WARRIORS WATCH RIDERS:
A "FORCE MULTIPLYER"
WWRiders;
At the conclusion of a recent escort of 113 troops coming "home," I met a ranking NonCom who expressed a deep appreciation for what we had done for these troops. It is sometimes easy, especially when you do this time after time, to begin to forget just how powerful an impact you have on the troops your greet and escort when they come home. We do not do what we do to be thanked - the opposite, what we do is to thank them. But it is nonetheless gratifying to see that the very people who we exist to honor, recognize what we are doing for them. It is also helpful to sometimes see the effect our work has on those who we serve through "fresh eyes."
WWR Greets Troops Happy to be on US Soil
Later that evening I sent an email to this Command Sergeant Major at a large East Coast military installation, and his response to me left me feeling invigorated and recharged. He spoke of things that I have been saying to you for years - things about our mission, our vision, and the power of what you do when seen by the American Public, and seen over and over again.
I have said to you many times that in this day of instant electronic communication the images of what you do fly around the world before you even get home. Emails are sent by the troops to their friends and family. Within hours of a welcome home mission that you ride, military men and women who are still in harm's way see these images and hear these stories and that gives them the certain knowledge that they are supported by us, the American Public. This knowledge gives them heart and it gives them comfort in dark times that lie ahead of them.
And your work is seen not only by the military around the world, but by the American Public. Our Vision Statement speaks of our desire to inspire the public - by our example - to remember our troops and to support them as we support them. The CSM I met saw this too. He wrote:
"Your actions and message resonate with the American public and definitely impact the fighting force!" (emphasis mine).
That is the very goal that I have been expressing - to have a direct positive impact on the moral of our nation's troops through the sight, images and stories of our welcome home escorts.
The CSM also wrote about you:
"I have witnessed firsthand the impact of positive National Will. Your Riders my friend, are a shining example of National Will and a force multiplier. The Warriors' Watch Riders are making an awe-inspiring contribution to our Warriors."
And that speaks directly to the "Vision" of the WWR - to bring about change in our culture as it relates to the public perception of our American Warriors, to put military men and women on equal footing with sports stars, movie stars, and other celebrities - to have an impact on the National Will.
That is what you do, that is what your work achieves, your time and your sacrifice, and it is perhaps the most noble thing you will ever do as a civilian.
So let us re-examine our purpose as an organization, YOUR purpose as a WWRider. I'm going to paste below our Mission and Vision statements from the main Warriors' Watch website.,A "Mission Statement" is a short, concise statement of the core mission of an organization, stated with clarity, directness, and in as few words as possible.
A "Vision Statement" is more wordy. In a "Vision Statement" you can wax poetic, write at more length, and communicate your idealized view of what you wish to bring about through the work of that organization.
Mission statements and Vision statements are common enough nowadays in companies and non-profit organizations, charities and churches and such. A little less common is another "statement" that the Warriors Watch has written, a "Founding Principle."
When I founded the WWR almost three years ago, I had to ask myself "why." In comparison to the "what" and "how," the "why" is more complicated. I know what I want to bring into being. I know who I want to bring together and how to do it (I hope.) But why? Why do I want to bring the Warriors' Watch into being? I thought that this "Founding Principle" should be the shortest and most direct of all of the statements of our purpose and procedures.
So what is it? Why should you and I do this? Because our troops, our military men and women, are right now covering our butts. Whether "over there" or anywhere in the world, whether in direct combat or in a support role, our American Warriors HAVE OUR BACKS .
Ah, that is the key. They have our backs. So how do we repay that? We repay it in kind. WE HAVE THEIR BACKS HERE AT HOME. We take care of them when they come home, we watch over their families when they need and ask for help, we support those other organizations involved in troop and military family support either directly or indirectly. WE HAVE THEIR BACKS.
There are other reasons to be sure. Reasons both big and small, personal and not. As I said so someone recently, especially for those of us who are veterans of past war eras or military retirees, it gives an old soldier a way to continue to serve. For some of us, that keeps us going day after day - the opportunity to serve.
( Aside: In reporting on the Warriors Watch recovery mission in which we escorted the body of Army Spc. Benjamine Moore, killed by the enemy in Afghanistan, from Dover AFB to his family in New Jersey, the newspaper The Trentonian wrote this about the escort: "“The procession of public safety vehicles, led by a string of motorcycles manned by old soldiers, arrived at the Bordentown ramp off I-295 shortly before 10:30 a.m.” The Trentonian)
So these three statements taken together describe the what, the how, and most importantly the why of what the Warriors Watch Riders do. (The more important the statement, the fewer words required:)
WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS FOUNDING PRINCIPLE:
THEY HAVE OUR BACKS OVER THERE. WE HAVE THEIR BACKS HERE AT HOME.
WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS MISSION STATEMENT:
Many of us are bikers. WE WILL USE OUR MOTORCYCLES TO DRAW ATTENTION TO OUR CAUSE, WHICH IS OUR TROOPS.
Many of us are Veterans : WE WILL SUPPORT THE MISSION OF OUR UNIFORMED BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
All of us are Americans: WE WILL HONOR OUR NATION'S WARRIORS HERE AT HOME, AND SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES WHILE THEY FIGHT FOR US ABROAD.
That is the WWR Mission Statement. The two paragraphs below expand on that a little, but are not necessary to the statement:
We are brothers. We will never put ourselves above our mission, we will never allow personal considerations of any kind to interfere with the honorable and dignified performance of our mission, and we will treat our fellow Warrior's Watchmen as the brothers and sisters that they are.
Many of us are Vietnam and Cold War Era Veterans. ABOVE ALL: NEVER, EVER, WILL WE ALLOW THIS GENERATION OF HEROES TO BE TREATED WHEN THEY COME HOME AS WE WERE TREATED WHEN WE CAME HOME. . NEVER AGAIN WILL AN AMERICAN WARRIOR BE SCORNED, OR IGNORED.
(The Warriors' Watch also has a "motto," which is that last line in the paragraph above: "Never Again Will An American Warrior Be Scorned or Ignored." That motto is on the back of my business cards, and most importantly, it is clearly stamped on the Warriors' Watch Honor Coin.
Our Honor coin, the only material token of our honor and respect that we have to give to our warriors, features, in addition to the symbolism of the eagle, the POW/MIA symbol, and the Gold and Blue stars, the two single most important statements of purpose of the WWR:
The founding principle on the front of the coin:
and the motto on the back, encircling the insignia of the five branches of service, police, and firefighters:
Finally, we come to the WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS VISION STATEMENT:
THE WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS ENVISION A DAY WHEN EVERY MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES, AT HOME AND ABROAD, AND THEIR FAMILIES, FEEL APPRECIATED, HONORED, RESPECTED AND LOVED BY THE CITIZENS THEY RISK THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT.
The men and women of the United States Armed Forces are the finest generation of young Americans that our country has ever produced. They are the strongest and yet most merciful, the fiercest and yet most welcomed, the most dreaded and yet most compassionate, the deadliest and yet most moral warriors in history. As of June 30, 2008, about 1,427,546 men and women are on active duty in the United States Armed Forces, with an additional 1,458,400 in the seven reserve components. THE WARRIORS' WATCH RIDERS WILL HONOR EVERY ONE OF THEM.
Toward that end, the Warriors' Watch Riders will:
- Engage in public relations campaigns to make our presence known to the nation and to the world in order to advance our mission.
- Demonstrate to the civilian public the lengths to which we will go to treat every American Warrior, from the greenest enlisted recruit to the most seasoned officer, like a “rock star.”
- Respond to every military family member's request to honor the Warrior in their family, whether by providing a motorcycle escort, adding some excitement to their family Welcome Home or Sendoff Party, promoting their troop-support fundraising efforts, or by otherwise supporting the military family in any way they may deem appropriate.
- Perform our military and family support activities at our own expense and on our own time, never seeking compensation or expecting material or financial reward.
- Honor our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, our Veterans and our First Responders equally, recognizing and honoring them all for the heroes they are.
- At all times and in all ways members of the Warriors' Watch Riders will conduct ourselves like Free Americans worthy of the liberty that was bought and paid for by the blood and sacrifice of those we honor. We will never, ever, take that liberty for granted.
There's nothing we can do to altar the shameful periods of the recent American Past when the American Warrior was scorned. We cannot control what might happen to the American Warriors of the future. But we can Ride for the warriors of today and set the example for our fellow citizens. In the words of Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, 20, U.S. Army, killed in Iraq by an enemy car-bomb: “It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future, it's about THE RIDE, for Christ's Sake.”
Warriors' Watch: For the love of freedom, for the love of those who defend it, for the love of Sgt. Jennifer Hartman and every soldier like her - Let's Ride!
Sgt Jennifer Hartman, US Army, Killed in Iraq September 14, 2006
Warriors' Watch Riders, friends and supporters - As the CSM I spoke of above put it to me, SEE YOU ON THE HIGH GROUND! - Wayne Lutz
*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside:
"It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake."
Click here for a Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: "The Ride"
