Indiana Patriot Guard: March 2007

BMS Alert

Make sure you have a tissue handy.

PGR Links

As many of you know, Indy Harley maintains a calendar of missions for us. (see it HERE) It is a great tool and one click shows you the weather forecast for 5 days and any Indiana PGR Missions. With occasional additions from surrounding states.

BUT…

Did you know that several of our surrounding states have calendars too? And if they don’t they have a summary link?

So, if you live near a neighboring state or just have a hankering to ride, here is a list of our surrounding states calendars and mission lists.

Indiana Calendar
Illinois Calendar
Michigan Calendar
Kentucky Link List
Ohio Link List

Bookmark our Indiana Blog, and we’ll maintain the links to these calendars, so you’ll always have the correct link. As we find similar information for other states we’ll add it too.

While you’re here... look around, read some posts, leave a comment... you might even ask us a question... who knows, we might even answer it. lol!!

DNR

Marine Sgt. Gary S. Johnston

A good PGR friend of mine sent this to me, SergeantMoon. His son is a Marine, Gary was his son’s best friend.

The letter is form the BBC and is about their visit to Winthorst, TX

The link is the audio file (mp3 format) from the BBC.
As Mr. Johnston says, we in middle America are VERY proud of our country and our sons.

In Memory of:

Marine Sgt. Gary S. Johnston

21, of Windthorst, Texas; assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Okinawa, Japan; died Jan. 23 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

***********************************************************

Dear Angela,

Thank you so much for inviting us into your home, and for telling us about Gary and how you and all your friends and neighbors in Windthorst have been coping with his loss.

Jamie and I found the experience very moving. Neither of us have seen anything quite like the scenes at Gary's funeral. I know you are very proud of him, and the town of Windthorst certainly gave him an amazing send-off.

It is obvious to us that Texas looks after its own, and the sense of community spirit in Windthorst is very strong.

I am sending you a copy of the piece we did. I hope you think it is okay. If you have any problems playing it please let me know and I will send you a CD in the post instead. I am sorry I didn't get to send this yesterday, but I have had a few computer problems here...

Thanks again for having us, and for feeding us!!! Please pass on my regards to Nebin, and say hello and thank you to everyone else who made the effort to come over on Wednesday evening.

It was a pleasure to meet you all.

Take care, and as I say, please let me know if you have any problems with the mp3 file.

Piers.

*****************************************************

The Audio Clip

Photo From Saturday

This is the gang waiting at Camp Atterbury. Photo by Jim "Infidel". Click on image for 2mg version.

WOW, What a Ride!!!

Welcome Home 961st Engineers and Company B Marines

Saturday started at 0500 for me after 4 hours of sleep… that’s another story, maybe tomorrow.

With one eye on the weather radar channel, I packed leather and dressed in rain gear. The sun doesn’t coming up around here till about 0745, so it remains cool for quite a while. ‘Pack a t-shirt, a sweat shirt (might be cold again on the way home), no room for dry jeans… Just don’t get wet’ I was thinking. I left the house about 0530 and met up with Infidel at our first meeting place, McBP. A quick bite to eat and we headed off to meet the other Indy area riders just south of the outer belt. We had wet roads for this first leg, read “lots of road spray”, thankfully no real rain.

Friendships, I believe, are built through common bonds and sharing emotional experiences. These people are my friends. When you haven’t seen some of them in weeks, sometimes months, the reunions are heartfelt. We hug, we laugh, we catch up, it’s like they we're never really gone. They have been missed, but never stray far form my thoughts.

We met up with the other Indy area riders and hit the road again at 0700. About 45 minutes later we are at Camp Atterbury. The busses are scheduled to leave at 0800, we got there before the busses… the busses arrived at about 0815. What’s that saying… “hurry up and wait”

We hit the road at about 0900. 16 bikes and 10 of those had 3x5 American flags flying. The motorcycles led the buses and our cagers, also flying 3x5 flags, followed the buses. As we turn the corner heading up the on ramp, we are all watching in our mirrors to make sure the busses made the bend through traffic. They stopped… we slowed… they sat there… and they sat there… “WTH??” We stopped. (Let me remind you from above “…turn the corner heading up the on ramp…”). Yes, we were getting on the interstate and stopped ON the on ramp. (Not the best place to stop on a motor cycle – right?) One Hero runs the 200-300 yards to our rear bike and tells him that they are missing some ‘paper work’ and that a car is running it over to them now, we’ll have to wait. We moved over and sat there. The wait wasn’t too bad, only about 15 minutes, then off we went.

