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14 Completed Missions
(click a mission below)
Sat 24 Jun 2006
Laurel, MS
SFC Clarence D. McSwain
U.S. Army
Wed 12 Jul 2006
Ft. Campbell, KY
Eagle Remembrance Ceremony
U.S. Army
Sat 15 Jul 2006
Dyersburg, TN
Pfc Kevin F. Edgin
U.S. Army
Sat 26 Aug 2006
Memphis, TN
LCpl. Adam R. Murray
U.S. Marine
Sun Oct 15 2006
Germantown, TN
Capt Robert M. Secher
U.S. Marine
Mon 16 Oct 2006
Union City, TN
Welcome Home Ride 913th Engineer Co.
U.S. Army
Tue 12 Dec 2006
Finger, TN
Sgt. Dustin M. Adkins
U.S. Army
Sun 22 Apr 2007
Florence, AL
Spc. James T. Lindsey
U.S. Army
Sat 28 Apr 2007
Dickson, TN
LCpl. Jeffrey A. Bishop
U.S. Marine
Sat 19 May 2007
Tishomingo, MS
Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn
U.S. Army
Sat 23 Jun 2007
Nashville, TN
SrA William N. Newman
U.S. Air Force
Fri 20 Jun 2008
Clarksville, TN
SFC Gerard M. Reed
U.S. Army
Tue 13 Oct 2009
Memphis, TN
PFC Brandon A. Owens
U.S. Army
Patriot Guard Website
Other Tribute Sites
Fallen Coalition Heroes
Iraq/Afghanistan
War Heroes
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Click the jet just above this to hear, see and shake as some jets that you choose do a flyby. If you want to know about the Patriot Guard, Click Here
How to use my mission log
The PGR organizes "missions". The term is not meant to be disrespectful or insensitive. You can check out my notes on the missions that I have attended by clicking a mission link on the left side panel. They are listed in chronological order.
My 1st mission was on 24 Jun 2006, Sgt. Clarence D. McSwain of Laurel MS. I will never forget him and pray for his family often. If you're interested in joining the Patriot Guard and wonder what the first time is like, then you should read this mission first.
Mission Date: Wed 12 Jul 2006
 Ft. Campbell has a monthly ceremony to honor the fallen warriors from the previous month. The ceremony is held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
Ft. Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Div. The "Screaming Eagles"
This month’s Eagle Remembrance Ceremony paid tribute and respects to the following Soldiers who gave all in support of the American Nation.
SFC Clarence D. McSwain
B Co, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team
PFC Benjamin T. Zieske
HHC, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team
View the Photo Gallery of this Mission
 I was looking around on the Patriot Guard website a couple of weeks earlier and I found out about the monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony at Ft Campbell. Sometime between 1964 -’68 my dad was stationed there. We lived on base a couple of years. I was only 4 or 5, I don’t remember anything except for slides we used to watch. I really wanted to go back and attend the ceremony. So I took a couple of days off work and planned my trip. My route to Ft Campbell was 207 miles. Here’s my route via Mapquest.
As I monitored the thread, I saw a post stating the the uglies had applied for a permit to demonstrate. The same thing had happened on my 1st mission a couple of weeks before and they didn’t show. I heard that they do that a lot. It didn’t matter if they showed or not, I wanted to go and honor my heros.
5 days before the event I found another thread on the PGR site. An army wife living on base there was posting a request for items for wounded 101st warriors. Her husband is currently deployed to Iraq. They needed books, magazines, games, personal hygiene stuff, etc. They were in the hospital on base. I told a few of my friends and we managed to gather 9 12"x18"x8" boxes full of the requested items. I loaded them in the truck and left around noon.
Ft Campbell is about a 3 1/2 hour drive. I went up 51 through Dyersburg and caught I-24 in southern Kentucky. I-24 runs right by Oak Grove. Ft Campbell sits on the border of TN and KY. Oak Grove, KY and Clarksville,TN are right beside the base. It rained about half the trip. I was glad I was a cager. LOL
We were to stage at the American Legion on Hwy 41, aka Ft Campbell Blvd, between 4 and 6PM. I got there right around 4. I wandered around and talked to different riders and checked out the bikes. Our ride captain for this mission was JohnnyW. He is currently serving in the 101st. He arrived and told us that anyone needing a pass should get together. He gave us instructions and a rider that has done this before led us over to the visitor’s center. M/C riders have a lot of safety requirements to get on base. Reflective belt, boots, etc. All us "cagers" just needed our drivers license, registration and proof of insurance. No problem, got my pass and headed back to the staging area.
I had noticed when I passed by a parking lot on the east side of the road with police, a fire truck, an ambulance and barrels with tape. That’s where the uglies would be if they showed.
