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What a great turn out. over a hundred degrees & still nearly 50 showed up. The In Country MC club, which Mr. Koch was a member, also was there. A flag line was extablished along 2 sides of the FH with USMC & US flags posted on steaks at the entrance. Mrs. Koch saw only these when she entered so after the flag line was in place, her family brought her back out to see. She was overwhelmed & kept repeated how Daniel would have loved all this.
All rilders stood at attention & saluted as Mr. Koch was loaded into the herase than non flag bikes left for the cemetary. 10 big flag bikes served as an honor escort to the cemetay. When they entered the cemetary, many wow type comments were uttered by those already in attendance.
Afterwards, the family stopped & thanked every single one of the PGR. They agained expressed how much our being there ment & how much Daniel would have loved it.
U R a remarkable bunch of patriots & I am so very proud to serve with & amoung you. Thank you all for your honered respectfull service.I will be riding up in the morning leaving my house around 10:15 or so if anyone wants to ride with me. 751-8955c
What a great day for a ride in the country to honor Mr. Klepac & his family. 20 plus bikes & cages showed up to hold Ol Glory. The family & friends made numerous comments of appreciation as well as commenting on the visual of seeing all those flags. So again, U made a difference. Thank you for Standing with respect for those who stood for us.
If U R coming from the North, take exit 271 (by Shell), TL, x I-35, road becomes CR 311, take to end, TR FM 1105, Church on L.
The Walburg resturant opens at 11:30 for those wanting to stop afterwords & eat. Those going South can take FM 1105 through the country. Nice ride.
Those coming from the South & going directly to the church, take exit 268, (FM 972) towards Walburg, TL FM1105, after curves, church on R.
If anyone wants to ride the back way with me, I will be leaving my house in Wells Branch about 9:30 (751-8955 )I will be taking Ronald Reagan, 3405,183,2657,220,Maxdale,S.Clear,S. Ft. Hood. Takes about 1hr & 45 to 2 hours 63 miles
FYI! I attend St Philip's UMC right across the street from this event. If any of U want to go to church & to the welcome home, I extend an invite for U to be our guest.
Our traditional service is at 8:15 in the chapel with a contemporary service at 9:30 in the FLC (family life center). I will be riding my big flag bike to the church so I can go right over after I get out of SS. And Yes, I will be wearing my gear & patriotic shirt.
Hope to see U there. PS I also plan on eating breakfast with the boy scouts.Turned out to be a great day to ride. Good thing PGR was there as there were only 17 family & friends there.
Yes, we were a greater number. And again, we were very much appreciated. Good job everyone.As of right now, I plan on going. (No work scheduled for Fri.) I will be leaving the McDonolds (exit 254) at 12:30.
I was RC for Cody & will be with all of you to help Smithville bring home another of it's heros. My flags will fly proudly for Mario. God bless his family & his community.
After mission report: What an outstanding turn out today. We had 40 plus folks there & even one from a mass that had just ended who stood with us also. We were able to establish flag lines on both sides of the church entry court yard for a very impressive display. The family was VERY moved at the sight. When the herase was unloaded, the 2 flag lines closed in & formed 2 solid lines to the church entrance. It was fantastic. U guys R absolutly awesome. We had 2 active duty who play a vital part by wearing their uniforms & standing out front where the family could see them.
The trip to the church was very s l o w. Several folks turned out along the road in Liberty Hill. The grave side service was well attended with several family going down our lines thanking us. Even the police officers involved thank us for what we do for these families.
Thank you all so very very much. God Bless Hope to see you Fri. in S. Austin.Ladies & gentlemen, Thank U all in advance for giving of your time, respect & honor at EJ's service Wed.
I talked to LH police Captain who will lead the procession. They want to take 183 to 29 so they can go by the LH high school.
At the church, we will inially park on the West side of the church (2nd dr).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.
Ever have one of those days U debate with yourself about wheather to go on a mission? I kept getting this nudge that I needed to go. During the procession, I learned why God wanted me there. If small town America is any example of the health and patriotism of this country, than we R in very good shape. Hundreds & hundreds of people lined the streets & roads waving flags, saluting, hands on hearts, signs pictures, & even a local football jersey that I'm sure was the # of SSG Staats. Elementry schools, the High school, lots of businesses, EMS, Fire, utilities, even a nurshing home turned out. Yeah, I lost it when I saw the line of wheel chairs. The town wanted the family & others to know how much they cared.
The group of 8 I took from Austin was awesome. We had a good ride up in the dark & cold. Folks came in from Centex, San Angelo, SA & even Houston.
The only hickup was SA was late but it worked out. They didn't appear to have prior knowledge of where we were to park etc. Other than that, It was a tremendous mission.Thanks to Bob & TC for showing up with flags & water today.
This is a good time to remind everyone to be sure & bring your own water to missions as the flag guys have been paying out of their pocket for water they bring.
Again, thanks for Standing Tall & Silent for the fallen & their families.What a great bunch of guys today. The show of respect by your demeanor & behavior was outstanding. Thank you all so much.
The family wanted me to pass on to you all, how very much they appreciated your being their. The Captain & the others Marines also were very appreciating. I know this is something we like to do but I also know it is something we feel very honored to do. Thank you for being there for those that need that special show of support & honor. You DO make a difference.
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