The ride north was uneventful save a few hundred honks and thumbs up from by-passers. When we got to the Indianapolis area, the Indiana State police were waiting for us and escorted us through the city and out the other side about 20 miles. I believe there was 3 of them, one did not allow anyone to pass us and the other 2 rode ahead and stopped any one from entering the highway till we had passed. That was the coolest!! Riding through the city with out one car cutting into or through our line was the safest ride through Indy I have ever had!!

Our RCs (Sleepy Rider and Lobo) had made arrangements with the CO and bus drivers to let us re-fuel in Lafayette. When we stopped the heroes, of course, had to get off the buses and stretch, so we got to meet and talk with some of them.

After gassing up and changing from rain gear to leathers, we hit the road again. About 150 miles later we stopped for lunch in Merrillville, IN, and again got to meet and eat with these ladies and gentlemen. One guy from the local area met us there and led the bussed through Chicago.

Some of our original group had to head home and 6 of us took off east towards South Bend heading for Hoosier HD on the east side. Of course we missed the Hoosier HD group and had to ride over to the airport back west of S. Bend.

The local area turn out was fantastic!!! There was 85 bikes and about 20 cages. There were 40-50 fire trucks and another 20+ police cars. They were form all over N. Indiana and S. Michigan. Once Company B loaded onto the busses we (the bikes, fire trucks and police cars) escorted the 5 buses the 10 miles to the Marine Reserve Center. All along the parade route people were standing outside their houses, waving, clapping and flying flags. Many, many signs read “Thank You Company B”. At the Reserve Center their families were waiting, more signs waving, banners flapping, all surrounded by American Flags!!!

As they disembarked the busses they were swarmed by family, hugged by friends and welcomed home by other vets and the PGR. If there was a dry eye there, I didn’t see it.

As we left, some of the families noticed and started clapping… As I teared up again, I couldn’t help but think, “All we did was ride. Don’t clap for us, you are the ones that let your sons/daughters fight, you are the ones that fought… THANK YOU!! IT WAS OUR HONOR!!!”

We left S. Bend with another 150 miles and about 3 hours to get home. Darkness came and fog, thick enough to cause drips on your goggles. As I pulled into my driveway my odometer turned something over 500 miles. I was beat and my ass hurt. But, my heart was grinning and images of smiling young men and women in their dusty desert cameo would not leave my head. Some where, some how, I fell asleep hoping I would remember everything. Knowing, I WILL NOT FORGET!!!

Pictures
From;
Indiana
Illinois
Wisconsin
Co. B Returns

St. Patrick's Day Wishes

May the lilt of lush laughter lighten ever road,
May the midst of Irish magic shorten every road.
May you taste the sweetest pleasures
that fortune ever bestowed,
And may all your friends remember
all the favors you are owed.

May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!

Go mbeannai Dia duit!

Are You Joking?

OK!! What’s up with this weather?? Who’s sick joke is being played on motorcycle people to have two or three wonderful warm 70+ degree days then cold rain and then snow???

Don’t get me wrong, for the right reason, I’m so there. And if you really want to dare me, I’d probably ride in the snow. BUT, the wind in your face is so much better without a rubber mask on. Can I get an AMEN?!?

It’ll be soon, the missus tell me… hrumph! Not soon enough.

Fire Up the Hogs

Springtime weather is upon us in Hoosierland. The geese and ducks have started their migrations back to their nesting sites, grass is starting to green and Hogs are being fired up all across the state.

Being a short-time rider and long-time wannabe, I always get a rush when I hear motorcycles roaring to life or rumbling down the road. I have fond memories of 1993-95 riding my 1978 Suzuki GS-850 all around Indiana with my brother-in-law, may he rest in peace. I was a weekend road warrior and damn proud of it. I learned allot about that bike having repaired it and spruced it up. I might add I learned how to ride safely although if my brother-in-law was alive he'd debate that point.

And today was no different when I saw a few road warriors rumbling beside me. So instead of(cough) working (cough)today, I spent time looking for a reasonable set of 2 wheels. Reasonable as in within my price range and with feasibility of selling the missus on it.

Bike Number 1 is easily repaired and is relatively inexpensive to maintain. A bike I could easily handle any mechanical repairs. Although I question the durability in stormy weather and exposure to heat sources. And looks to be a rough ride.

