Category Archives: Military

Inspiration for the rock

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Earlier this month I stumbled upon this painted rock northeast of Bismarck with a patriotic message on it. Thanks to Mike G. for emailing me to let me know that this was likely inspired by another well-known painted rock near Greenfield, Iowa.

This rock is painted annually with a different patriotic theme by a young man named Ray “Bubba” Sorenson. More pictures of the rock and a brief description are given here.

In my opinion, both rocks are inspiring. It doesn’t matter if one resembles another, and I doubt Bubba would be offended. The bigger picture is that people are taking the time to put their patriotism out there for all to see and remind the rest of us as well.

“Bubba” has a website promoting his artwork at www.bubbazartwork.com if you’re interested. It doesn’t feature the rock as prominently as the other site, but it does showcase other work he does.

If anyone’s interested, I can post directions to the rock I found here in Bismarck. That is, if I can find it again. I don’t remember which road it’s on exactly, but its GPS coordinates are 46 degrees, 52.023 minutes north by 100 degrees, 42.242 minutes west.

This rock is more patriotic than Congressman Earl Pomeroy

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This enormous rock, about five feet tall and parked in a very remote location outside of Bismarck, has more patriotism than the American left. The owner of the land on which it sits, I presume, has adorned it with an American flag, the names of some North Dakota soldiers killed in the global war on terrorism, and the following quote from our President:

“We will not waver; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail.” George W Bush

It’s just a shame that very few people will ever see this rock; I stumbled upon it by accident while out getting the truck dirty. Can you imagine the heartfelt pride in our soldiers the artist must have felt as they painted this tribute to their sacrifice? It’s very moving and I had to tell you about it.

On the other hand, this reminded me of the cowardly Earl Pomeroy, the hapless US Representative from our fair state. While I and several hundred other motorcyclists stood guard outside the funeral of a fallen soldier, he came by to attend the funeral and offer waves and salutes. This happened less than 24 hours after he voted against House Resolution 861, titled “Declaring that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.”

This is so typical of the liberal Democrat mantra of “I support the troops, but I don’t support the mission.” Have you seen the text of the resolution that Earl voted against? If not, click the link above. But first let me point out that this resolution was a show of support: it didn’t promise funding, it didn’t have any policy riders in it, it was simply a declaration that Americans are doing a good work and that they’ll succeed. Earl disagreed.

Here’s some of the text. I left out all the “whereas” clauses because, while they’re part of the text, they are not the meat of the resolution:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror, whether as first responders protecting the homeland, as servicemembers overseas, as diplomats and intelligence officers, or in other roles;

(2) honors the sacrifices of the United States Armed Forces and of partners in the Coalition, and of the Iraqis and Afghans who fight alongside them, especially those who have fallen or been wounded in the struggle, and honors as well the sacrifices of their families and of others who risk their lives to help defend freedom;

(3) declares that it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;

(4) declares that the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq;

(5) congratulates Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the Iraqi people on the courage they have shown by participating, in increasing millions, in the elections of 2005 and on the formation of the first government under Iraq’s new constitution;

(6) calls upon the nations of the world to promote global peace and security by standing with the United States and other Coalition partners to support the efforts of the Iraqi and Afghan people to live in freedom; and

(7) declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

What was so objectionable to cowardly Earl that he couldn’t vote YEA on this? Did he object to a “Whereas” in there somewhere? The only one that should count is this one:

Whereas the United States and Coalition servicemembers and civilians and the members of the Iraqi security forces and those assisting them who have made the ultimate sacrifice or been wounded in Iraq have done so nobly, in the cause of freedom;

That clause alone is worthy of a YEA vote. Instead, spineless Earl the Pearl voted along with such notorious wackbags as Nancy Pelosi and Charles Rangel, one of the guys who keeps saying our soldiers are too dumb or poor to choose other career options. Then he has the nerve to show up at the funeral of a fallen soldier the very next day, putting on his North Dakota face on the flight back, and presumes (correctly) that it will go largely unnoticed.

“Representatives” like Earl Pomeroy do not represent North Dakota or the majority of Americans. Some of them, like our beloved Representative, are backstabbers when it comes to our soldiers at home. They make all the right somber appearances here in North Dakota, then run back off to Washington to be who they really are. I’m glad people like the person who painted this rock are up to the task of supporting our fighting men and women worldwide. If I was a member of Travis Van Zoest’s family the day of the funeral, I’d have denied the two-faced Earl Pomeroy entry into the ceremony…at least until he explained to the hundreds of real patriots outside why he voted the way he did.

