drive to South Carolina, where we will stay the night. We will arrive in DC sometime on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the PGR will be visiting the patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... and I am SO looking forward to that. It's something I've wanted to be able to do, and have prayed for, for such a long, long time. Thursday night, we will stand in honor of Capt. Crosby at the funeral home for the family's visitation… and Friday, we will be at Arlington for this fine Hero's funeral. We'll leave DC sometime Friday and head back for home. It will be an incredible, awesome trip… what an honor to stand for one of our lost heroes, as he finally makes his way to his final resting place. What an honor.

I do not know what, if any, internet access I will have next week while I'm gone (or, if I do have internet access, if I will be too exhausted to post/write). However, I AM taking my laptop and will do my best to keep y'all posted during this amazing journey. Worst case scenario, I will be writing it all down and post after I get home. Either way... stay tuned for an incredible journey... a journey nearly 40 years in the making.

While I'm gone, my very dear friend LL has agreed to blog-sit for me and keep y'all amused. That way, if I can't get online much, this won't become a virtual wasteland of absolute inactivity. :) THANKS, LL!!! YOU ROCK!

Here are a couple links about Capt. Crosby:

http://rattler-firebird.org/vietnam/remembered/Herbert-Charles-Crosby.html

http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/forumid/131/postid/354013/view/topic/Default.aspx

Welcoming Home a Hero.....

I'm not quite sure exactly where to begin this post. For weeks, I've been plagued by (apparently stress-induced) writer's block or something... I look at a piece of paper or a computer screen and can't come up with a single thing to put down. But, I've got to give it a try this time... after a Patriot Guard Rider mission, blogging about it is my main coping mechanism for dealing with the very intense grief I've witnessed and felt. So... here goes.

Recently, Georgia lost another Hero in Iraq. Today, a private, chartered plane brought him home (they are getting away from using commercial airliners now). The Georgia PGR had the privilege of being in attendance with the family to stand in honor of this Soldier, and then provide an escort from the airport to the funeral home some 25-30 miles away.

The day started bright & early. I woke up at 7:30 and was on my way out the door by 8:15, stopping to fill up my car, get a couple bags of ice, some bottled water and some donuts for the other PGRs. I met up with several of the guys at a gas station by 10, and proceeded to follow them to the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Georgia (where other PGRs joined us). It's a small airport with only a few runways... nothing like the insanity of the mega-huge Hartsfield Atlanta airport. I'm not sure how many of us there ended up being - 8 or 10 or so would be my guess.

We arrived at the airport at 11, so the ride captains could coordinate with the family and the funeral directors, etc. The plane was scheduled to land at 12:06 p.m. While the ride captains worked out the details of the escort, etc., the rest of us stood around outside, just waiting. Good thing I brough all that botteled water, because it was HOT outside... hot, hot, hot - and humid, too. While we waited, the words of Robert Stokely describing how he went to the airport (in Atlanta) to greet the plane bearing the body of his son in 2005, echoed in my mind over and over again. (Click HERE to read his account of when his boy came home for the last time, and you'll see why I kept flashing back to these words all day.) We eventually got word that the plane would land at 12:30, a little behind schedule. The closer the time got to the plane's arrival, the heavier my heart grew. I knew this would be a difficult mission, and fully realized what a high honor it was to be there with the family, when their loved one came home for the final time. Already, some of the family members had come up to us and expressed how much it meant to them that we were there... that it was giving them strength. (No... thank YOU... it was our honor and privilege to be there....and we will never forget the sacrifice your loved one gave!)

