America Honors its Fallen
Thank you, America. Thank you Saint Joseph, Missouri and White Cloud, Kansas, and all the towns and farms that lie between them. Thank you, Patriot Guard Riders. You made me proud.
On Saturday (8 July 2006), I attended the funeral of PFC Brian Bradbury in Saint Joseph. PFC Bradbury was a forward observer with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. He died in combat on 21 June.
Protestors from Topeka threatened to disrupt the funeral, but thanks to the efforts of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Saint Joseph police, few even noticed the demonstrators. What the family witnessed was the love and respect of a community, not the hatred of a few.
At least 229 motorcycles participated for the Patriot Guard Riders. Some bikes carried two riders, and a few Patriot Guard members arrived in automobiles. In all, about 250 PGR members lined the drive in front of the church, each holding a large national flag. It was marvelous to behold, and it occurred to me that this was a magnificent display of support irrespective of the protestors' presence. It was incredible that so many men and women would travel from so many different parts of the country to pay their respects. Their presence told the family that the American people valued the sacrifice that PFC Bradbury had offered for his country.
I visited with several of the PGR members and was very impressed. They looked different than the people inside the church, but they had great hearts. They were polite and respectful; their presence added to the dignity of the event. It turned out that one of the riders is also a member of my choir, and this morning he presented me with a PGR pin. I will treasure it. The PGR motto is "Riding with Respect," and they certainly lived up to that creed on Saturday.
After the funeral, the procession of cars and motorcycles from Saint Joseph to the burial place in White Cloud was several miles long. From the time we left the church, we began to see that people had come out to line the motorcade route. Some saluted. Some waved flags. Some had signs of love and support. Some just watched us pass. They lined the streets of Saint Joseph and when we entered the countryside, they stood at the highway's intersection with every little farm road along the 45 mile route. The town of White Cloud is a grain elevator and a few businesses and homes built into a hillside along the Missouri River. I believe that every man, woman and child of White Cloud must have been there to greet us.
Brian's family buried him in a nearly two-century old cemetery at the top of the hill. The preacher said his final words and a native-American group conducted a brief ritual in accordance with Brian's family background. A flight of P-51's from the Saint Joseph air-show flew a "missing man" formation overhead. PFC Bradbury's widow received his posthumous awards: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Badge. Three volleys were fired, the bugler played taps and the flag was folded. The commanding general of Fort Leonard Wood presented the flag to the widow, and the ceremony was complete.
PFC Bradbury's death at the age of 22 is tragic, and I'm sure that nothing can remove the pain that Brian's wife, children and parents feel at his loss. During the funeral, stories of Brian's faith in Christ - and his wife's expression of her own Christian faith - and the love that the church community showed the family - these all gave me hope that the family would find the strength and healing that they need. I hope that the honors rendered by their neighbors and countrymen also brought a sense of comfort to the bereaved. I know they brought a sense of honor and pride to me.
