Ride report posted for Matter:

What started out as a perfectly coordinated mission to be followed by a second mission turned into something that more closely resembled a narrowly avoided train wreck.. If you weren’t driving one of the 2 trains, nobody really noticed a problem.. But what if you were driving BOTH of the trains!!

I decided to RC these 2 missions because were last minute requests, and both of them were driving 3 hours to get to their respective destinations, and the first was during the middle of a work week day, the second was in the evening…. Sounds like a Perfect way to spend the day!!

However, because the Army is the Army…. I got the word that they were both leaving Ft. McCoy at the same time!! Thankfully a friend and fellow WWRider was able to grab the other mission at the last moment!! Thanks Bob!

However, this last minute coordination put me a little late to the mission I was headed for… When I arrived, I discovered that I had missed their arrival by quite some time but pleasantly discovered we had FOUR young lady soldiers to welcome home!!

After the presentation of Coins and Beads, these young warriors rode with us on our bikes to the Huntley Football game to meet up with more family and friends there.. I tell ya, those bikes never looked so good!

We arrived at the game a little too early.. Junior varsity was still playing.. There was to be some kind of announcement and maybe they and we would stand for the National Anthem on the field.. So we again thanked them for their service and apologized we had to leave.. We had another mission to make! Besides, I think it better that ONLY they were so honored in their town.. This day was about them..

AND, We figured since ALL the Huntley police escorted us to this game, that we could make part of the other mission only by exceeding the speed of sound getting there!!

WELCOME HOME LADIES!! I cannot think of a better way to spend 9/11 than welcoming home 4 Warriors fresh from the fight in Afghanistan!

OK, I can think of a better way.. To welcome home the 200,000 or so that are still deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.. But until then…. This was the BEST!

THANK YOU Specialists Parnell, Cussen, Isom and Sgt. Carrera!!

PS.. Sgt. Ryan Schack, from the other mission, says Hi, thanks, and welcome back too! It turns out he knows and is good friends with these four!