The official roll call of the vote can be found here.

The full text of House Resolution 861 can be found here.

Welcome sight in the skies – The 112th

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I was out looking for pheasants this afternoon and saw a different kind of bird overhead. One of the local Blackhawk helicopters was performing maneuvers, so I stopped to observe. When they drop in fast, they’re really cool to watch!

What this reminded me of, though, is that some of our local soldiers are home. They came in on Friday after a tour of duty in Bosnia! It was such a blessing to see them return, get handshakes from Governor Hoeven and hugs & kisses from loved ones. I was there to meet my friend Reed, with whom I’ve been causing mayhem since the *ahem* 80s, and the rest of his unit. There were lots of people there to greet them. See that crazy looking guy with the video camera on the left? That’s “Racer” Brown from KFYR. If you ever see him, tell him I told you to ask him about his nickname.

It’s such a great thing to know someone who serves their country by putting their life on the line! Some are like my friend Reed, who have been serving since high school, knowing that things like a year away from his wife and family might be required of him. Others are like my friend Alex, who signed up last year with the knowledge that he’d likely see combat in someplace hot and sandy. Then there are the husbands and wives who sacrifice too, staying behind while their loved ones go overseas to serve. I can’t even imagine what that takes. Thanks, guys… I just don’t know how else to say it. Thanks.

Yellow is the perfect color for this magnet

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An elderly die-hard Democrat in my neighborhood is sporting this yellow magnet on his car among his Dorgan, Pomeroy, and ND Peace Coalition stickers. It’s no wonder to see this sort of thing from the ND Peace Coalition; after all, they’re pretty misguided.

Their website indicates that they believe such moral gems as “…one person’s terrorist being another person’s freedom fighter” or “Terrorism ranges from crackpots or right-wing conspirators such as a mailbox pipe bomber to Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, to anthrax postal terrorists to hijackers crashing airplanes into skyscrapers, all the way to actions by governments who employ large numbers of troops and weapons.”

Of course, you won’t find any mention of ecoterrorists anywhere in there, only right-wing crackpots. For instance, when I worked for ski patrol at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, we had to inspect our ski lift towers for sabotage from people like this. Loggers had to inspect trees for large nails, put there to make saw blades explode in the faces of loggers trying to support their families, before cutting. But those aren’t crackpots, I guess. Would the peacenik clowns trying to sabotage a ND missile silo last week fall into that category? Of course not…they’re part of the agenda.

Think of the cowardly silliness in this magnet. Protect our troops by bringing them home? What kind of creampuffs do these idiots think our soldiers are? We aren’t sending the Girl Scouts overseas…we’re sending some of the most courageous Americans on our behalf.

I’ll use Alex, a young man from our church, as an example. He’s in basic training right now. He enlisted because he wants to serve and protect his country and its citizens. When he announced his decision, he didn’t say “but I sure hope they keep me somewhere out of danger.” None of the men and women of the Armed Forces did…they volunteer to face danger of all kinds so we don’t have to. I think they’d be offended and insulted if you told them we were bringing them back to US soil so they wouldn’t be in danger.

I’m proud of people like Alex who, while our country faces casualties in war overseas, volunteers because he wants to help and loves our country enough to risk his life for it. I don’t see any of these peaceniks risking their lives for anything…they just sit back and enjoy the freedoms that people with real courage earn for them. Deranged, yes…but it’s their right.

Clowns attempt sabotage at North Dakota nuclear facility. Really.

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Taken from this DefenseTech article:

Clowns attempt to sabotage nuclear missile near White Shield, ND!

Ya know, it takes all kinds. And I guess even North Dakota’s got ’em. After all, we’ve got a Bismarck Democrat comparing South Dakotans to the Taliban and then denying it, and removing his original post from his blog when he announced his candidacy for state House of Representatives.

As far as the clown wackbags, they’re lucky. I’ve heard tales of people who got their kneecaps shot out trespassing at nuclear facilities, and I think the rules of engagement are pretty serious up there if you pose a definite threat.

I’m not sure what to think about the Catholic priest playing the part of activist. He chose to quote the Bible, and out of context at that. I would politely point him to Ephesians 2:8-9 then, and ask him why he’s preaching that sacraments are necessary for getting to heaven. Or I Timothy 2:5, and ask him why he’s trying to usurp the role of Jesus. Perhaps he should spend more time reading his Bible instead of trying to paint missile silos.

Protesting is one thing, but this is treason. Free speech is one thing, trespassing on a nuclear facility is another. If you think treason and its prescribed punishment are too harsh, imagine if they could have possibly done some damage to the facility. That’s part of our nation’s defense system, a system that has helped preserve the right for these buffoons to be so stupid. Hang ’em high, I say.

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On Saturday the Patriot Guard Riders and their supporters gathered to support the second of two families grieving the loss of young soldiers. We had a rider’s meeting at 8:00 am, well before the funeral, for people to gather and for protocols to be set. We easily had two or three times as many bikes as on Thursday, likely because more people could make it than on Thursday. There were trucks with coolers full of water and ice tea for the riders, and it quickly got warm enough for us to need it; after all, leather’s pretty toasty.

We were briefed by the Patriot Guard leaders and instructed to just ignore the protesters if any showed. Our primary mission is to support and honor the fallen soldier, his family, and the community. I’d like to think we did just that.

Protesters? What protesters? We were not there to acknowledge any. Again, our mission is one of patriotic support. We kept our flags held high and kept our back to anyone who might have a different motive, as we were allowed to be in front of the public or anyone else who might decide to show.

This line of supporters was a block long and pretty deep. Many veterans were in attendance. I saw local officers I know, wearing their Blue Knight colors. I also saw a few friends who are active duty Guard members. We had a diverse crowd again; sportbikes, Harleys, import cruisers, sidecar rigs, Gold Wings…the works.

It’s that unity that makes this day even more special. There were a few times I was greeted by a friend I hadn’t seen forever…Sid Hardt, one of my favorite all time DJ’s; Gary, an old riding acquaintance and teller of tall tales; some of the guys from Mandan PD. If you want to talk about diversity…come hang out in this crowd. This isn’t the kind of “diversity” that divides people; rather, we were united. And that in itself is an emotional experience.

Even the youngsters were there on their rides! They didn’t have any leather jackets or chaps though. Give them a few years, maybe they’ll grow up to be Patriot Guard riders! These kids apparently were from the neighborhood, not part of our riding group…lots of people other than that Patriot Guard Riders came to show their support.

Whenever a uniformed soldier went past to enter the church, the crowd applauded. Most of them were tearful at the display of support for them and their mission; they’re modest about what they do. We don’t underestimate their bravery and commitment, and it’s great to have the opportunity to applaud them and their service.

The Governor was there, of course…he and Mikey thanked the people gathered to support Travis’ family. Rep. Earl Pomeroy was there as well, only one day after he voted NO on a bill in the US House declaring “that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” You’re not fooling anyone, Earl.

Again, no images from the ride; but I can sum it up for you:

Today, as expected, there was an even greater showing of support along the procession route. There were a lot of people with homemade signs applauding Travis, his family, our military forces, and our country.

Officers and military were all along the route, sharply saluting as the flag and procession went by. There were many soldiers in uniform along our route, lined up in uniform. I saw a lot of flags. A LOT of flags. Many were homemade. Taking the time to sit down and make a sign or a flag to come and stand in the heat and show support is not an impulsive thing; these people are patriots.

It was good to see employees of businesses along the route lined up as well. The median along Memorial Highway in Bismarck had a lot of people standing on the grass. The crews from the car dealerships were there. The fellas from Schwan’s quick lube building were out, hands over their hearts, as the flag went by. The staff of Roughrider Harley-Davidson were lined up tightly along the road in front of their dealership; they were busy with an annual charity day for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but stopped the festivities as the procession went by. The most beautiful woman in the world was standing there too, looking on in a spring dress…she doesn’t really understand why I’m such a motorcycle and speed enthusiast, but she understands that I am.

All the way to the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery we saw cars pulled over with people standing in support. There was a crane with the flag held high above the boom. People young and old, clean cut and otherwise all took part in this day. As Travis’ loved ones look back on this day I hope that’s the memory that they keep with them.

I can’t imagine that lonely ride down Highway 1806, knowing that their beloved soldier isn’t coming back. But hundreds, probably thousands of people stood with you that day. As most of the homemade signs said, “God Bless America” and “God Bless Our Troops!”

Tears in the helmet today

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As you know, today was the funeral for Curtis Mehrer, one of two fallen Bismarck soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Over 200 motorcyclists, myself included, were in attendance to support his family and loved ones, brothers and sisters in arms, and to make sure no monkey business took place. Fortunately the Phelps jackasses did not show, although I am told they have a permit to protest on Saturday morning.

