THURSDAY MORNING was beautiful. The sky was a clear, unstained blue and cool breeze gently ruffled the leaves and grass.
Just as beautiful, in its own way, was the wall of flags around the funeral home at Sixth Avenue and State Street. The flags were there to honor Spc. David Lane and to shield his family and his other mourners from the sight of anyone who would try to disrupt his funeral or bend the solemn occasion to their own purposes.
Each of the dozens of flags, which fluttered in ranks and rows, was held by a member of the Patriot Guard.
The Guard is made up mostly of motorcyclists and many of its members, in leather and chains, fit the popular image. But the Guard is not an exclusive group. Among the bikers are other members, men and women, young, old and in between, who would look right at home driving Toyotas, Buicks or RVs.
The mission statement of the Patriot Guard Riders, the national umbrella organization, states it plainly (with the original emphasis retained):
We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.
Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.
1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.
We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.
It is sad that the Patriot Guard is needed, but wonderful that it was created at the grassroots when the need became clear. The Guard was begun two years ago when an American Legion bikers’ group in Mulvane decided that something needed to be done to protect funerals of soldiers from demonstrations by members of Topeka’s Westboro Baptist church. The bikers decided that since they could not prevent the demonstrations, they would shield the families and other mourners from the demonstrators.
When David Lane’s family entered the funeral home Thursday, they were surrounded by flags and respectful strangers. When the procession left for the cemetery, it was accompanied by dozens of motorcycles in orderly ranks, flying American flags. With the Guard’s help, Lane’s funeral remained a memorial to his life and his sacrifice.
A unit of the Patriot Guard has now been organized in Emporia, and that is good reason for community pride.
As the Guard supports the soldiers and their families, let Emporia support the Patriot Guard.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor