Owned Boy

It would be nice if i could live BDSM 24/7, unfortunately (and sometimes fortunately), the rest of the world will sometimes insist that i pay some attention. This blog is about one of those times.

Some of you may or may not remember hearing news stories of a religious group that has taken to protesting at the memorial services of American servicemen killed in the line of duty.  When i first heard of them i was appalled. The protests were of the most obnoxious, ignoble type with people holding up banners and signs with messages such as “I’m glad your son is dead!”

Those of you who know me personally know that i am a staunch defender of the rights that American citizens enjoy, among them being the right to freedom of expression and the right to gather peaceably.  i do not begrudge these people their right to protest, but i strongly object to their choice of venue as that choice impinges on the right of grieving family members to bid farewell to a loved one.

Some of you also know that i bought a motorcycle last summer.  Shortly thereafter, i learned of a group of motorcycle riders, the Patriot Guard Riders, (the term patriot refers to the deceased…not the rider) who have taken on the mission of protecting those mourners from the visual assault being perpetrated by the protest group. They are from all walks of life…veterans and non-veterans, male, female, businessmen and laborers, all coming together with a common goal: To peacefully shield the bereaved, at the family’s specific request, from the sight of the inappropriate behavior of these protesters.

Last week, i went on my first ride as a Patriot Guard Rider .  It was one of the most moving experiences of my life and i am thankful to have been able to participate in it.  The deceased was a 26 year old young man who had served 6 years in the military with two tours of duty in the war zones of the Middle East. His job was such that he was placed in personal danger every day that he was there.  One year after his separation from the service and return home, he died from an enlarged heart, leaving a young wife and a two year old daughter.

The Patriot Guard Riders mustered at the funeral home, and provided an honor guard of flag bearers that the mourners walked between on entry to the facility.  Afterward, we escorted the funeral procession over 40 miles to the burial site at a National Cemetery here in Georgia.  There was a police escort assigned to us, but along the way, we kept picking up more escorts, police and bike riders, who would ride with us as far as they could. At one point, a major highway (285, for those of you who know the Atlanta area) was virtually shut down as we proceeded from Norcross to Canton, Ga. The procession included over 30 motorcycles in addition to the army of mourners.

At a National Cemetery, the deceased is always brought to one of the pavilions scattered through the site, where the funeral service is held. The deceased is then interred afterward. The Patriot Guard Riders, each with an American flag in hand, encircled the pavilion, leaving  an arch of flags at the entrance through which the mourners filed. When all were seated, the riders forming the arch closed ranks around the pavilion. The purpose of this was so that whenever any of the mourners looked in any direction, it was not protesters that they saw, but rather an American flag.

After the ceremony, we repaired to a local restaurant that has sort of adopted the riders and were in the process of ordering lunch when we were surprisingly approached by the young widow. She stood before us, and with tears streaming down her face, haltingly told us how much she appreciated what we had done for her and her husband.  It seems that she and her brothers were looking for a place to eat when they spotted our flag bedecked motorcycles, and she insisted that they stop there, so she could personally thank us.

i am not able to go on every ride for which i receive notification, but i will go on all that i can. It’s the least i can do to honor these American heroes.

© 2010, boy. All rights reserved.

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