It came time for us to all get into position... the plane was only a couple miles out. The hearse was parked by the gates leading from the parking lot to the runways, and we were to line up on both sides of the hearse, holding our flags. I was directed to be on the other side of the hearse, from where I was standing currently, so I began walking around the hearse to get to where I was needed. I was kinda sandwhiched in between the hearse and the building... I discovered some uneven pavement when suddenly, my ankle twisted hard and I stumbled and did a swan dive - SPLAT! I was sprawled out on the pavement, flag & all, much to my utter horror and chagrin. My first thought was, "Oh crap, my flag is on the ground!!!!!" and my second thought was, "Oh no... I've embarrassed the PGR!!!!" Well, the funeral director came running over to help me up, and I apologized profusely... My one consolation is that the plane hadn't even landed yet, and there was still a lot going on, so hopefully I didn't disrupt things too terribly badly. :(

I finally made it over to where I was supposed to be standing, and everyone else settled into position. We stood somberly, the family assembled off to our left, the hearse and several soldiers who would be receiving the casket and loading it into the hearse between us. A few minutes later, the high-pitched whine of the jet engine was heard, and we saw our plane taxi in our direction, and park. It seemed to take forever for them to get ready to bring our hero down off the plane... for a long time (it seemed, though really it was but a few minutes), nothing happened as the pilots took care of, well, pilot stuff, I guess, in preparation. As the minutes dragged on, my heart was breaking. I could see from the corner of my eye the family off to my left, and the plane in front of me. The anticipation (though that is not quite the right word) was heavy in the air... just waiting for them to open the door, and bring our Hero out. My mind was positively screaming, over and over, "NO! NO! DAMMIT, NO! THIS IS NOT HOW A HOMECOMING IS SUPPOSED TO BE! He's supposed to jump outta the plane and run to his waiting family, who will rejoice and celebrate that he's home safe! HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO COME HOME IN A FLAG-DRAPED CASKET! THIS IS NOT HOW HIS HOMECOMING WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!!" I knew that this would be the very first time the family would see that flag-draped casket. I kept thinking, not intentionally, just sort of feeling... that once that door opened, reality would hit them like a ton of bricks... that then there was no denying that it was all some horrible dream, that there hadn't been some kind of terrible mistake... that yes, he really wasn't coming home any more after this. A few silent tears escaped, and we waited...

Finally the door opened and after a somewhat lengthy process, they brought out the casket... I cried more, cried hard. Truth be told.. this was the closest I'd ever come to losing it... the heart-breaking wails of the family members upon seeing their Hero, coupled with my own emotions... it was hard. Somehow I kept it together, though I have to admit, I'm sorry, barely. I wasn't hysterical, I didn't lose it, but it was hard. I kept telling myself, "the family needs me to keep it together for them! It won't help them if I fall apart!" and so... close eyes...deep breath in, deep breath out.... repeat.... and I held it together. Once the casket was in the hearse, the guys (and the other gal who was there) went to their bikes, and I to my car, to get ready for the escort to the funeral home. Once I was safely ensconsed in the relative anonimity of my car (where the family could NOT see me) - I let myself go for a few minutes... then kicked myself back into shape to be ready to go. Had to be absolutely focused on driving - no room for error. There was a cop car leading the procession, then two bikers (one on either side in front of the hearse), then the hearse, two bikers on either side of the back of the hearse, then the rest of the bikers, several family members' cars, with me as the very last car, followed by 2-3 police cars completeing the escort.

We drove slowly from Gainesville to Clarkesville, Georgia, to the funeral home. It was 25 or 30 miles at most. I noticed that the area was beautiful - neat mountains, lovely small towns.... police blocking the intersections along the way for us, standing at attention and saluting... Finally, we reached the funeral home, where once again we lined up on both sides of the hearse as the Hero was removed from the hearse and taken inside. By this time, I was completely and totally "together" - I think the long-ish drive from airport to funeral home helped, gave me some time to decompress.

Once the Hero was safely inside the funeral home, we all got ready to leave... the father of the Fallen Hero (himself a retired Soldier) came out and shook each of our hands.. he reiterated that our presence there meant more to them than we would ever know. (It was our honor to be there... how could we not be? We will never forget, never take for granted the fact that freedom is not free... we will be there every chance we have, to honor our heroes... we owe them that, and so much more....)