Bike Number 2 is a practical choice. It can serve not only as a pleasure ride but also a working ride. I'm not to sure about the custom paint job and copyright infringements, but the lawyers can work that out. And secondly, it'll be tough in those tight spaces to maneuver. All-in-all a great source of conversation and definitely an eye catcher.

So hit the "Read More..." and leave a comment on which one, my Patriot Guard Family, I should expend all my efforts to sell the missus on. And hopefully this cager will come rumbling to a mission near you soon!

Motorcycle Number 1

Motorcycle Number 2

2007 Motorcycle Expo

The 16th Indiana Motorcycle Expo was held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on February 22-25, 2007. This year was a spectacular show as they provided vendors for all types of cycling. The wide selection and awesome deals on motorcycles, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, go-carts, accessories and apparel were too many to mention let alone see. The Tiny Tots Test Track gave children the opportunity to test their dirt bike riding skills in a safe environment. Not only was this event humorous but also inspirational in seeing our future learning how to ride.

Yamaha's ATV Challenge is an indoor course designed to give consumers an opportunity to test drive an ATV. It had everything from logs, rocks, hills and tight turns. The only thing kissing was the bog run...although I don't think I'd be the one to help clean up. It was fun to watch people drive for obviously the first time and those that were skilled.

They also had the Annual Bikers Showcase Contest with over $3,000 in prizes. There were some truly remarkable bikes on display. The contest winner was announced Sunday, the 25th.

The Indiana Patriot Guard was also present this year. Mike Venne (vennem) tackled the monstrous challenge of coordinating not only the booth space but the people to man the booth. This was a major task as we had 4 days of the Expo to attend. Mike did a wonderful job of organizing this event. As you can see from the picture above, it turned out really nice. Indiana Patriot Guard keeps setting the standards!

Here are some snippets of Mike's post in the Completed Missions section of the forums. Mike has graciously given me permission to use his post. The forum link is listed at the bottom.

First I'll start with the tangible numbers, We sold 24 calendars, 66 Indiana PGR patches, 25 decals, 7 USS Indianapolis Hats, 2 of the new Indiana PGR Beanies (available Sunday only) and 39 cool ties. We had some 'Keep the change' and some outright donations to help with the Care Packages. Not sure what total costs were for the Indiana PGR items sold, but it should wind up with a good amount to help support the troops.

Richard and Chief thanks for letting me pursue the idea of a booth at the expo. While it's easy to have an idea, we all need to opportunity it follow them though from time to time. Bernie, thanks for everything you did and all your time.

For everyone that volunteered to work, you made it easy to set the schedule and make sure there were enough workers to man the booth at all times. I hope you found the experience rewarding.

Kyra, Lobo, Gadget, appreciate the extra time spent Thursday with the setup. You put together a great looking display. Rick, Gadget, Rosie, Tracy, Hoss, Gary and Melody great job on the tear down. They closed the expo at 4:55 and at 5:09 I was driving out the fairgrounds. What more can I say, It wasn't something one or two people could handle it took 32 of you. In fact more than that, because some of you stopped by so to all of you thanks. You jumped right in, you knew what to do and you did it well. Maverick, as they say, I think you could sell a freezer to an eskimo.

I must say I think I missed a heck of a time Sat afternoon. Batesville bunch, sorry the weather slowed things down but things for filling the late shift Saturday. Everyone that was out in the weather, I pray you had a safe eventless trip home. Dale Garrett asked me how I ended up doing this and I told him it was shortly preceded by a " gee, somebody oughta....." Once again thanks to everyone that stepped in and helped. You're a great group of people and I enjoyed working with you. Mike (vennem)

Make sure you block out your calendar for 2008! Rumor has it that next year will be at the Convention Center. That means more room and more events, bikes , apparel and shows. And of course, you'll need to sign up to help man the booth!

Originally posted on the PGR Forum.

Smoke'em If You Got'em

Not really...well, ok go ahead. I smoked cigars some 10 years ago. I enjoyed the peaceful calm provided and used a cigar as an ice-breaker conversation piece. I don't recall exactly why I quit but I don't miss it. I do enjoy the smell of a good cigar and don't have any grudges towards those that smoke a stogie.

I recently read a post concerning cigars and this post lead me to a forum. And that forum lead me to another post...about sending cigars to our troops over in the sandbox. That's right...I followed along 3 places all by myself. heh

Seriously, A Soldiers Perspective blog is promoting a campaign for one of the co-authors of ASP. And during the initial phases of logistically providing this service, another wonderful aspect happend. Folks, it gets better! They've actually started a forum to discuss cigars. You can find the forum right here.

