My First Anti-Protest

When I went to support the fallen Marine hero and his family, and to protest the wackos appearance in our town, I didn't expect it to be such a fulfilling experience. I expected it to be interesting, probably worth my time, but I didn't think it would necessarily be amazing.

We got there early. I went with two friends I have known the longest here from our old neighborhood. I haven't spent any time with either since we moved, but this event was meaningful to us and brought us together again. Gotta love facebook! Turns out we have a shared history - a Navy Brat, an Army Brat and a Marine Brat. No wonder we always got along! I hear we were on TV too, but I didn't catch it. Oh well!

The whole day was very organized. From shuttles, to free water trucks, and off duty first responders at the ready. The church itself had an open door policy and not only let any of the hundreds gathered outside use their facilities, they were so impressed by the amazing turnout, that somehow they threw together a lunch and went up and down the lines letting us know we could go inside to cool off and have a meal. Wow.

But most of all, I was very honored to be amongst so many good people willing to stand all day and hold a flag in the heat, everyone was kind, helpful, respectful, and gracious to a grieving family. Every person there was ready to stand up for what they believe. The Patriot Riders and their motorcyles & unique leather outfits were awesome. Also outstanding was that eventually, the crowd swelled to over 1,500 people and I heard we made it all the way to 8th Ave Downtown. That's some serious support!

People who drove by had their iPhones pointed at us while they drove. Some had cameras and took photos as they drove. I'm surprised we didn't see an accident. Many shouted out their thanks, some honked, one announced he was a friend from high school of the Marine and he was so glad we were there. It really was an amazing experience.

Most touching to me was when different family members walked the line personally thanking each and every person standing alongside the road of the church and on the church grounds. This took a very long time, and all of them were in black. Did I mention it was HOT?! Some came by more than once. Basically as far as you can see in the photos of the people is the line they walked. Then they went up the long drive to the church. The servicemen also did so. I saw Army, Navy and Marine.

Some of the Marines stood guard over their fallen comrades body in state, and when relieved came out to thank us for being there. We got to see a change in guard duty when we were in the church that was incredibly moving. Even his Commanding Officer was there and shook our hands. I really can't describe it. But imagine being amongst a line of a couple hundred people feeling compassion as a whole, getting choked up, many wiping away tears after hugging, shaking hands and speaking with the parents, grandparents, sister, aunt, best friend, and widow of a soldier who was killed in action during his third tour. One gal a couple people down from us who rode out to the church with us is also a war-widow. I personally spoke with people from Kentucky and Alabama who drove up just to be there. I bet they weren't the only out-of-state supporters.

When the Patriot Guard all rode in, it took them over 4 minutes from first to last. That was one of the coolest sights ever. We were told that the wackos could possibly protest opposite of our location or down the street. We were told what we could do and what would get us arrested. Haha. As long as enough people showed up to become a human shield and a mass of flags, and a roar of motorcycle engines to drown out the crazies, mission accomplished. And it worked. How it all went down still makes many people smile, I'm sure.

Now because the story got passed down a line, there may be alot of room for some error here. But the way we heard it, and this is the most consistent version: after the wackos bothered the Jewish center they went to the Islamic center. The patriot riders kept coming and going so I imagine they were dispatching to disturb the protest and get in the way as much as possible without crossing the line. While the wackos were spewing their filth as the Islamic center, apparently the tires on a vehicle or two were slit. Whenever someone repeated the story to a Southern Lady, she was heard to exclaim softly with a smile on her face "what a shame". Not a single one blessed their hearts either. The few that still headed over to the funeral never even made it onto the road from the freeway. The crowd had gotten so large that it extended way down the road from the church. The word got around what vehicle they were in and they were on the way. All of a sudden there was a huge amount of activity from the police across the street from where we were standing. They raced down to the bridge interpass about 200 yards away. Then a bunch of Patriot Riders took off to join others already there. Some say a facebook flash mob appeared but I'm not so sure about that, however, there was a large amount of flags all of a sudden so maybe. Next thing we know it's all motorcycle engines revving and flags covering the entire street. Hundreds of them. I'm told our crowd just chanted GO HOME! GO HOME! GO HOME! and after about 3 minutes the wackos got back in their vehicle and did just that, since they could not even get on the street that led to the church.

And you know what? There wasn't a big celebration. Just alot of satisfaction of a job well done, whether or not you were in the swell or still waving your flag in front of the church. The word was just passed down. Flags were still waving. People were still arriving for the funeral. And about an hour later the funeral started and the crowd started heading for the shuttles to take them back to their families. The Patriot Riders stayed on.