Flags and an honor guard were part of the memorial service of a local veteran at Dermitt Funeral home, July 29.

With flags blowing in the wind the members from the Patriot Guard Riders provided a commanding presence during the funeral service of Sylvester Hardin, of Ekron, KY, Thursday afternoon.

Hardin was a retired United States Army master sergeant and had served during the Vietnam Conflict.

When Hardin’s funeral was planned the local Patriot Guard was invited to become a part of the services.

“Any time a veteran dies we show up to show support for the deceased and the family,” said Senior Ride Captain of the Hardin County Patriot Riders Thomas Folsum, “We do have to be invited by the family but we just stand outside the funeral home. Some times we lead the procession to the cemetery. It just depends what the family asks for.”

The Patriot Guard is a diverse mixture of motorcycle riders from across the nation with one common goal. Each member has an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security.

“We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, you do not have to be a veteran to be a member of our group,” said Folsum. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you do. We are about respect for those who have served our county.”

The Patriot Guard formed in early August of 2005 with the American Legion Riders Chapter 136 from Kansas.

The riders had learned that a group of religious zealots were protesting at funerals of military men and women who gave their life during the war in Iraq and the a fallen hero’s memory was being tarnished they decided to do something about it.

At the ALR 136 August meeting, the group formed a committee to strategize and form a battle plan to combat the protestors and protect the families of the veteran who gave his life for the county.

When they heard that there was going to be a protest at the Funeral of Sgt. John Doles in Chelsea, Oklahoma, they established a Mission Statement.

That Mission Statement is found on the Patriot Riders Web page, “Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family.

Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives:

• Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

• Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.”

The riders agreed that their ultimate goal was to get veterans and motorcycle organizations involved in every state so that each state could handle the situation internally and not rely on other states to do the job.

They were very successful in mustering riders to honor Sgt. Doles and limiting the intrusion by the protesters.

Today there are eight individual organizations in the State of Kentucky, who attend four or five funerals a week of Veterans, who offered the ultimate sacrifice for the county.