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Members of the Patriot Guard Riders ride past mourners holding American flags Thursday during the funeral procession for Cpl. Bryan Scripsick. The riders show up at soldiers’ funerals to show respect for the fallen soldier, their families and community. (PVDD photo by Jim Richardson)
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A Patriot Guard Rider drives behind the hearse carrying the body of Cpl. Bryan Scripsick, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack last week in Iraq. The Patriot Guard travels all over the country to honor soldiers who have died in the line of duty.
Patriot Guard stands tall for Scripsick
Among the mourners Thursday during Bryan Scripsick's funeral was a large contingency of Patriot Guard Riders, also known as “Freedom Riders.”
At first glance the Patriot Guard looks like a rough and ready motorcycle gang, complete with leather jackets, bandanas and loud choppers.
But their presence at these special funerals is anything but disruptive.
According to the group's web site, their sole mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family.
Their task is to first “show sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.”
They also are there to “shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.”
“We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means,” the group's web site maintains.
According to city officials, there were no protesters present in Pauls Valley Thursday despite rumors Iraq War protesters would show up in force.
“By state law any protesters must obtain a permit to demonstrate from the city and then they must stay 500 feet away from the church, funeral procession and cemetery,” said City Manager James Frizzel, who added no one had applied for a permit.
In 2006 the Oklahoma Legislature passed legislation making it illegal to picket or protest within 500 feet of a cemetery, mortuary or church.
The legislation was filed in response to protests conducted by the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, at several military funerals in Oklahoma.
A smaller group of riders were available Wednesday morning when Scripsick's body arrived at Will Rogers World Airport.
At the family's request, the riders, along with troopers from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, escorted Scripsick and his family from Oklahoma City to Sufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home in Pauls Valley Wednesday.
While many of the Freedom Riders came from Oklahoma, one Patriot Guard member told the Daily Democrat there were riders from all over the nation in Pauls Valley Thursday.
“We stand for those who stood for us,” she said.
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