And there's more! If you decide you'd like to donate a box or two of your favorites, you can read this post here that explains the how to's. And if you don't want to mess around with International Shipments, well that detail is covered as well.

And just so happens that CplM and the authors at ASP are advocates for the Patriot Guard and the honorable service we provide. CplM has just recently deployed to the sandbox. If nothing else, stop by ASP and offer him thanks and well wishes. And the Girl Friday for this project happens to be a Patriot Guard member herself.

Folks...smoke'em if you got'em...and if you don't then send them to our troops in the sandbox.

And this whole Cigar Hour with the Chaplain is sponsored by the wonderful folks at Cigar.com!

Strangers on Steel Horses

Song written and perfomed by PGR member All41 Wolf

"It was a great honor for me to write this song about some of the most outstanding patriotic people I have ever met and the thousands that I have not but still call brothers and sisters. I was a singer song writer for many years and just kinda gave it all up after my second marriage about eight years ago and who knows it may be eight years before I write again but I was so inspired by the PGR it just had to come out. I live in Tulsa OK and my friend Ike lives in Michigan. I sent him the song because I didn't have the software to add pics to the song and asked him to take pics from each of the States photo folders because this song is about and for all of the PGR nation wide."

Original Post

2008 Calendars and Assorted Information

We are assimilating the 2008 Indiana Patriot Guard Riders Calendar. The 2007 Calendars were a huge success and I believe we can make this year even more successful. If you are not aware, we sell ads that will be located on the month of your choice. Of course, first come first serve. We will try our best to honor the chosen month. These ads can be business or personal (i.e. birthdays, well wishes, remembrance, love you, anniversaries, nearly anything, etc.)

We would like to offer the individuals and companies that participated last year first pick of choice month for 2008. We will be offering 144 advertising spaces this year. The pricing for these spaces are:

$50.00 per advertising space
$10.00 for each additional color (Black is free)
$15.00 for company logo *
Bonus - For each ad space purchased for the 2008 Calendar, you will receive a free 2008 Calendar.

*If you are using the same logo used on 2007 Calendar, this fee is waived

We are attempting to sell all advertising spaces by June 2008. So hurry while the spaces last! Please visit us at the Indiana Patriot Guard site for your order form.

Remember that every search you do on the internet will result in money being donated to the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders, Inc. which will be used to pay for packages we send overseas, vets in the hospital, etc.

Just click on - Good Search for Charity - and do your internet search.

Thanks and God Bless You for what you do!

All profit will be used to assist/help a veteran, or veteran family, or an active military person, or to help a veteran organization - EVERY LAST Penny.

Welcome

Welcome to the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders Blog.

This site can be utilized as a gathering place for general information, links and upcoming events. We will not be posting missions. Please refer to the National Home Page for these kinds of events.

We have a few design changes to finish and a few services to add. For those RSS Feed readers, we will be providing this soon. We'll also be providing an e-mail subscription. That way, you can receive all the site updates via e-mail. A handy service if you travel or have limited Internet time.

Also, we will have interesting articles and bio's of Indiana members and our Soldiers. If you have any suggestions, Soldiers links, etc... please email us at the link provided.

Make sure to visit the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders home website. We have items for sale along with general information you need.

A Special Note: In the upcoming months we have many things planned to honor and show tribute to our military so try at least once in awhile check out the PGR site and/or the IN PGR Calendar.

A couple of such events will be July 5-8, 2007 in Indianapolis where we will be honoring the survivors of the USS Indianapolis and on June 2, 2007 at the Ramada Inn (42nd and Pendleton Pike) there will be a huge fund raiser party sponsored by Benigans for us.

Make sure to bookmark us now and help spread the word!

Welcome!

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Previous Posts

Archives

Credits

Friday, March 30, 2007

BMS Alert

Thursday, March 29, 2007

PGR Links

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Marine Sgt. Gary S. Johnston

Photo From Saturday

Monday, March 26, 2007

WOW, What a Ride!!!

Friday, March 16, 2007

St. Patrick's Day Wishes

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Are You Joking?

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Fire Up the Hogs

Friday, March 9, 2007

2007 Motorcycle Expo

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Smoke'em If You Got'em

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Strangers on Steel Horses

2008 Calendars and Assorted Information

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Welcome

Indiana Patriot Guard Riders Donation

National PGR Links

Indiana PGR Links

Surrounding State Calendars/Links

Business Who Support PGR

Indiana Soldier Links

Sites of Honor

Miscellaneous