'Unwavering respect' Patriot Guard Riders shield mourners of military dead

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http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/dec/26/unwavering-respect/
'Unwavering respect' Patriot Guard Riders shield mourners of military dead

 By Bill Thompson bthompson@postandcourier.com Monday, December 26, 2011

They are from all walks of life. The only common denominators are a love of motorcycles and a passionate desire to shield the families of the fallen from callous and insensitive acts.
There is no political litmus test one must pass before joining the Patriot Guard Riders, an honor guard described as "a diverse amalgamation of riders" from across the nation defined by its "unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America's freedom and security."
Ellen Frick/Provided
There is no political litmus test one must pass before joining the Patriot Guard Riders, an honor guard described as “a diverse amalgamation of riders” from across the nation defined by its “unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security.”
Provided
South Carolina Patriot Guard Riders stand in a ceremonial flag line at a funeral service. The Riders' chief mission is to attend the funeral services of servicemen and women killed in action. Appearing as invited guests of the family, the members demonstrate their support, set up flag lines and offer motorcycle escorts while shielding mourners from disruptions created by protesters.
"We are a group of patriots that honor veterans, first responders and their families," said Bruce Ballou of Charleston, assistant state captain of the riders. "We do this with pride and a deep sense of respect. The PGR mission has also expanded to welcome-home (celebrations), send-offs and honor flights."
There are approximately 255,000 members nationwide, with chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. South Carolina boasts 2,700 riders, with an estimated 200 to 300 living in the Lowcountry, Ballou said.
"But we are not a 'club.' We do not collect dues or have monthly meetings. We communicate using the Internet and phone, and we only gather when we are executing a mission."
Origins
The Patriot Guard Riders were born in August 2005 with the American Legion Riders Chapter 136 in Kansas.
Appalled to learn that a fallen soldier's memory was being sullied by religious zealots protesting at funerals, they developed a strategy to counter the activities of Fred Phelps and the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church, which had targeted the funeral of Sgt. John Doles in Chelsea, Okla.
"There are 100 or so members of this church who have attended funerals as anti-gay advocates, claiming that because America condones or tolerates homosexuality, 9/11 was our punishment," said documentary filmmaker Ellen Frick of Seattle, director of "Patriot Guard Riders." "They will hold up placards and say things like 'Thank God for dead soldiers.' "
The church and the family that leads it were also the subject of Louis Theroux's 2007 BBC documentary, "The Most Hated Family in America."
Using legal, nonviolent means, the riders limited the church's planned intrusion at the Doles service. The new group promptly established a mission statement and renamed itself the Patriot Guard in October 2005. Their ultimate goal was to "get veterans and motorcycle organizations involved in every state so that each state could handle the situation internally."
Riders on film
Produced and financed by Frick's company Wall Fly Films and distributed by New Day Films, the 73-minute documentary "Patriot Guard Riders" was shot mainly in Seattle and Evansville, Ind., and was two years in the making. A local screening of the film was held this month at Low Country Harley-Davidson.
"My main characters are in Evansville -- a bereaved couple who lost a son in Iraq," said Frick, who had earlier published an article in Time magazine about the behavior of the church and the Riders' response. "The climax of the film is a kind of confrontation in Iowa between the PGR and members of Westboro Church. We also shot footage in the church's compound. They were more than willing to talk. That's their thing."
But when Frick began traveling with the riders and shooting footage of their activities, she learned the story went deeper.
"It was challenging not to make it be about the Westboro Baptist Church, and the harassment by this hate group," said the director, a former engineer whose social documentaries have appeared on PBS and the History channel. "The story seems at first to be about them, but it's really about the origin of the Riders.
"No one was going to military funerals before them. It is also a matter of camaraderie and brotherhood, especially for Vietnam veterans. The film deals quite a bit with these men and women and with those (suffering) post-traumatic stress disorder."
Receptive families
Ballou, president of the local business firm Nicanor Consulting, said most families have been receptive to the idea of the Riders' participation.
Read more For more information go to www.patriotguard.org and www.wallflyfilms.com. "We actively seek out the services of those who have been killed in action. Some of our senior ride captains will work with military or clergy to get permission to go. In other cases, like the death of a veteran, it is we who are approached.
"Occasionally we run across a family that is a little timid and not familiar with who we are and they don't want to make a spectacle of the funeral. Neither do we. So we counsel them to go to our website (www.patriotguard.org) and learn about the Riders.
"Typically, a funeral director or one of the ride captains of the PGR will talk with the family's representative and tell them everything we do is highly respectful of the family. We then coordinate the specifics working with a family member or representative."
Meanwhile, Ballou has high hopes for Frick's documentary, which he said would be useful in explaining to a wider audience "who we are, what we do and why we do it."