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2006.05.29 |
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Goodbye To A Hero -- Pictures (Bumped)
Continued from Goodbye To A Hero. Echo9er has background information here. CH-47 Missing Man Formation. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Donaldson died in the co-pilot's seat of a CH-47:
(Continued "below the fold") The above two pictures were taken at the very end of Chief Donaldson's funeral. Everything from here down is in chronological order. The first thing I saw as I exited I-70 at Altamont Tuesday evening. btw, that's my car on the left with the large flag stickers in the back side windows.
The hearse bringing Chief Donaldson's body home took the same exit I did, drove up through Altamont and turned on U.S. 40 toward Effingham. The Patriot Guard Riders in attendance were waiting in a church parking lot right across from the above sign and fell in behind the hearse as it passed.
Not an uncommon sight at all on the drive through Altamont , Effingham, or anywhere in between.:
Also common as we passed through the countryside:
The Effingham Fire Department shows its respect at the funeral home:
A few scenes from our Friday Morning assembly point:
We traveled from there to a church parking lot about a third of a mile from the funeral location and walked from there:
Looking toward the church from the side of the road the phelps-slime was restricted to. I'm about 50 feet farther north than they were allowed.
Looking south from the same spot:
The slime is back through there somewhere. Couldn't prove if from my location. The church is straight behind me, about three times as far from it as I am. You'll note that after most of the mourners had passed by and the slime showed up the Riders lining the highway turned their back on the slime and faced the church.
Looking back toward the church from part way up the short drive to the cemetery shortly before the end of the funeral service.
I don't do caskets-and-mourners pictures -- I know we can count on the MSM to keep doing a fine job of that -- so the picture above was the last one I took except for the two at the top of this post. There are more pictures here on my Photobucket site, but nothing that isn't similar to something above. There are also pictures and links scattered through the discussion threads here and here. I swiped the picture below (That's me closest to you with the coffee.) from this site for instance.
This will not be my last PGR mission but from now on I'm going to have to recognize my limitations. I'd have been fine without that walk from where we parked to the funeral but I should have known better than to think I could do that and not have problems. Next time I promise to be smarter. *** Promoted from the comments 2005.06.21
*** Don't miss Mudville's latest Open Post. *** Bumping for Memorial Day. Originally posted 2006.05.21 |
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Posted by Bill Faith on May 29, 2006 at 12:17 AM in Patriot Guard Riders | Permalink TrackBack Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Goodbye To A Hero -- Pictures (Bumped):
» Fallen Heroes from Echo9er Tracked on May 21, 2006 11:17:35 AM
Comments Great picures and report Bill. Thanks for your efforts and your attendence. Yes, limitations, as we grow older, our bodies betray us, while in our minds we sometimes forget that. My best wishes go to Chief Donaldson's family and my thanks and respect for his service and sacrifice. My thanks also for his community. Papa Ray Posted by: Papa Ray | May 21, 2006 7:47:19 AM Excellent photos. If I could figure out how to trackback I'd do it but will put a link to this post in my blog instead.Posted by: Chuck | May 21, 2006 8:59:01 AM Bill, Thank you for sharing your experiences with the Patriot Guard. I only hope that the Donaldson family realizes all the people that are behind them in this time of sorrow. Rose Ride Captain Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Donaldson’s Mission Rest in Peace dear ChristopherPosted by: Rose Connolly | May 21, 2006 7:00:22 PM I just want the family and friends of CWO Donaldson to know I did not know Chris but I will never forget him or how I wanted so bad to be there to honor him . I own a business and it just did not allow me to be there. Memorial day 2002 I tattooed Never forget 9-11 on my arm . I intend to honor him and all the great soldiers like him in the same manner. Let him rest in peace . Thank You CWO DonaldsonPosted by: Joe Tracy | May 21, 2006 8:10:07 PM Thank you for the pics. I'm going on a mission this Thursday for Lcpl Sovie. He was one of "ours" at SA.Posted by: Laurie | May 22, 2006 5:09:23 PM Excellent job! California is finally getting a break and I'm able to read my favorite blogs. Imagine my surprise to read your excellent posting while visiting Sgt. Hook!!! Hope you're feeling better. Cheryl CA State Captain Patriot Guard RidersPosted by: Cheryl | May 24, 2006 11:15:06 AM Post a comment |
