Posted on 06/23/2006 10:39:52 AM PDT by Dr. Ed Bravo
The flag that Rick Monday saved from being burned by 2 anti-American hippies in 1976 is making it's way from Florida to Dodger Stadium under escort from the Patriot Guard Riders. Additional to the famous 1976 flag, a flag flown by the 101st Airborne in Iraq will be presented to former Chicago Cubs outfielder who has been a Dodger announcer since 1993. The presentation will be on July 4th at Dodger Stadium.
Monday was an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. A year later, he was traded to the Dodgers. Prior to his baseball career, Mr. Monday was a Marine Corps medic for 6 years. After leaving active duty, he became the very first player ever selected in the MLB draft (from Arizona State University).
The two newset members of the Patriot Guard are Rick's wife BarbaraLee and her brother Jamie. They have earned the 'road names' of "Flag Babe" and "Helmet Killer". They are making the entire coast-to-coast journey (mostly) on the backseats of various Patriot Guard motorcycles. Although given only a few days to plan the route and coordinate all the logistics, the Patriot Guard has accepted this challenge and is presently in Illinois.
Here is the tentative schedule:
June 20th Tn Flag carried North on I-65 through Nashville to the Kentucky line.
June 21st Kentucky Flag carried North on I-65 to the Indiana line through Louisville Ky
June 22 Indiana Flag carried North on I-65 to Indianapolis then West on I-70 to Illinois
June 23 Illinois Flag carried West on I-70 through Illinois to St. Louis Missouri
June 24 Missouri Then on I-44 to Joplin Missouri then to the Oklahoma line
June 25 Oklahoma Then through Claremore/Tulsa then open route to Oklahoma City and I-40 then to Texas line.
June 26 Texas Flag carried through Amarillo to New Mexico line
June 27/28 New Mexico (a wide state) Flag carried through Albuquerque to Arizona line
June 29th Arizona Flag carried through Flagstaff on I-40 to Needles Calif Line
June 30/1st California. Finally through Calif to La at the stadium
You can follow the trip and read comments from the riders posted at the link above.
Click here to view video of Mr. Monday saving the flag.
There have been three other threads about the flag-saving event. Some focus on the baseball-side of things. But none focus on the flag being carried across the USA.
Customarily, Patriot Guard Rider missions are somber events. At the invitation of a soldiers' family, the PGR attend funeral services for fallen soldiers. The patriot Guard ensures that honor and respect are given to the soldier and his family. In the case of the Rick Monday flag, however, it is an oppertunity to participate in a much happier occasion.
The Patriot Guard is sub-divided into state chapters. As the flags progress across the nation, each state-based group will hand-off to the next in a semi-formal ceremony. There are even a few riders who are making the entire coast-to-coast trip.
Below, a typical state-to-state transfer:
BarbaraLee Monday is shown at center.
Simply put, the Patriot Guard Riders are Americans doing the right thing.
????
A son of a longtime friend is a Navy corpsman, serving with Marines. I didn't know the Marines ever had medics of their own.
Please inform your various ping lists of this amazing event!
PGR bump.
Riding With Respect.
I don't suppose any of the big mouth elected offical in washington, our war heros, are going to attend. To busy whining and promoteing themselves.
However, I don't thing too many Marines would take offense at calling a medic (who served on the front lines with them) a "Marine".
(I don't believe Monday ever served in combat)
I never get tired of watching that video.
If there are inaccuracies in the bio information I take responsibility for that. The article was written by me based on several other articles that I read. It's entirely possible that the nature of his Marine Corps service is incorrectly stated.
For this I apologize.
But, let that not overshadow a tremendously patriotic event executed by 'regular' people.
"Mr. Monday was a Marine Corps medic for 6 years."
If he was, he had to have done at leas part of it as a reservist while playing MLB.
He was born in November, 1945, and started with KC in 1966.
This would have made him 20 in April, 1966.
As a Dodger fan and LA resident at the time, that was truly a great moment in LA Dodger/baseball history. Monday came to the Dodger's a year or two later and was one of their most popular players for several years.
According to that excellent link, Mr. Monday served 6 years in the Marine corps. reserves.
I am happily corrected!
WHen he was in Desert Storm, sometimes the Marines he served with would try to convince him to ride in the humvee, or whatever transportation they had. He always refused, preferring to walk with his unit.
You are correct. Navy corpsmen go into the field with Marines.
Rick Monday and the Patriot Guard Riders deserve thanks from all Americans for their pride and actions in our great country.
Rick Monday, American hero and patriot. THANK YOU, RICK!!!
Ping!
????
A son of a longtime friend is a Navy corpsman, serving with Marines. I didn't know the Marines ever had medics of their own.
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That's a distinction without a difference.
My father was a Navy medic attached to the Marine Corps every single day after he left boot camp, which included most of the hellish "island-hopping" campaigns in the Pacific. There was not a single Marine he supported who would not have considered him "a Marine".
I also served with the Marines as a Navy Officer, and conversely, not a single Marine I served with or who worked for me would have mistaken me for a Marine Corps Officer. That's the difference between how Marines regard their Navy medics, and any other squid. :)
But as a (former) member of the Department of the Navy, I'm proud of our Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis
SFS
BUMP
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