Reply #450: With Deepest Condolences From The Patriot Guard Riders

[Lone_Hawk]

Dear Ms. Childlers:

I am e-mailing you because my girlfriend is on the National Support Staff of the Patriot Guard Riders and forwarded me your e-mail. It is New Years Eve, and I have no idea when you would get a response from anyone else.

You are correct, the family is notified first, and public notification is not made until the family authorizes the DoD to release the name of your fallen loved one. It is normal for the family to learn of the loss of their loved one long before anyone else learns about it or it is published through the normal channels.

The Patriot Guard Riders is an all volunteer group made up of people from all walks of life and all political beliefs. All of our members are passionate about honoring the loss of all of our soldiers. All of them joined the PGR for a variety of reasons. But the very nature of our organization means that we have members who are not experienced enough to know the way the DoD handles the loss of one of our soldiers.

Please accept my deepest apology for the post that hurt you deeply. Questioning anyone about the loss of a loved one is totally inappropriate under any circumstances. I can not find a member of the Patriot Guard Riders by the username of the person who questioned you on Democratic Underground, and I have read the thread here in its entirety. There are hundreds of PGR members from Michigan alone. Though I’m sure that our National Captain will try to find out who he or she is when she sees your e-mail and mine.

I hope that you and your family will accept my apology on behalf of the Patriot Guard Riders and will understand that this was not a situation caused by our organization.

Our mission is to show our respect for the ultimate sacrifice made by your nephew. We will only attend the services of your nephew at the invitation of your family. As have the many users on Democratic Underground expressed their deepest condolences for you and your family’s loss, I hope that you will accept mine and those of the Patriot Guard Riders.

At the time that I sent this e-mail to you, I hadn’t discovered the trick for registering at the site, so, now that I have, I am posting this publicly.

Respectfully Yours,

Stephen Maley
Capitol Region Captain
Patriot Guard Riders