LCpl Cody R. Stanley, 21, KIA, US Marine, Lockhart, TX

[markwells]

“Andyman wrote:
For all Riders attending the ABIA portion tomorrow (4 Nov), the city of Lockhart is coming out in force to show their respects. The procession will participate in a small "parade" (FH's word, not mine) around the town square before parking at the McCurdy Funeral Home. Expect a lot of red, white and blue- and a lot of tears.

See y'all in the morning.”

I will be attending tomorrow … but I may have to cut it close to the "1120 briefing".

If you move please be looking for me in my lime green jacket and light grey pants in my avatar.

[markwells]

Looking forward to seeing some of you. Mama Duck is doing great as am I (just getting more grey).
FYI: if you're looking for staging areas in Smithville, give me a call (Andyman and Mark). I know of a couple of good ones.

I'm making this ride as Cody is a former student here and the school is pretty broken up (staff and students). This is the third one we've lost.

No one likes the loss, but everyone should remember that freedom isn't free……for anyone in the world.

Semper Fi, Marine. God will take you in his arms.

[markwells]

cannot make recovery,but have taken day off to honor
this hero for his final journey ,medspec

[markwells]

Another tear jerker in small town, Texas. We had around 100 motorcycles today- I lost count at 59, many more arrived after I had that total. A channel 7 news guy who was on the side of 183 as we passed told me it took over 3 minutes for the procession to pass.

Edited to add: Among the 100 Riders were folks from as far away as Baytown (near Houston) and all over central and south Texas. We had over 20 first timers and one active duty among us. And in addition to to the 100 bikes, we had 3 cages. What a turnout!

The city of Lockhart was out in force. A couple of miles before we got into town, there were vehicles and people with flags lining the roadway. Folks were shoulder to shoulder and 5 deep around the town square as we lapped it en route to the Funeral Home.

It was a good, safe mission.

Many thanks to all who attended and helped make this happen. We made a positive difference in a family's time of horrible grief. We done good, y'all. I'm proud to have been with you on this day.

[markwells]

I will be honored to be there tomorrow for my first mission, but not my last. I will be pleased to meet you all. I will meet you at the church staging area.

IHS dave

[markwells]

I am honored to be at the church tomorrow for my first, of hopefully many missions. I look forward to meeting you all at the church staging area. I spoke with my son, who is working out of town, and unable to attend the funeral service tomorrow. He said, "Thanks, Mom" He was one of Cody's friends. I want to send thanks to everyone who is able to attend the mission tomorrow.

[keithlongacre]

There r days in your life that make u proud & there r days that make u really proud. Today was one of those days. PGR & friends showed up in force. Roughly 70 bikes & several cages. A contingent of Leathernecks MC Confederation showed up & were given the honor to lead the main group of bikes after the family.

This PGR group was super gumby at it's finest. They moved when required w/o instruction & presented themselves at the church, processon & cemetery with the upmost respect & honor. When directions were given, they again responded w/o comment & just plain made me proud as hell to be a part of them.

We had one rider with a health issue & as God would have it, He provided an EMT and Nurse as part of the group to help. They managed to stableize him & convince him to call his wife & friend to come get him & his bike.

With L/Cpl Cody Stanley being a country boy, it was only fitting that instead of a hears, he was taken to his country final resting place in the back of HIS Dodge Ram P/U. Now that's Texas class.

The following, titled "What It Means To Be A Marine" is from the order of service & written by L/Cpl Cody Stanley.

To me, being a Marine means that you have taken the nation's burdens and put them on your back. The Marine Corps is the nation's reaction force and eveyone that has joined since 9/11 knows that this burden is now theirs to bear. Being a Marine also means that you put yourself in harm's way so that others can live the great life that prior Marines have set forth for the United States. Marines set themselves apart from everyone else by taking pride in the fact that they are Marines. Marines set the standards that differentiate them from the other military branches. People look at Marines diffenentlly because they have pride in their service… from our cammies, to the way we perform in combat, to kicking butt and taking names. This contributes how the American populace views us and it is every Marine's job to uphold and pass on these standards to their juniors.

Claiming the title of Marine also means that you "step up to the plate" when no one else will and go out of your way to help people. The other day, there was an older man stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. When I saw him, at least three or four cars had passed him by. When I stopped to render assistance, he told me that he was a former Marine and bad fought in Korea. He could not thank me enough for my hospitality. This is an example of what a Marine is all about…going out of your way to help others. You know if you have a Marine by your side that lacks intelligence or simply cannot get his crap done right, your take a little time out of your day to extend a helping hand.

