Over the years on Veterans Day, Indiana Patriot Guard Northeast Indiana Senior Ride Captain Russ Bauer has ridden his motorcycle into many elementary schools to explain what a veteran is. Wednesday, Bauer was the featured speaker at the Veterans Day program, sponsored by the John C. Peterson American Legion Post 49 and the James W. Sittler Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1126, at Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw. “What is a veteran? I’m not sure everyone knows,” Bauer said. “In my personal idea ... a veteran is someone who at one time wrote a blank check to the United States government and the people of America for amount up to and including his life, or her life.” He said he’s a pretty simple guy who wears a lot of hats in his life. “As you can see, I’m dressed a little differently than most of the veterans in this room. I’m a biker. I’ve been a biker since birth. My father, my grandfather – bikers. We’ve rode Harleys all of our lives,” Bauer said. The correlation between bikers and veterans goes back to World War I, he said, when the military introduced motorcycles to the battlefield, and that has continued on to today. “We’ve been a lot of things in our life, but we always come back to being a biker because it’s kind of one of those things that is pretty deep in your soul,” he explained. Bauer said in the past 10 years he’s been blessed to be a part of the Patriot Guard Riders. “We are not all veterans. We’re not certainly even all bikers. But it’s an important group that supports our veterans,” he said. “We’re here today to honor our heroes, to remember their achievements, courage and dedication and to say thank you for their sacrifices. And I always add thank you for their families’ sacrifices.” Bauer said it was very important to thank the families of veterans because “I think sometimes the family goes through more than the veteran. It’s kind of hard to believe probably, but that’s what I believe. As an advocate for veterans, I see that quite often.” Since 9/11, Bauer said 6,841 troops have given the ultimate sacrifice, with more than 200 of them from Indiana. Since the end of World War II, 476,265 men and women have served in the United States military. “We, as the Patriot Guard Riders, have a goal to honor all of them,” Bauer said. The Patriot Guard Riders formed 10 years ago when the Westboro Baptist Church protested at a military funeral. While the Riders believe protesting is a right given in the U.S. Constitution, “we also believe there is a time and place for protest and the government obviously agrees with that,” Bauer said. In 2005, when a group of veterans heard about the Westboro protesters at the military funeral in Kansas, it seemed inappropriate to them. “While our right to protest is a protected right, we also saw it as disrespectful,” Bauer said, and the Patriot Guard Riders was born. Most were veterans then, but today not as much. The Riders is organized nationally and in the states. Its mission statement says, in part, “We don’t care what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter what part of the state you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride a motorcycle. The only prerequisite is respect.” Its main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family, which includes veterans. Its priority is to show sincere respect for the fallen heroes and veterans, their families and their community. The Riders, when required, also “Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors. We accomplish all that we do through strictly legal and non-violent means.” Bauer said he’s had the honor of standing at numerous funerals for soldiers killed in action in several states. “It’s an amazing experience. You become close to the families as a senior ride captain. There’s families of this town and this county who’ve lost young men and women in the battles we’ve fought in the last 10 years,” Bauer said. “It changes you forever. It changes everything about you.” The Patriot Guard Riders have extended their activities to include veterans’ funerals, welcome home and send-off ceremonies. Members take part in and support the Honor Flights and send care packages. Last year, it sent 75,000 pounds of care packages overseas from Indiana alone, all paid for by donations. The group supports care for the families of deployed troops and Wreaths Across America. Riders visit and supply veterans with stuff at the VA hospitals. Riders went to Congress and at the state level to get the 2006 Respect For America’s Fallen Heroes Act passed. It prohibits protests within 300 feet of the entrance of a federal cemetery, 60 minutes before or 60 minutes after a funeral. Patriot Guard has 400,000 members nationwide, Bauer said. He thanked this community for its support of the Riders, saying it has given donations and other help. He gave a special mention to John Sadler, of McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, and other local funeral directors for working with the Riders when they have a veteran’s funeral. As a final note, Bauer recognized Willie Justice and Justice’s wife. Justice just got back from Kuwait about 1-1/2 weeks ago. He was deployed there after doing a stint in Iraq as a medic. The North Manchester couple has three daughters. “He just got back from overseas and I just want to recognize him, especially because he’s one of my best friends,” Bauer said. Finally, Bauer said, “God bless our troops. God bless Kosciusko County. And, certainly, God bless America.”