And so, finally, we all left for home. I arrived back home around 4 p.m. and, totally drained, laid down for an hour's nap before we all went out for dinner (cuz I sure as heck didn't feel up to cooking tonight).

God bless the USA.

Never forget what freedom costs.

Ever.

My Life: A Crazy, Pollinated Whirlwind

Hi, all! Sorry it’s been so long (again) since I’ve blogged. I swear I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off, or a dog chasing its tail, or whatever down-home countrified metaphor you’d like to insert here!

Things here are NUTS, just nuts. This weekend is going to be a big (and busy) weekend. First, on Saturday morning, I have to bake a whole mess of cookies for an event taking place on Sunday. Also, Saturday one of our adopted Soldiers is supposed to come down for the weekend… my long-time readers know who I mean! Yay! He’s supposed to arrive around noon or shortly thereafter. Hubby and I are taking him to the Blue Willow Inn for dinner that evening. Well over a year ago, when this soldier was in Iraq, I’d told him that he’d have a big “WELCOME HOME” dinner when he got back, and asked what he’d like. Well, like any good ole Southern boy, his immediate response was, “SOUTHERN FOOD!!!” Sooo…. Off to the Blue Willow we will go!

Sunday will be very special. (In addition to be insanely crazy busy!) Remember back in October, I wrote about attending the funeral for Spc. Aaron Kincaid and how I joined the Patriot Guard Riders? Well, Aaron’s mom, Marcia, has been working very diligently to put together an extremely special memorial garden in her backyard. It is in memory not just of her son, but of all of our fallen Heroes. Sunday afternoon will be the official garden dedication ceremony. It will be WONDERFUL. Soldiers’ Angels is providing the catering for the event and several PGR members will be in attendance, along with a whole lot of other folks. My adopted 48th BCT medic and his platoon Sgt. will be there… they are actually going to meet at my house, and we are all gonna ride in together. (So yes, that means I will have a picture taken with not just ONE of my adopted soldiers, but TWO! How cool will THAT be? Not to mention, two of my adopted “soldier-babies” meeting for the first time, how cool is that?!) Anyway, the whole thing is going to be a beautiful, and I’m sure, highly emotional event. I will make sure to post in great detail about it, together with many pictures. And I should not fail to mention – Sunday, April 1, 2007, is Aaron Kincaid’s birthday.

In meaningless and trivial news, pollen counts here are at a record high. If you CLICK HERE, you can click a link to a video that shows the pollen this morning falling so heavy, it looked like it was snowing. Seriously. Visibly-falling pollen. My car is yellow, my porch is yellow, everything is yellow. Ack!

Oh, and before I forget -- the 4th of July card drive will be staring up again within the next few days. Stay tuned for information to follow soon!

So, that’s all for now. Till next time…

We must NEVER FORGET - ever

Tonight, or rather, this morning (since it's 12:29 a.m.) my heart is heavy. Sleep eludes me, as it always does the night of a PGR mission for our fallen hero. Tonight, there were eight of us who were able (on 3 hours' notice) to appear at the fallen Hero's church to stand to honor him. We lined up on each side of the doorway, holding our flags, and stood there for a couple hours or so (guessing, I wasn't watching the time closely) as family and friends went in to pay their respects. Toward the end of the evening, we put our flags away and went in to pay our own respects to SPC Smith and his family. There were hundreds of people there, it seemed (this was a large church). This young man was very well-loved. We got in line to walk by the casket to pay our respects, one by one. When my turn came, I cried... and cried some more. I looked at him, this dear young soldier who gave EVERYTHING for our country, for us... and my heart broke. I wept by his casket for a moment, and before I totally 'lost it' even more, walked away, shaking the hands of his family members as I went by (as the others before me had done). That part of our mission was then complete. Tomorrow, this young hero will be laid to rest. I have to work and won't be there...but my heart sure will be... and the flag in my front yard will remain at half-mast until I get home from work tomorrow, in his honor.

