Each of my sons (ages 16. 14, 10) has committed to attend one mission. I think it is important for them to help out at least once before making their own decision on attending future missions.
I guess it’s best to leave Gary's last name out of this write up. Gary served in Vietnam and then raised his family in DeKalb / Sycamore, IL. The speaker at the cemetery knew Gary for 47 years. What really stuck with me is that, according to everyone, Gary never spoke disparagingly about others. That is the kind of man I like to know.
We first came ½ hour before the briefing. There were a few bikes there. We didn’t know anyone, but the ride leader “Original” Al was very nice and friendly to us newcomers. Everyone was cool and welcoming.
Stelios loved this pimped out Gold Wing trike
Here he is by our Vulcan and one of many Harleys.
We heard a little about Gary at the briefing. We also learned we would have police escorts through the several lights as we rode to the cemetery in the country. Man, when it came time to roll, we rolled right away. I was a bit surprised at how quickly it all came together, but got in my spot on time. Here are a few more bikes. We think there were about 30 total. Bunch of Harleys of various shape and size, one Beemer, two wings, the trike, and one 1500, but he came right before we left, so I never met him. Nice looking bike he had. And, of course, our 1600.
Here are a few more.
The ride to the cemetery was about 7 miles of 45 or 50 mph. Lots of bikes / lots of loud pipes / lots of smooth energy.
This phone pic is pretty bad, but it shows a portion of the folks in attendance and a bit of that fine, rolling landscape behind us.
The service was very well done. Afterward, the family had us all sign the guest book. They were very appreciative of our presence. VFW was there too with a rifle salute, and some excellent words were spoken on Gary’s behalf.
Here is Stelios at the service.
Just over 3 hours after we left our house, my son and I were sitting down ordering burgers. We had a meaningful day honoring the memory of someone we had never met who served us. We helped support his family at a tough time. We talked about the day as we waited for our food. He found the day rewarding. He thought his attendance made a difference to Gary’s family, and he would like to go on a future mission. What I noticed was that after a text confirming his evening plans when we first got there, I witnessed my 16 year old son not making or reading one text for 3 hours, lunch, and the ride home.
We will remember Gary’s name and the words spoken about him for a long time. We will also remember this day we shared together.
