OFF THE WIRE
capegazette.com
Legislators honor Patriot Guard Riders
The Delaware Patriot Guard Riders were recognized in the Delaware House of Representatives Tuesday, Jan. 18, for the work the volunteer group does honoring the state’s active military personnel and fallen heroes.
The group, which claims 100,000 members nationwide, is best known for attending the memorial services of military men and women to provide an honorary vigil. Mainly consisting of veteran bikers, the local chapter also attends the departures and return of Delaware troops to and from Middle East deployments.
Rep. Dan Short, R-Seaford, an Army veteran, said he had occasion to work with the Patriot Guard Riders in 2006 when two servicemen from Seaford were killed.
“We had two Marines, Cory Palmer and Rick James, who had both been killed in action in the same week,” Short said. “The Patriot Guard, which was in its infancy in Delaware at the time, came to Seaford for both funerals, lining the streets and providing a silent vigil and a barrier to the protestors.”
The protestors on that occasion were from the Westboro Baptist Church, a small Kansas-based radical group known for using high-profile funerals to make inflammatory statements underscoring its extreme stance against homosexuality.
Short said the Delaware Patriot Guard Riders peaceably protected the families from the hurtful taunts of the protestors. “I’m a member of the Seaford Volunteer Fire Company, and we fed the riders at our hall. A lot of us who are veterans in the Seaford area recognized and appreciated what they were doing. I just have tremendous respect for the people in this group,” Short said.