Many of these men and women would have been here anyway, I’m sure; there were many veterans among the ranks of the riders. These riders are no strangers to the flag or the uniform and the respect they are due. While there was a solemn air over the grounds today, there was also a sense of brotherhood.

As you can imagine, ALL branches of local and state law enforcement were present. If any weirdos were to try crashing this affair, they could be dealt with. It’s uncommon to see the “bad biker” types standing around with law enforcement, so it was nice to see the stereotypes shattered for a little while. I can only describe the attitudes there as “professional courtesy.” We got a lot of waves from city, county, and state officers.

As the procession exited the church the soldiers were sharply at attention. Also standing tall were the biker guard, flags held high with pride and respect for the fallen soldier. The loss of this young man is sobering…also sobering was the atmosphere here as we united in respect of the sacrifice he made for his country.

I really didn’t like the feeling of being among the photographers outside the funeral. It feels cheap. But I wasn’t there to get a “scoop” or to try to get hits for my silly little blog; I was there to ride, and to bring back images to show you the honor and respect shown here today. Thankfully this family didn’t have to deal with the horror of protests; I’m sure today was overwhelming enough. But maybe they’ll see some of these pictures someday and recall how people came out to honor their son.

The riders were given the duty of escorts out to the Veteran’s cemetery at Fort Abraham Lincoln. This is a remarkable duty, one we should feel honored to receive. Many of the officers in attendance and others coming out of the church were shaking our hands and patting us on the back as they walked past the lines of motorcycles. I think they were relieved that there weren’t any protestors and were reassured that people were lined up to protect the dignity of the ceremony.

Obviously I can’t take pictures and ride safely at the same time, so I have none. But among some of the other images I have, I’ll tell you what I did see.

I was overwhelmed with patriotic pride and emotion as we left the church to see people stopped on along our way and on the street corners to pay their respects to this young man, his family, and the other soldiers. There were flags on cars and flags being held and waved. All the way the procession and flag were saluted.

As we passed by many of the businesses we saw lines of uniformed employees standing at attention… Cedric Theel Toyota, Schwann Pontiac, Open Road Honda and Roughrider Harley-Davidson, Bill Barth Ford, and many others let their employees stand for this man.

Public and private road crews working along our route stopped and saluted. One worker cheered with both hands in the air as a motorcycle with a large flag went by. I saw moms point at the flag as we passed and explain to their kids. One mom with her children stood by the Sitting Bull Bridge in Mandan, hands over their hearts as the flag went by.

Along the route I saw lots of cars and trucks, many of them work vehicles, stopped and their occupants standing by the side of the road. As we rode down Highway 1806 towards Fort Lincoln I saw more vehicles pulled over, some with their hats in hand over their hearts.

That’s my America. These are the people that liberals scoff at as uneducated, superstitious morons. These people have respect for our soldiers, our flag, and the country they represent. They know the meaning of the words respect and honor. They’re aware of something bigger than themselves, and I don’t mean global warming. They’re aware that soldiers risk their lives every day so that we can enjoy the freedoms we do, and honor that. Hundreds of them showed that honor and respect today.

You see, these people certainly weren’t saluting the bikers, although there are many veterans among the riders. They were saluting something greater, something even bigger than Curtis and Travis. They were saluting our country, our God-given freedoms and those who sacrifice to protect them.

Of course we were all there today to honor a fallen soldier, to remind ourselves that he willingly gave his life because he pledged to do so, and served when his country called. We also honor the loss of those who were close to him and whose grief is so great. Such soldiers tend to be very modest about what they do. Their sense of duty is what helps us sleep at night. Americans who serve when called and put their nation before themselves make our country great.

It’s pretty sobering to be a part of a procession like that, to see such patriotism poured out. I suppose that’s why I’m being dramatic in my writing. But today I saw honor and respect on display, the likes of which should be a part of every day in America. Rather than hear soldiers being accused of atrocities and war crimes by politicians with a (D) next to their name, I’d just like to see everybody show more respect for our military, our flag, and our country. Today the street corners and parkings lots had many people doing just that.

That’s the part that had me teary-eyed. I can’t talk about how I knew Curtis and Travis…I didn’t. Some people from my church did. But I got to see a lot of people who never knew them — all kinds of people, lots of them taking time from work — who still feel a sense of connection and a wish to honor these men. North Dakota has a lot of soldiers serving overseas right now. They do so for our sakes. How could a person not feel a connection to them?

