Patriot Guard Riders

Today, I joined with the PGR to honorably escort the body of Sgt. 1st Class Luis E. Gutierrez-Rosales, 38, of Bakersfield, Calif. to his final resting place.

Several people have asked me how the Patriot Guard Riders got started. Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together.

It all started back in early August of 2005 with the American Legion Riders chapter 136 from Kansas. They were appalled to hear that a fallen hero’s memory was being tarnished by misguided religious zealots who were protesting at funerals. They decided to do something about it.

When they heard that Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church was going to protest at the Funeral of Sgt. John Doles in Chelsea, Oklahoma, they established a Mission Statement, which included getting the families permission and contacting Law Enforcement and other Motorcycle Groups in Oklahoma. They agreed that their ultimate goal was to get veterans and motorcycle organizations involved. They were very successful in mustering riders to honor Sgt. Doles and limiting the intrusion by the WBC.

After the Chelsea Mission the Kansas American Legion Riders wanted all Motorcycle Groups/ Organizations to be recognized. On the 18th of October 2005 the Patriot Guard name was established and was announced on the 27th of October 2005.

The growth has been phenomenal. Within a week their membership included many riders from associations like the VFW, American Legion, Rolling Thunder, ABATE, Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, Intruder Alert, Leathernecks Motorcycle Club, and thousands of individual riders. The PGR website had received almost 566,000 hits in the first two weeks!