13 Nov 2007, 3:51 pm / Eager to ride
On Saturday November 17, the Patriot Guard Riders of SouthEast Pennsylvania will complete a mission that was begun two weeks ago in NorthEast Philadelphia. There we attended a funeral for Corporal Adam Chitjian, US Army. Adam was killed by enemy small arms fire during combat operations in Iraq. His best friend was with him when he died and that friend killed the bastard who killed Adam. Adam was 39 years old. He joined the Army at the age of 35 because he believed it was the right thing to do while his country was at war. He was a member of the 1st Cavalry Division and while he and his family are from Philly, he met his wife Shirley while stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to Iraq. As the Senior Ride Captain for the Patriot Guard in SE PA, I am the one who receives the PGR plaques that we present to the families of every fallen soldier for whom we are invited to ride. As usual, because of the distance and time involved, the plaque arrived at my home after the funeral. Normally I would simply take the plaque to the home of the widow or mother, but in this case Adam's wife Shirley had already returned to her home in Coppera's Cove, Texas, outside of Fort Hood. So I got in touch with the Patriot Guard Ride Captains in Texas, and together we decided to take the plaque to Mrs. Chitjian. WE WOULD NEVER JUST MAIL IT TO HER - THAT WOULD BE WRONG. But the mission is not complete until the plaque is delivered with honor and dignity, so we decided to do a Pony Express Ride from Philadelphia to Texas. There is a large flag pole on the lawn of the funeral home where Adam's services were held. It was at the base of that pole that we parked an Army Hummvee to honor Adam on the day of his services. We also lowered the flag on that pole to half-mast for him. Early on Saturday morning I will ride to that home, take the plaque to the flag pole, and render a silent salute. Then we (I and a few dozen fellow PGR) will mount our steel ponies and begin the plaque's trek to Texas. We will carry it to the Pennsylvania/Delaware State line. There we will hand it off to the Delaware Patriot Guard Riders. They in turn will carry it to Virginia, then South Caroline, and so on to Oaklahoma and finally Texas, where the Texas Patiot Guard Ride Captain will present it to Shirley. Only then will I be able to say "mission accomplished." 
|