 Once I got back, I mingled around until the ride briefing a little after 6. Johnny was very detailed in his briefing. He has obviously been doing this for a while. He told us that the word was that the uglies were in town. They would protest from 7 to 8. We would leave at 6:30. and drive south down 41 past where the uglies would be. Turn around and as we went back up, we would start peeling off in small groups. Hopefully about half on each side of the uglies, about a mile. We had over 50 members present. We would spread out as best we could and stand on the sidewalk holding our flags. Around 7:15 we would leave and go to the PX on base to walk to the ceremony from there. Johnny told the people on the south to head to a southern gate, gate 2. The people to the north would go north to gate 7. That way we’d ignore them. He said it would be easy to find the PX going in gate 2. Go straight, turn right on Bastogne and the PX would be down on the left. He would be at the other gate to show them the way. I decided that I’d hang out near the back and take the southern position and use gate 2.
We all scattered to our rides and headed out. Most of the bikes had American flags flying on the back of their bike’s. We went down past the Tennessee line and turned around. There were only two vehicles behind me. We started back north and after a quarter mile or so I slowed down and pulled off. I looked over and the rest of the group kept on going. LOL So I gave them a few seconds and slowly headed up the road. There they are. I pulled into the parking lot of a furniture store at Pioneer and Hwy 41. Another group of riders was on the other side of Pioneer.
As I got out and started getting my flag out, a couple of women who were already standing in the doorway of the store asked me what was going on. I told them and they both gave me a thumbs up. So I got my flag and stood right on the corner. Hwy 41 is a busy road. There was a traffic light at the corner I was on. Cars would stop and wave, give thumbs up and yell out the window in support. Obviously since this is a military community the number of supporters was high. You could see soldiers in their cars and many that were stopped thanked me for my support. Of course I told them that it was me that was thankful and it was my honor to support them.
 After a few minutes a lady and her teenage son walked up to me. After I told her what was going on she told me that her other son, John, was in Iraq with the 101st. When I told her about the uglies she got pissed. She was thinking about walking down there. I told her that if she did, she would become enraged. That’s what they want. I told her about the PGR’s mission statement which forbids us from counter protesting, if we want to be associated with the group. She agreed that it was best to ignore them and asked me if I had another flag. I didn’t so I handed her mine.
The company where I work, Imec, let me borrow a digital camera. A Nikon D100. Pretty nice camera. Thanks Dee and Jay Cole, the owner’s. I figured since I didn’t have a flag anymore I’d take some pictures. I took some pictures looking down our flag line.
I couldn’t see the uglies from where I was. I later learned that locals had shown up with their own signs and were exercising their 1st amendment rights. Many of them were wives of deployed soldiers. Being an Army brat, I know of the worries and hardships that the families of our defenders go through. It’s not easy, the not knowing.
A little after 1900 hours a truck with our group with a trailer came back down the line. Johnny brought over 30 flags and distributed them to whoever needed one. They were coming by to pick them up. That was the cueue for us to wrap up and make our way onto base and to the ceremony.
I got to the PX and waited on the rest. We were informed that all "colors" had to be removed. Anyone with a patch, PGR or other, had to take off their vests. T-Shirts turned inside out. After all this is the Screamin’ Eagles terf, no other colors allowed.
We walked over and made it to the area in front of the command building. There is a large grassy area in front leading up to the 101st Monument. There were a couple of tents and a few hundred troops and visitors mengling around. I took some pictures and was promptly informed that no pictures were allowed during the ceremony. I wasn’t planning on taking any. To me it’s like a funeral. Unless a family asked me, it would be bad manners to take pictures of their grief.
JohnnyW posted a ride report later. His description of the ceremony is much better than mine. Here it is.
 "The ERC was just as awesome as ever. The firing of the cannon followed by “retreat” began the ceremony, followed by the invocation. Then the 101st Airborne Rear Detachment Commander gave her remarks and was followed by another Chaplain who gave a scripture reading and led a short prayer. After this, the candle lighting took place. This is where a candle is lit in remembrance of the Soldiers that have given everything to serve their nation. After a few words about the fallen Soldiers, there was a “moment of silence” followed by the playing of “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes and then “Taps” on the bugle. The ceremony was concluded with the benediction by a third chaplain. After this, everyone in attendance slowly worked their way up to the front to pay final respects to the fallen soldiers." - JohnnyW
After the ceremony I waited and spoke to some of the soldiers. I thanked them for their service and reminded them not to pay attention to the media reports. America does support them. It’s only a few that don’t. I stood in line and paid my respects to our brave warriors that died in June.
The line ended in front of the 101st Monument shown here to the right. There’s some more photos of it in the gallery. In front of the monument there was a pair of boots and a rifle with a kevlar helmet and goggles on the butt of the rifle. Just in front of that was the candle that was lit in SFC Clarence D. McSwain’s and PFC Benjamin T. Zieske’s memory. I asked God to reward them and give their family’s strength and peace.
I found some of the PGR I came in with and we made it back to our rides and headed back to the American Legion. I needed to go ahead and hit the road, it was almost 2200 hours. As soon as we got there we loaded the boxes of goodies for the wounded warriors for Johnny to deliver and said my goodbyes and hit the road. Johnny did a great job leading this mission.
I made it home a little before 0200 Thursday morning. This ceremony is every 2nd Wednesday of the month. I will be going to another ceremony soon. I already have people gathering more items to take the next time. I felt honored to have attended this ceremony on base with our troops. God bless our troops and America.
View the Photo Gallery of this Mission
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