Patriot riders guard the fallen soldiers' funerals

Houston Chronicle:

Memories of her son's military funeral are clouded by anguish and tears.

But among the images that remain vivid for Maria Salgado is the sight of Patriot Guard Riders escorting the hearse of her 20-year-old son, Marine Cpl. Benjamin Salgado Rosales, who was killed in Iraq last year.

"They were like angels in the road," Salgado said of the motorcycle riders.

Mary Kay Edwards has similar sentiments about the Patriot Guard members at the funeral of her son, Pfc. William L. Edwards, 23, who died Aug. 11 in Iraq.

She didn't know about the group, she said, until an Army official mentioned that the group can protect families against the kind of protesters who have shown up at military services in some parts of the country.

"I just couldn't have handled protesters," Edwards said.

During each "mission," Patriot Guard Riders do what their name implies. Armed with American flags, they guard patriots killed in the line of duty, rumbling alongside their remains and standing watch at ceremonies. They remain fiercely devoted to their objective that no one disturb the final tribute.

"We're a backdrop to the service," said John Darner, a deputy state captain and a leader of the Houston chapter. "But it lets the families know America cares."

The group was founded in Kansas in August 2005 after members of a fundamentalist church there staged protests at military funerals. The protesters believe that the war in Iraq is punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

The Houston chapter formed three months later and has since swelled to 1,200 registered members. Riders have participated in about 60 services for those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, Darner said.

"This has been our busiest year. We've had 27 killed-in-action services," he said.

Patriot Guard chapters now exist across the country.

If families approve, the bikers escort the remains of fallen service members from airports to funeral homes. Many, if not all of their motorcycles, are adorned with U.S. flags.

They line the sidewalks that lead into houses of worship and remain nearly hidden from view behind the red, white and blue flags that sail on both sides of them. They stand guard until the end of each service, then travel with the funeral procession to burial grounds, where they again stand solemnly with their flags.

The riders never interfere with a service, Darner said.

"We don't want to be a distraction for the families. It's an honor for us to be there," he said. "What we do is not about us — it's about the families and the sacrifices they made."

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A ride captain, Karen Carson, said her son, Spc. Michael Doke, is now on more than a yearlong tour in Iraq. She has stood guard at services for two members of her son's platoon who were his close friends.

"I've been asked how I can do what I do when my son is over there in harm's way," Carson said. "There's something that swells in your heart. There's a pride and a part of me that wants to take away the pain you see."

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For these people the funeral of one of the troops is not a political prop, but an opportunity to show respect and support for the service of the fallen and their families. Bikers are always looking for a reason to ride somewhere and it is hard to think of a better one. They deserve our thanks and appreciation.