Posted on 10/28/2008 8:08:18 AM PDT by SmithL
On motorcycles and in a pickup, the Patriot Guard Riders on Monday escorted Spc. Frank Cheatham and more than 100 other soldiers from a Dyersburg armory along their first step to deployment in Iraq.
Cheatham, of Hornbeak, Tenn., celebrated his 35th birthday with final hugs to his wife, two daughters, son, mother and sister in the chill morning air.
The farewells came early and too quickly for Cheatham and his family. He returned from the Middle East fewer than six months ago, said his wife, Miki, 35.
"He left on our anniversary last time," she said.
One daughter, Madison, 13, echoed words heard many times outside two waiting buses: "I love you, Daddy."
Cheatham's unit, the 168th Military Police Battalion of the Tennessee Army National Guard -- 110 soldiers in all -- were called up for the second time since the summer of 2004.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol, joined at times by local police and county sheriff's cars, accompanied the caravan about 90 miles south down U.S. 51 to a Memphis airport.
But the Patriot Guard were the escorts on a mission. They led with American flags flying.
Roger Laird, 59, of Dresden, Tenn., was one of about eight volunteer motorcyclists who began the ride in Dyersburg. Others would join later.
"Because I'm military, I'm going to make sure these people are supported," Laird said. "And I lost my nephew over there."
Laird estimated that 150 members of the Patriot Guard attended the funeral in Martin, Tenn., after his nephew, Army National Guard Sgt. Dustin D. Laird, was killed in Iraq in August 2006.
That was one year after a group of American Legion Riders in Kansas formed the Patriot Guard. Theirs was a response to protests led by the radical Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., which claims God is punishing America.
Followers of the church were at his nephew's funeral, but the Patriot Guard shielded the ceremony from their demonstration, Laird said.
He joined the group soon after, as did his brother, Jackie Laird.
"It lets me know these guys aren't going to be treated like the guys in Vietnam were," said Jackie Laird, 53, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam era.
Volunteers join on the Patriot Guard's Web site -- patriotguard.org -- and are notified by e-mail when "missions" are scheduled.
By family request, and working with law enforcement, the volunteers on two, three or four wheels escort military funerals and troops heading to and returning from deployments.
They also offer broader support, like appearing at the Lance Cpl. Timothy R. Creager Memorial 5k Run/Walk in Millington this Saturday and a Veterans Day parade Nov. 8 in Martin. They've even been known to widen a doorway for a wounded veteran in a wheelchair, said Oakland resident Scott Zeitner, assistant state captain for the Patriot Guard in Tennessee.
"It's strictly here for soldiers," said Zeitner, 49, whose son died in a vehicle crash in 1996 while serving in the Army in South Korea.
In the drill room of the armory, the moments were sobering for Ray Kolwyck, 70, of Dyersburg. He sent off his son-in-law, Maj. Richie Gammons, 46, and his nephew, Spc. Derek Kolwyck, 20.
Pfc. Dustin Tinnin, 27, of Millington said work kept his mother from a final hug.
So Tinnin asked a reporter to deliver a message: "I'm going to miss you and I love you, Mom."
Patriot Guard
Web site: Patriotguard.org
Membership: Nearly 154,000 have joined online. No dues, no meetings. E-mail is used to organize.
In Tennessee: Scott Zeitner, assistant state captain from Oakland, calls West Tennessee the "last outpost on the frontier" because the area has a smaller following than the Nashville area.
Stated mission at military funerals: "Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors."
Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal
Frank Cheatham, 35, kisses daughter Madison, 13, goodbye outside the James A. Gardner Armory in Dyersburg on Monday as he prepares to deploy to Iraq.
Larry Gatewood was among Tennessee Patriot Guard Riders escorting Guardsmen from their Dyersburg armory to Memphis en route to Iraq.
Lauren Jewell enjoys a last-minute snuggle with her fiancé, Derek Kolwyck, before his military police unit prepares to leave Dyersburg on Monday.Mike BrownThe Commercial Appeal
I salute you all and know this.. that American will forever hold each and every one of you a debt of gratitude.
God Bless the Patriot Guard. They are truly angels in black leather.
“Pfc. Dustin Tinnin, 27, of Millington said work kept his mother from a final hug.”
What kind of scumbag employer would not let hos mother off to say goodbye.
Good job PGR-Tennessee from a PGR-North Texas.
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