Road King Blog

This afternoon, I had the privilege of joining with the Patriot Guard, Rolling Thunder and the American Legion Riders to participate in the arrival of the American Veterans Travelling Tribute at the Daytona International Speedway for Bike Week.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute  contains, among other things, an 80% scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, along with displays honoring the sacrifice of American veterans from every conflict the US has taken part in.  The Patriot Guard riders took part in the escort from Jacksonville down to Daytona, and also formed a flag line to receive the AVTT at the Speedway.  The trip to and from Jacksonville would be a bit beyond my abilities yet, so I met up with the PGR folks at the Speedway to set the flag line for the arriving escort.

Soon thereafter, the lead elements of the police escort for the AVTT began approaching the Speedway gate and taking up positions to block traffic for the procession. Around 100 riders took part in the escort, proudly flying the US flag and standing for those who stood for us.

After the procession passed, those of us on the flag line mounted up and fell in behind the group for the trip into the Speedway infield to present the AVTT POW/MIA flag to the Speedway staff.  The sight and sound of 100 bikes rumbling through the tunnel under the track and up into the infield was truly awe-inspiring.

The pictures don’t really do it justice, but here are a few:

A bit about the ride:

The trip up this afternoon was via I-4, and it was a bit windy.  While uneventful, the trip wasn’t a whole lot of fun.  70 mile per hour traffic with 20 mile per hour wind gusts makes for a bit of buffeting, which can be pretty draining.  On the way back, I decided to take the overland route, and came down CR 415 through Volusia and into Seminole county.  A much nicer ride through the countryside.

About the Patriot Guard:

From the PGR Website:

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our 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:

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you.  We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.

The PGR came into being as a response to a certain “church” group who gets their kicks protesting at the funerals of deceased US service members (as well as other high profile events).  When these charming folks first began torturing the families of the fallen, the PGR responded by attending the funerals with large US flags, and standing with their backs to the protesters, shielding the families from the sight and sound of these disgusting protestors’ “message”.  It is, IMHO, the perfect response to these publicity-hog protestors.  By completely ignoring them, and turning their backs to them, the PGR deny the protestors the attention that they crave, and allow the families to lay their loved ones to rest in peace without having to endure the hateful antics of the protestors.

It’s an honor to be a part of the PGR family.