NEVER forget our fallen. NEVER forget their families, who must go on without them. Pray for them and stand by their side and be there for them. And never forget what freedom costs.

For that matter... NEVER FORGET our Veterans, either. It's not an easy thing, to come home from a war and get back to "normal" life again... don't forget them. Pray for them and stand by their side and be there for them. And never forget what freedom costs.

No matter what...we must remember.

Honoring another Hero

A few days ago, I posted about a 19-year-old Atlanta Soldier, Spc. Jonathan K. Smith, who died in Iraq. I just received word moments ago that the Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to attend both the viewing tonight and the funeral tomorrow. I will be unable to attend the funeral tomorrow, of course, due to having to work, but I will be at the viewing tonight with my second family - the Patriot Guard Riders. I am glad that I am able to attend at least part of the services for this dear Hero.. broke my heart to read of his death, and I need to be there to honor him.... Please keep his family in your prayers.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Jonathan K. Smith, 19, of Atlanta, died Mar. 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related incident, which is under investigation. Smith was assigned to the 115th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

From our Local Paper

From the Loganville Tribune...

'HomeTeam’ show watched with emotion

By Sharon Swanepoel The Loganville Tribune

Published March 9, 2007

LOGANVILLE — The long-awaited showing of the HomeTeam’s episode where the Orr family received their new home in Loganville again brought tears and laughter from those who turned out for the viewing party Saturday.

“I was bawling when it happened and I was bawling all over again when I watched it,” said Kathy “Kat” Orr at her new home in Loganville where the first viewing party was held.

The episode was supposed to air on WGN at noon last Saturday but due to a scheduling conflict it will air instead at noon tomorrow.

But since viewing parties had already been arranged for Saturday at the Orr’s new home in Loganville and at their church Sunday, the HomeTeam overnighted the family an advanced copy of the program so the parties could go ahead as planned.

The 70 hours of filming had been cut down to just an hour and that included advertisements, but the show still managed to capture the outpouring of support the Orr family gives to the troops and the love and support their dedication drew from the community.

The episode is narrated mainly by Troy McLain of “The Apprentice” fame with the portions giving the more intimate details of the Orr family narrated by Robert Stokely, father of fallen soldier Michael Stokely, Ben Cathey, the pastor of The Orchard Church, and various close friends of the Orrs.

The home in Loganville was again crowded Saturday as many of the people who had been in on the secret, including several members of the Patriot Guard Riders, turned out to watch the episode with the family for the first time. It was the first time the Orrs got to see all the people working on the home with the “HomeTeam” and also the first time the workers got to see Kat Orr’s reaction when she first realized they were receiving the home.

“You tricked me,” she said to the cameraman in the car with her when she first caught sight of the “HomeTeam” truck in front of the house.

The ruse had been that the Patriot Guard Riders were the focus of the documentary and she was just traveling in the car with the cameraman to give commentary on the riders.

The Orrs had been chosen after Jim Scott, of the Shepherd Staff in Loganville had nominated them. He said the Shepherd Staff had been contacted by the “HomeTeam” asking if there was any deserving family in the area that was in need of a home and Kat and Jeff Orr immediately came to mind.

The show aired on WXIA at 12:30 a.m. Monday and will air in the Atlanta area again at noon tomorrow on WGN out of Chicago — everyone is advised to check the local listings.

Rest in Peace, Hero.....

Reavis Chancellor, 84, US Army Veteran of World War II, died at 3:00 a.m. today. Mr. Chancellor was a Corporal in the Army Air Corps and spent several months on Guam. He was awarded the American Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Medal; Good Conduct Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

His funeral is this weekend... if I can reschedule a prior commitment, I am hoping to attend with the PGR.