There were so many motorcycles that, doubled up, we still took the length of Memorial Highway. Once we got to the cemetery we had to go all the way around the circular road to let the rest of the procession in. It was at this time that I needed to get back to work; I’m one of the fortunate ones who was able to take time to participate and show support, but I also had responsibilities back at the shop.

At least one guy there told me that his boss told all his employees a few days ago that if they were participating today, to “make sure you put it on your time card. YOU’RE GETTING PAID.” Amen to that! Obviously we have a pretty high ratio of patriots in Bismarck-Mandan.

I took the big bike today. Normally I’d be really out of place among so many “bikers”; sportbike riders and Harley riders don’t exactly mix. But on a day like today we were all unified. I kinda get a pass on circulating with the Harley guys, since I’ve moonlighted for a pair of Harley-Davidson shops for ten years, and I’ve met some of these guys through ABATE. But today we were all one pack, riding in support of those who have lost their son, their brother, their friend.

What lies before us now? The ugly business of dealing with the wackos on Saturday. I pray they just don’t show up at all. It would be best if we were just able to honor these fallen soldiers without having to deal with a freakshow. In any case, the bikers will be there to make sure the family doesn’t have that awful task.

National Guard Aviation Facility

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I’d seen the mount for it sitting empty for a long time, but earlier this Spring I took this photo of a Huey helicopter welcoming visitors to the National Guard aviation facility (home to the 112th Aviation Security and Support Battalion) southeast of Bismarck. It’s neat that they’ve got the Blackhawks to go with their mission, so I suppose some of the Hueys and jet rangers don’t see as much use as they had in the past.

I remember this facility as the James L. Grimstad Memorial Aviation Facility, named after my friend Jerry’s dad. He was one of the first pilots in the ND National Guard as far as I know, certainly one of the first helicopter pilots when the state started getting them. Prior to that it was little fixed-wing aircraft.

I did a film-to-video transfer of some of the film the guys shot back in the 40s or 50s and saved a couple of frames on my system…here’s one to bring back the memories:

It was neat seeing film of them logging their flight schedule on a chalk board in a tiny little room…obviously they’ve got much nicer quarters now! I doubt any of them could foresee how the unit’s size, mission, and equipment could change over the years. The helicopters based in Bismarck have done everything from medevac to shuttling VIPs around during times of flooding and natural disasters to flying night vision flights to help law enforcement. Now they’re representing the USA overseas and making us proud!

Wishing you a safe and happy Memorial Day

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What do you think of when you think Memorial Day? Do you think of graduation? Camping? The opening weekend of the Medora Musical? Or just Monday off? Regardless of what Memorial Day means to you, it is a day (along with 364 others every year) that was purchased for us by the brave men and women whose lives, sometimes the loss thereof, protect and defend our country and our freedoms.

Anyone who thinks that “war is not the answer” is deluded by the luxury of a sheltered existence, one brought about by this country’s might and sacrifice on the field of battle in the past. Truly evil people will not be contained by dialogue, and this world is full of them. Notice that only the USA still stands up to anyone in this world, and it’s able to do so because of the superior armed forces standing up for us each day.

Thank you to all who serve and have served. To my friend Reed and the rest of the 112th I want to say that I’m proud of you, I pray for you, and I eagerly await your return home.

11-11-11: All Veterans Memorial

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Most people in Bismarck have probably seen the Veterans Memorial at the state capitol grounds. But how many have inspected it up close? It’s got a unique distinguishing feature that you’d have to experience up close. Not only is the ceiling a perfect hemisphere, making for some interesting acoustics below…it also has a special way of celebrating North Dakota’s veterans every November 11th.

This globe in the middle of the memorial also sits near the focal point of the ceiling above. Strategically placed in the side of the sphere is a tunnel, pointing down at the globe from the southeast.

As the big brass plate on the pedestal of the globe says, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the sun shines through that portal and illuminates the state of North Dakota, which is raised on the map. It is normally polished too, but is somewhat tarnished right now. I’m sure that’ll be touched up either for Spring or certainly for Veteran’s Day.

I’ve never been able to make it here at 11am on November 11th, the day that Veteran’s Day is always celebrated. Perhaps next winter I’ll be able to post a photo of the raised ND illuminated by the 11 o’clock sun.