Friday, July 23, 2010

Patriot Guard

I was very moved last week when I witnessed a group called the Patriot Guards gathered at a local funeral home for services of a local boy that was only twenty years old. He was a combat medic in the 82nd Airborne. If you are not familiar with the Patriot Guard this is what I have learned, they are a diverse group of motorcycle riding volunteers around the nation that attend funeral services of fallen heroes. They gather together to become human shields for the families of fallen heroes from interruptions that are sometimes created by protesters. This is a very dedicated group of people.

It was a real heartwarming thing to witness but it was also upsetting as well. What is this world coming to? Why on havens green earth would we need to have all these people standing around this funeral home in the one hundred degree weather standing guard? I suddenly became ill.

The reason I became so upset, was seeing all these dedicated patriotic American people standing in the hundred degree heat in order to protect the grieving families of fallen heroes. The reason for the protection is due to a group from a church in Kansas. The members of that church have been known to protest at funerals of fallen heroes. They protest with signs and yell chants at cars during the funeral procession. They believe all soldiers are bad lazy people. I won’t get into all of that. They are radicals.

I am proud to be an American and I am proud that being American affords us the freedom of speech. It is because of all the men and women that fight and have fought for this country that we have these freedoms. However, I don’t believe it is respectful to protest anyone’s funeral regardless of your religious beliefs. Furthermore, my opinion in the matters is, if you feel that this nation is going to hell, there are many other places you could choose to live.