God bless Reavis Chancellor and his family. The world is a better place because of him.

Thank you, Sir, for all you did.

(((hugs & prayers))) to the family....

I'm SO excited!

Last night, I got word of a VERY special Patriot Guard Rider mission that will take place HERE IN LOGANVILLE!!! It seems that there is some kind of documentary film being made about someone/something the local area (I think it has to do with the ROTC at UGA), and they (whoever is doing the documentary) want to interview several PGR members - and their families! - about what PGR membership means to them, etc!!!! This is literally like 15 mintus from my home.... I originally tried to beg off since I'm sick & all...but the GA PGR absolutely wouldn't hear of it, haha! And since I am feeling vastly better and coughing MUCH less, and since I've missed the last few PGR missions due to work or school... I'm totally going to be there... with hubby & kids in tow!!! I'm SO excited... now, hopefully, they won't want ME on camera...ack... BUT I'm gonna be there to show support (and provide coffee and donuts, too). Here's what the mission is about, as snitched from the forum:

We have a very rare and special event this coming Sunday, February 4^th in Loganville Ga. (no, they didn’t move the Superbowl to Loganville!) This is an event that you will want to be a part of. A documentary crew has asked to talk with some of our members, and their families. This is a good opportunity to let more people know about the Patriot Guard Riders, so if you can, please plan on attending this event, and if you able bring your spouse and children. This is also going to be a great social event for us. A time for us to gather and just talk as brothers and sisters, a chance for us to get to know each other a bit better. What we do as Patriot Guard Riders, honoring America’s fallen heroes, can be so very emotional. From time to time we need to be able to gather as Patriot Guard Riders for a happy occasion, well this is a happy occasion that I hope you and your family can find time to attend.

Cool! I'm so excited! :)

Patriot Guard Riders on ABC World News

ABC World News recently did a story on the Patriot Guard Riders... it was wonderfully done. Hattip to "Dazed & Confused From Here," via "DNR."

Another Must-Read

OK, y'all wander on over to "What...?!" and check out the latest post from DNR about the Patriot Guard Riders. He writes about what prompted him to join the PGR in the first place, and what it means to be a part of it. Of course, he hits the nail on the head - it's beautifully written and very true.

Here's an excerpt:

I rode Thursday with the Patriot Guard Riders to my 21st funeral since March 19th, 2006. I was prompted in March by services for SSGNT Ricky Jones (also here) in Kokomo Indiana. I remember watching the news and seeing people there protesting… “protesting what”, I thought. “the war? OK guess they have that right.” Then I heard something about the protesters believing the family was at fault and that the solder and my country deserved it. “Hey, wait just a fu@#ing minute, how can the family be at fault?” I like to think I am open minded and give a great latitude when accepting someone else’s beliefs or opinions. I also believe that our right to freedom of speech is one of our most cherished. BUT, I also believe in the honor and respect deserved by the family of a fallen solder. The longer this goes, the more I believe this......

READ THE REST HERE.

Wreaths Across America

Today was another awesome mission with the Patriot Guard Riders! This was not a funeral -- rather, we participated in the "Wreaths Across America" memorial event that took place all across the country today. Wreaths were laid on the graves of fallen soldiers in Veterans' cemetaries all over the United States - I think something like 230 Veterans' cemetaries participated in this. The PGR was able to participate in a few Wreath ceremonies across Georgia. I went to the one that took place in Milledgeville, Georgia, at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetary. I had taken the day off of work to study for finals. I'd known about the ceremony, but was really debating on whether or not to attend. I've been SO tired lately and just plain wore out from all the crazy activity of the last several weeks... I thought I'd take a day and chill and not do anything but study & snooze (probably more snoozing than studying! haha!). Well... .in the end... I could not resist the chance to go and have a small part in honoring our Veterans and currently-serving troops. Since my time is so limited and I'm typically only able to participate in weekend missions... the fact that I "just so happened" to be off on this exact same day that there "just so happened" to be a mission... well.... it kinda all fell together a little too neatly to ignore! :)

The Wreaths Across America website declares that their mission is to

Remember the fallen;

Honor those who serve;

Teach our children the value of freedom.

