Ride Report posted by Lutz

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Photo by Kat Fialkowski

About a year ago this ride report was posted to this website: SEPA Sendoff: 228th Engineers

The Warriors Watch completed a sendoff ceremony and escort for a National Guard unit out of Spring City, Pa. Spring City is an Armory that the WWR has been to many times before – for support activities and for welcome home celebrations (C Battery, 1/213 Air Defense Artillery) and so is close to our hearts.

There were other personal connections between the WWR and biker community and this unit. For example, we did a happy Welcome Home escort for a young lady named Sgt. Sinead Kelly, from Glenside, and her younger brother (far left in the photo below) was now deploying with this unit.

 

(As an aside, the Kelly Family now has a third child entering the Air Force. This is a very patriotic Irish-American family, the parents being 1st generation immigrants.)

The thrill of welcoming home an entire unit is even more poignant when you were involved in the departure and sendoff of that same unit.

We rallied in two parts for this escort. The men and women of the 228th Engineers had finished demobilization at Fort Dix and were released at 8am on Sunday. Warriors’ Watch Riders from New Jersey and parts of Eastern Pennsylvania went to Fort Dix to meet the unit buses as they emerged from the main gate. Along with the New Jersey State Police they escorted the unit to the PA border, the turnpike bridge. On the PA side the unit convoy was picked up by several Pennsylvania State Police units, one of which was the father of one of the soldiers in the unit.

The main body of the Warraiors Watch escort, accompanied by many members of the Blue Comets motorcycle Club, rallied at the King of Prussia rest stop. Staying in contact with the lead State Police Vehicle, and with the help of Meatball in his tail-gunner truck, we were able to keep up with the progress of the unit by the minute. (In fact we were surprised by the fast progress that was made from New Jersey.)

As planned the State Police cruiser in the lead led the convoy into the King of Prussia rest stop, kept on rolling as we added about 50 motorcycles to the already impressive convoy.

From there up Rt. 422 at a very respectible clip, and we were at the Armory in Spring City in no time, there to ride in to a hung American Flag from a ladder truck,  and LOTS of family members waiting with their flags and signes and their joy!

After unloading the unit was called into formation in the open field, and the company commander made remarks that made it clear that this unit had accomplished some very fine work for the people of Afghanistan, and that they had done so under fire.

That is one reason that an escort like this one is so importatn. It lets these troops know without doubt that we are behind them, that while they were in harms’ way we were routing for them and thinking of them and praying for them, supporting their families and honoring their sacrifices.

Welcome home, Pennsylvania Heroes of the 228th Engineers!

For lots of excellent photos by Kat, click here.