PGR supports Operation Omaha - 70th Anniversary D-Day Salute

(June 9, 2014) As a member of the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR), I had the honor and privilege of serving World War II vets last week. PGR took time to join with other organizations in recognizing those that took part in Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 by Allied forces. Last week’s event takes its name from one of the two beaches  on which American forces landed: Omaha Beach. (The other was Utah Beach.)

Photo upper right: volunteers were given pins to commemorate this event. I will proudly wear it on my riding vest.

June 5, 2014

Phase I: Flag Lines

Volunteers from PGR and other organizations, such as Cisco Systems, arrived before 9:00 a.m. and began greeting the veterans and their “guardians” as they arrived. Though scheduled to begin arriving at 11:00, many arrived well before 10:00. As our PGR leader noted, his experience has been that The Greatest Generation veterans tend to arrive early to most any event. 

From about 9:30 a.m. until after noon, about 18 of us created two flag lines into the entrance of Dorton Arena on North Carolina’s state fairgrounds. Cisco volunteers and uniformed, active military personnel greeted the veterans and their guardians as they arrived. They would also sign them in and tag their luggage. The veterans brought luggage for an overnight stay in Bedford, Virginia. Once assembled and treated to some a cappella music, these honored guests would board tour buses and head to Bedford to the National D-Day Memorial. 

This was only my third PGR mission. I was grateful to participate in a "feel-good" mission as our group leader called it. Typically, PGR volunteers support the families of veterans who have died. In this case, we got to shake hands and talk with those we were honoring. I enjoyed a feeling of gratification that comes from serving others.

Ol’ Bill, Randy, and the other PGR leaders did a great job of preparing for this mission and they kept us hydrated and gave the PGR flag line volunteers breaks as needed. It was quite warm in the sun and many of these volunteers are in their sixties and seventies. Standing for two-and-half hours in the heat holding a flag can be a real challenge.

Photo above right and below left: that's Mike Russo and friends.

Many of the veterans stopped and shook our hands and thanked us for being there. Amazing, they are thanking us! We were sure to thank them for their service. One veteran told us he had, in fact, landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Another told us that he had been a tail gunner on a B-17 that flew behind German lines to harass the enemy during the invasion. I built models of the various B-17 variants when I was young and have climbed in one at an air museum.

So, I was excited to speak to someone who had flown in one in combat. I said to him, “It must have been very scary and a bit lonely isolated at the back of the plane, away from your comrades.” He responded, “Yes, but it got even scarier when the plane caught fire and I couldn't see or breathe. I managed to find the hatch and fall out.” And he walked away. I had never heard someone refer to bailing out of their plane in that way. I suspect the tail gunner’s hatch was located in the bottom of the tail section and he did actually fall out when he opened the door. I really would have loved to hear how it went from there.

Photo below, right: that's yours truly standing in front of my rebuilt machine.

Phase II: Escort to Hillsborough

Around noon, those of us who were escorting the veterans on the first part of their journey assembled our bikes behind the five NC State Troopers who would serve as our escort on the route, as far as Hillsborough. (See photo.) Once we had our bikes lined up behind the Troopers, we all waited patiently as the veterans boarded the three buses. They were divided into red, white, and blue groups. Around 1:00 p.m., we finally got to ride.

The Troopers led us out onto Blue Ridge Road and then onto the Wade Avenue Extension. We merged onto I-40 west to the Durham Freeway (NC 147) north to I-85 south to US 70 west. In Hillsborough, the Troopers left the group and the PGR team also peeled off, leaving the tour buses to continue the journey to Bedford on their own.

As we rode with the police escort, we were amazed at how many drivers are easily confused and make dangerous decisions when confronted by the unexpected, such as a police officer blocking traffic. I saw at least one Trooper almost run over by a driver who failed to recognize—until the very last second—that a police officer had stopped his motorcycle across the end of the interstate entrance ramp and was signaling for the vehicle to stop. The poor cop probably thought he was going to be hit square on. Fortunately the driver slammed on his or her brakes at the last second and came within a few feet of the motor officer. 

June 6, 2014

On Friday, the veterans returned to Dorton Arena on those tour buses. PGR and motor officers from different police organizations escorted them into Durham and Wake counties from Hillsborough in Orange County. (I could not attend this part of the event, but my friend Mike Russo was there and he shared his photos with me; and now I share them with you.) 

In the photo of veteran William Davies, you can see his guardian taking a photo of him with her phone. In the background you can see the bikes from the PGR escort backed against the wall inside Dorton Arena.

PGR serves the family’s of fallen service members with dedication and a sense of duty. However, I think the vast majority of PGR members will agree that it’s an enjoyable experience when we can recognize the service of those who are still living, hand-in-hand with those who died in the service of their country.

Peace.

-The Long Rider