2006 will mark the 15th anniversary of holiday wreaths being sent from the State of Maine to Arlington National Cemetery. Each year the folks at Worcester Wreath Company make and decorate wreaths that will adorn over 5000 headstones of our Nation’s fallen heroes - in what has become an annual event coordinated with the Cemetery Administration and the Maine State Society.

Milledgeville is about an hour and forty-five minutes from where I live. However, before going on to the cemetary, I had to drive to Buford (about 45 minutes from my house... in the other direction, hehe!) to pick up the wreaths that would be used in the ceremony. One good thing about driving a "cage" (that would be "biker" for 'car,' hehe!) is that I can carry stuff that the folks on bikes can't... like a big ole box of wreaths! And coffee... and a cooler full of water... and (sometimes) FOOD. :) I woke up at 5:00 a.m., filled my car up, and headed on out to Buford to meet up with Chip, the Ride Captain in charge of this here shindig (that's "Southern" for, "the PGR leader in charge of organizing this event"). ;-) I arrived at Chip's house shortly after 6:30. Because of the distance, the fact that this was a weekday (rush-hour traffic, yikes!) and due to severe fog warnings, he wanted to be on the road by 7:00 a.m. Got there, got the big ole box of wreaths into my car (I knew I'd bought a hatchback for a reason....now I know what is is! haha!), and headed out right before 7:00, Chip in the lead since he knew where he was going, and me following. I had my American flag and my PGR flag hooked on my front windows.

The first half of the drive was just fine... we encountered a few light patches of fog here & there... but nothing too bad. Heck, at one point we got to see the sunrise (good grief... can't even remember last time I saw a sunrise....) and I was just about blinded by the sun directly in front of us. That didn't last too long, though... after we'd got thru Winder, Georgia... we hit FOG. I mean, serious, serious FOG. Like, FOG TO THE EXTREME. Visibility was about ZERO almost.... it was BAD. Most of the time, I could see Chip & his bike just fine - BUT could NOT see ANYTHING past him. There were a few times - thankfully, VERY few times - when I could barely see Chip at all - just a vague shadow. That was SCARY. I prayed the whole time as we went through miles & miles & miles & MILES of fog (it seemed to go on forever!)... I prayed that God would lift the fog (the answer to that was, "Not now, later!") and that He would keep everyone SAFE in this fog - prayed for a few extra angels for all and for God to keep Chip VISIBLE to all around us (and all the others traveling in from everywhere). I was concerned... I KNEW I had a bike in front of me and had trouble seeing him sometimes - what about folks who had no clue there was a bike around and WOULDN'T EVEN THINK TO LOOK, much less pay "extra" attention during a severe fog like this, and...... ack. All sorts of disasterous possibilities flashed through my mind. Thankfully, we eventually arrived in Milledgeville without mishap.

Anyway, I'll spare you the mundane details of our chatting with the cemetary directors, our Adventures in Finding McDonalds, and meeting up with the other PGR members who participated. Oh, THIS GUY actually drove up from Florida - it just so happened he was visiting family in Georgia and was able to hook up with us and participate in the Wreath ceremony. Too cool! Oh, and he very kindly let me get THIS PICTURE, which we both figured LL would get a real kick out of! (I think it's my new favorite picture, actually - just wait till all my friends see THAT pic, hahaha!)

Well, anyway, the ceremony started somewhere around noon - ceremonies all across America started simultaneously. The ceremony was beautifully done. It included a moment of silence for our fallen & POW/MIAs, the pledge of allegience, the National Anthem, and speeches from a state Senator and the Mayor of Milledgeville. One by one, a member of each branch of the service took a wreath and placed it beside a memorial honoring that particular branch of service. The last wreath was one especially for all the POW/MIAs, which was placed by the POW/MIA memorial by one of our very own Viet Nam Vetarans.