As a Marine, you have so many chances to do great things in the world. Marines better themselves every day, whether by knowledge or by doing. We do this because"when the rubber meets the road, "a Marine needs to know what to do. You must be able to physically pull that Devil Dog out of a hummvee that has just been hit and them pull him to safety. The bottom line of being a Marine is, "taking care of yourself and others, do what you are told when you are told to the best of your ability, and then you will have 'being a Marine' down to an art".

Better said it could not be. "OORAH"

Thanks to all of you that attended today and thanks to all who were with us in spirit. It was a tremendous honor to serve with you for this family and Marine.

[markwells]

Nice write up, Keith. Great job today. I wish I could have been the 71st Rider there.

Thanks, Man.

[markwells]

I too would like to extend my gratitude to:
Mark Brittain for bringing and working the flag detail with me. You never know what flag wranglers do, until it's you.
The Austin, Centex, and San Antonio Ride Captains who pitched in and helped us with the flag line relief and keeping folks hydrated.
The members who stayed afterwards and helped me furl the remaining flags and get them loaded.
Colton, and Kent's personal nurse who attended our member with a medical problem and arranged his way home safely.
All the members who helped me get rid of all those donuts at staging (and Hunter).
The two veterans who just appeared and helped Mark and I set up all the flags at the cemetery.
Keith Longacre for stepping up and doing a great job as RC.
It was a pleasure to stand with you all.

[markwells]

Nice job Keith. I was fortunate enough to be there on Wednesday for the recovery and trip to Lockhart. I couldn't have been prouder of the group that accompanied LCpl Stanley to Lockhart. Today sounds like it was the ultimate statement for the purpose of the PGR. I'm very proud of ya'll and I wish I could have been there.

[texas coyote]

I just want to echo Keith's remarks. Today was a Special day. As we do PGR Mission after Mission you would think that we would eventually become hardened and "Immune" to anything that might bring tears to your eyes…Well…If that is so, I'm not there yet.
LCpl. Stanley was a true Hero and Texas "country boy". His casket was taken it's final few miles to the Cemetery in the back of his Dodge truck…I'm sure the way he would have wanted it…The kids at the Schools…and others all along the route from the time we left the Church to the cemetery…..The tractors in the fields with Flags and the "We Love You" and "We Will Miss You Cody" signs hanging from the elevated buckets….The elderly gentleman standing in his rural driveway leaning on a Walker…and the list goes on and on…all there to show their love and respect for this young Marine and his family….
"Mr. Macho" here Lost it less than 2 blocks from the Church….Proof positive that "I'm not there yet"….
Thank you to everyone there today….in Person or in Spirit…
Keith, Sam, "Wrangler" Mark…and all the RC's involved…You did a great job today…

TC

[markwells]

I agree with all of you, 1st class leadership in this group.Ive never been more proud to be an American. To TC: My eyes were watery behind my sunglasses too i'm a long way from being "there yet".

Randy

[markwells]

A thank you note from the Cody Stanley Mission.

Sent: 11/6/2009 10:24:02 P.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: Well Done!

Sir,
I am a cousin to LCpl Cody R. Stanley,whom your riders helped us lay to rest today in Lockhart,Texas.
I wanted to thank you all and tell you that they did a fantastic job.Well done.
My eternal thanks,
James Sites

[markwells]

A thank you note sent to Keith!

Hi Keith,

I found your information on the Patriot Guard Riders when I was trying to find funeral information for Cody Stanley. I am a Marine mom and my son is currently in Afghanistan. As I search the news each day, I obviously come across the fatalities and it always breaks my heart.

I just wanted to pass along my sincere thanks for how you support our military families. There are no words to explain how much your support means when our sons, husbands, brothers, etc. are sacrificing.

Thank you for taking time to honor our fallen.

Please pass my sincere thanks on to the others in your group.

God bless you!

Judy Bode
Magnolia, TX

[markwells]

Clearly this was a very emotional mission,reminded me why we were dark glasses
i eyes were wet as we took cody to his final resting place,I was thinking he was at home,a good country boy,returned to his home in a very peaceful setting.
by the way for all concerned i managed to get our fallen riders scooter back home and i got home at 900pm,again thank you for all that helped with our
ill rider…………colton,medspec

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