THIS WEEKLY RIDE IS DEDICATED TO JON DREYMANN. JON D, AS HE WAS KNOWN TO US, WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS, A FOUNDING LEADER, AND GOOD FRIEND OF MANY.
Jon was the first of the Patriot Guard Riders to break ranks with the PGR outside of PA and join the Warriors' Watch Riders so that he would be free to continue his passion - honoring our troops - without interference. It is a testament to Jon's leadership that about 100 members defected with him, and that in the 12 months or so since that time, the Northern Illinois (Chicago area) chapter of the Warriors' Watch Riders has grown to the the largest and most active WWR chapter in the nation, to date.
Jon was very important to the WWR, and on a more personal level, to me, in the building of the new and untested troop support group Warriors' Watch. Jon leapt in with enthusiasm and drive, and was instrumental in shaping this new effort. The structure and success of the WWR is in large part due to his early influence, and for that the entire WWR organization is forever in his debt.
On the night of August 13, just a week ago, Jon was killed in a motorcycle accident. He died in Indiana, on the first leg of what was to be a 10 day riding vacation. He was only 47 years old.
It is my personal prayer that, if he could have known that it was his time to go, he would be pleased knowing that he departed this life RIDING. Jon truly did ride out of our lives and into the next in the seat of his motorcycle.
I never had the honor of meeting and riding with Jon in person - though we knew each other well. But as I told his personal friends last week, "
To the family of Jon: I don't know you but I am close to you nonetheless, because Jon was important to me. He was a “key player” in a venture that made this country a better place, that put smiles on the faces and warm memories in the hearts of countless deserving young men and women and THEIR families. Jon is missed by many because he touched many.
There is a lot of pain being expressed here in these forums today. But always remember that there can ONLY be pain where there was love. If there had not been love, there would be no pain, and for that reason we welcome the pain and embrace it as the cost, paid willingly, of our love.
God bless Jon's family and friends. May he rest well now, and may you all take comfort in knowing that his life was lived heroically. "
The rest of this week's The Ride will be devoted to expressions of joy, pain, sorrow and reminiscence about Jon from those who were closest to him. There is no where near enough room her to post it all, so I am forced to post only partial excerpts.
But I urge you in the strongest possible terms to read the entire Mission Thread that was started for the hardest to comprehend mission the WWR has ever conducted, the Honor Mission for Jon D of Illinois. The mission for Jon, held on Sunday August 16, was as you may have by now guessed a big one, to put it mildly. This thread, with all it's memories and with many photos of the misison, is viewable by the general public without registering, and will remain in the WWR's "Virtual Warriors' Walk" forum indefinietely.
Jon, your ride is over. Until we meet again at the end of MY ride, I wish you the indescribable peace and freedom of an eternally open road, reaching off into an infinite horizon.
Thank you Jon. - Wayne
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THAT FORUM.
EXCERPTS FROM PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
"Jon D was my friend, my mentor, my voice of reason, and my brother. I truly loved Jon and knew I could always count on him when I needed him. He was there for all of his friends for any reason. Looking back it is wonder how Jon was able to do what he did!! So many people turned to Jon, and never once did I hear him say he wouldn't help with whatever they needed. Jon was an amaginze individual, someone you were proud to know and someone that made you feel that you mattered! "
JonD,
I miss ya already..
The Rides:
The high speed, side by side escorts, the memories of us riding in the
rain, especially the "cold shower" after riding the Chicago Slaughter
Girls into the Sears arena... Those are just a few of the riding memories
that will bring a smile from time to time..
The Leader:
The best leaders are the ones who know how to create, encourage and
mentor other leaders. I recall watching Jon as he watched a brand new RC
"do what we do".. He stood back, let it happen, kinda like watching your
child finally mastering the joy of riding a bike without the training
wheels.. You know there will be many more times that child will ride 2
wheels and enjoy that feeling of freedom and wind rushing through hair..
Yet you also know there will be a few crashes.. But then you also know, that
child will get right back on that bike because of that same "feeling"...
How many other RCs has Jon given that same gift to, I wonder??
The Friend:
Mainly, I have already begun to miss the frequent calls which always
started with a gentle, quiet, almost conspiratorial, "Matter....JonD"..
Some calls were related to work, some were related to WWR "stuff", some
were just to shoot the breeze... Man, I miss those calls...
The Future:
Every time I ride on a mission, I know you'll be right alongside,
grinning with that high speed, wind distorted grin that I am sure looked
just as silly on me, grinning right back at ya!
JonD,
I Luv ya bro!
I don't really know what to say. So many others can put their feelings into words where I fail. I knew Jon only for a year and a half but in that time I rode on many missions with him. We honored many heroes and we did a good deal of laughing. I guess what hits me the most is this: When it came to missions and supporting the military Jon was the constant. He was always there. You knew he firmly believed in what he was doing and he made others believe it too. No matter what, Jon would be there. But now... he is not. How can this be? Something bigger than us made a mistake somewhere. This wasn't supposed to happen. Jon was always supposed to be there. The IL WWR will continue. Somehow this group of people have demonstrated their ability to put aside even this grief to continue to honor heroes. I was ride captain for the first mission after Jon's passing and it was remarkable how tears turned to cheers for a marine just out of boot camp. None of us want to let Jon down cause if we do he's sure to give us shit when we see him again.
There are just so many memories of JonD its hard to pick just one of them. So many times where I wasn't sure about something on a Mission, Before I could turn to someone and ask, he would walk up and help out. He was always there before you knew you needed something or someone. He was always calm about anything that was in front of him. No matter if he agreed with you or not. He always treated you with Respect and Love. Never had a negative word to say about people. He knew when it was the time and place to say something, and when it was time to not say anything at all. I will always look up to him and he will be with me forever.
...Jon, you are my brother, maybe not a blood brother but a brother in every other sense
of the word. You have made me a better person, just by knowing you. The grieving that
I'm having over you is the same grieving that I had in the sixties and seventies when
night after night my Vietnam Brothers were dying and I couldn't do anything about it.
You and I talked about this, so there is no doubt in my mind what your beliefs are on this
subject. I'm closing this note for now. There is so much more that I could write about and maybe later I'll add some more comments.
Ok now Mr. Spook, I know your up there and your already setting up another means of welcoming home any Trooper that has left us down here. Being the Spook that you are Jon, look up my Vietnam buddies and welcome them home also.
I love you Jon. Till we see each other again.
I met JonD thru our Vtx owners Assc. We struck an instant friendship, and started riding together. I have many great memories of the awesome times we had. I remember going on our first PGR mission. Jon was alll about Honor and Respect. It had a big impact on him.I recall his excitement when he became involved with the WWR, and joined myself.He was a friend and a Brother...in a BIG way! I miss him terribly, as we ALL do. It was very hard to ride his Patriot-mission bike in the funeral, but I was honored to do so.
He was a great person, and left an awesome legacy. He is with us in spirit. I am proud to have been his friend.
I will never forget him.
Pegs Down!
volume 1, number 28 Thursday, August 20, 2009