Once all the wreaths were placed, there was a rifle salute, follwed by "Taps." And even though it wasn't a funeral - it still made me cry. (Why I even bother putting on makeup before a PGR mission, I still have yet to figure out. It's pointless... I almost always cry it all off by the end of the day!) Well, anyway, once the ceremony was concluded (it truly was awesome and very moving) , we all headed out to a local McDonald's for lunch. This is so cool what happened next. The local police actually gave us a full escort to McDonalds! I kid you not - there was a police car in front of all the bikes, lights flashing, followed by all the bikes, and then those of us in cars/vans/trucks/etc, followed by a couple more police cars, lights flashing!! They blocked intersections and stopped traffic for us so we could all turn into the parking lot together. How cool is that?! Definitely a first in GA. PGR history! Usually we have escorts to the funerals and such -- but we've NEVER had a police escort for LUNCH!!!! It was too darn cool! I mean, cars were pulling over to the side of the road to let us pass, and everything! hehehe! Too cool.

I ended up getting back home around 6:30 p.m., ate dinner, uploaded all my pictures from the day, and now am typing this. And you know what? I'M TIRED. So... on that note... I'm going to bed! If you'd like to see all the pictures I took today (there's like 30 pics), you can CLICK HERE.

Thoughts on the Patriot Guard Riders

[Kat's Note: A few days ago, a local DJ just happened to mention the PGR on his morning show... well, you know me... I just HAD TO email him and share a thought or two about the PGR... and then I thought...hey, this might make an alright blog post! So.... here ya go!]

Even though I'm not a biker, I joined the Patriot Guard Riders on October 5, 2006, shortly after PFC Aaron Kincaid of Lilburn, GA, was killed in Iraq. His funeral was the first I attended with the PGR - and the first time I've ever had the privilege to associate with a bunch of "big, bad bikers." "Biker world" is a completely different universe from my own extremely tame and uneventful world of wife/mom/college student/legal secretary/troop supporter. I was very nervous the day of the Kincaid funeral, not knowing what to expect. What I discovered completely blew me away. This bunch of tough-looking, leather-wearing, big bad bikers.... is made up of individuals with hearts of GOLD. They treated the clueless non-biker newbie with the utmost kindness and respect, and welcomed me into their midst with open arms.

You see, being a Patriot Guard Rider isn't about motorcycles, or leather, or anything else other than RESPECT: Respect for our fallen heroes and respect for their families. Many of the Patriot Guard Riders are veterans ~ veterans who have found strength and healing from long-ago wounds, through the close-knit brother/sisterhood that is the PGR. My own life has been enormously enriched and blessed through this organization. There is nothing more meaningful than providing comfort and a calming presence for the families of our fallen heroes while paying tribute, each in our own way, in our own hearts, to our fallen. I have stood beside tough, grizzled ole bikers you would think you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, as BOTH OF US wept unashamed tears as "Taps" echoed through a cemetery. I have seen, first hand, the impact the presence of the PGR has when a grief-stricken aunt walked up to us after one funeral, and hugged several of us, saying, "Thank you for honoring my nephew so beautifully!" words failed and all I could do was hug her back, desperately hoping that all the love and respect in my heart were conveyed through that hug, as words failed me utterly at that moment. And THAT is what the PGR is all about -- showing the family that their sacrifice DOES matter -- that we DO care, and that we WILL NOT forget... and that we now and forever will RESPECT our fallen and their families.

So… the next time you hear a really loud motorcycle rev up, don't think, "Dang, I wish they would be quieter!" Rather, think of it this way... that biker could very well be one of the PGR's 69,000 members... and that deep rumble could be more than "just" a loud bike -- rather, it could be the sound of patriotism in motion.